Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[FeatherDust]

I really enjoyed Lancer's telling of the zebra creation myth, and I'm definitely going to have to remember "Believe it or don't. The story doesn't care." in case I ever need to use it.

Yeah, I loved that line too!

It's an interesting comment by Rampage that the Legate is not of the tribe he claims to be.  Between that and the Brood of Coyotl, it really makes me wonder if the Legate is a Starkatteri.

I think that's the strong implication here.  Somebody earlier noticed a synchronicity between the "twelve and one" and the Legate's family.  The Legate has eleven wives, not counting Lancer's mother -- which would mean he originally had 12 wives.  Five bits says there's one each from the 12 tribes, and that leaves the Legate to be "the one", the Starkatteri.

[Aonee]

I seriously said that earlier, I even credited the reddit comment I for it from.

[FeatherDust]

"At first, only one tribe answered him: the Roamani.  They are a martial tribe, what many think of when they think of the war.  Duty and sacrifice are their creed."

Where exactly did Vanity get those guns..?

[FeatherDust]

I seriously said that earlier, I even credited the reddit comment I for it from.

Ummm... Okay? You sound offended, but I'm not sure why. I did say "somebody" had said it earlier,I just didn't feel like digging back through to find the name right at that second...

[Caoimhe]

So a pegasus farm is a Dr Seuss nightmare.

That is awesome.

[Aonee]

I seriously said that earlier, I even credited the reddit comment I for it from.

Ummm... Okay? You sound offended, but I'm not sure why. I did say "somebody" had said it earlier,I just didn't feel like digging back through to find the name right at that second...

Eh, just forget what I said and don't worry about it.

[SilentCarto]

...Ohhh, NOW I get it. "Well bred." Twister wasn't showing disdain for aristocracy that could bribe its scions into early promotions, but rather implying that those three slept their way into a high rank.  Got it.

I think he was implying that they have a... family tradition, if you get my drift.

"At first, only one tribe answered him: the Roamani.  They are a martial tribe, what many think of when they think of the war.  Duty and sacrifice are their creed."

Where exactly did Vanity get those guns..?

It wouldn't make much sense for zebras to create paired guns enchanted to be easily levitated and aimed as one. Which isn't to say he couldn't have adopted a Roamani expression for their names, and possibly as a personal motto.

[Aonee]

Hey everybody, I wanna bring up this theory I've been considering cord a while now: Blackjack is the Element of Magic. Let me explain.
The first objection I can think of, and therefore what I'll address first, is BJ's summary lack of magical talent.  The first thing about this is the irony in it fits perfectly in with all the crap that happens to BJ. The second is the increase in magic usage we've been seeing in her since 34, from light spells to accidental  teleportation, the latter of which has happened much like her purple ancestor back in the first season of the show. 
My next point takes a bit more explaining. First, we must acknowledge that Magic=Friendship, shown in the Elements of Harmony, Twilight's ascension spell, etc. And what does our white mare in shining armor do after she defeats most all of her named enemies? Have them join the party for some amount of time, or otherwise get them to reform, found in Dues, Sanguine, and even (at least one) of the bucks from the boat. 
Now, excuse me for  bringing outside headcanon in, but as explained in Nimaru's analysis of Twilight Sparkle (found here), the Element of Magic could also be considered the Element Of Love. There's many facets of the in Blackjack, from Glory to get war on monogamy and more, but it doesn't stop there. As evident in the story, BJ wants to save everyone she can, ponies, zebras, minotaurs, even slavers and raiders as long as their willing to do better with their second chance. After going through all she's been through, Blackjack still wants to save all of them. How can that not be a love for all, perpetuated by her constant understanding of even her enemies. And she loves her enemies, because, in that moment when she understands them, truly understands them enough to defeat them, she realizes she loves them, much in the way they love themselves.

I hope that ramble made sense, I can't really say I'm the best at expressing my ideas fluently.

[Moodyman90]

Well it makes more sense than her being the element of generocity.  Unless you count all she has given/lost as generocity

Reminds me of shortly after season 3 ended i went "So is Twilight the princess of friendship now?" I was correted that she was the princess of magic and i let it drop despite the fact i was still correct because in the context of the show friendship is the strongest of magics and Twilight wouldn't have become an alicorn without it.

Now, in FoE its stated that while Littlepip wasn't an element bearer she was still the spark and even with as limited interaction as they had together, that puts Blackjack as a better canidate  than some random pony from the waste who only heard of her story.

P.S. wow this is annoying to type all this by phone.

[Aonee]

Oh I know, I was contemplating nor posting that link, but u had to find it anyway to remember the artist's name.  Also, the galaxy's swipe-to-type feature helps s lot.

[Moodyman90]

Now while i agree with aonee i would like to save the confermation of if thats true or not till the end. or at least somewhere in story and not here haha.

[Meleagridis]

Now while i agree with aonee i would like to save the confirmation of if thats true or not till the end. or at least somewhere in story and not here haha.

That's your opinion, but I think that's a loss. I love it when these theories get jossed!
From shattered opinions are scavenged great thoughts. Rather than one wrong thought you get lots!

As for Blackjack... you know, I don't think it works. I'll try to explain without being a jerk.
She's friendly, it's true. She's got companions, too. She's got the most essential ingredient: she's the glue.
But her magic is outshone by some other virtue: she'll make a close friend of those who would hurt you.
She's the Sword, cutting through, a light in the black. No other exposes the truth like old Jack.
From monsters to angels and fallen great sinners she shows bright as day there's no losers or winners.
She shows it's just you at the end of the day. No black and no white and not even grey.
No excuses are left to pardon the crime,  all that remains is a life and some time.
The wisest will stop, repentant shall listen. She'll beg from two eyes that can no longer glisten.
"Use that time well, there's two paths to take. You can do worse or do better, it's your choice to make."
And that, I think, outweighs simple leadership (though opinions may vary among all the readership)
It's something much more than forgiveness as well, though exactly what that is... I can't tell.

[Caoimhe]

I'd wager that Blackjack is actually a "new" element and in actuality the avatar of the wasteland and the destruction of the old ways, namely in technology and ascended spirit. She's not chaos, because chaos was personified and designed for a particular period of the status quo. She's basically a deus ex machina of the entire way of pony existence and beyond. She wins every fight when everything's against her because the reality she burst into can't handle her. That's why she is the Maiden of the Stars. She's a godmode type figure that doesn't fit in with her current plane of existence and explains the constant wars with herself.

Compare BJ to Pippers who was a true messiah archetype who did everything in the name of the Princesses, even though they are gone. BJ is the anti-Pip but not as a polar opposite but on a parallel

Wish I had more time to elaborate on this. Arghh.

[SilentCarto]

The first objection I can think of, and therefore what I'll address first, is BJ's summary lack of magical talent.  The first thing about this is the irony in it fits perfectly in with all the crap that happens to BJ. The second is the increase in magic usage we've been seeing in her since 34, from light spells to accidental  teleportation, the latter of which has happened much like her purple ancestor back in the first season of the show.

Let's hold off on any judgements on that until we find out what's happened to her magic since she lost the Unity. I have a feeling Twi was supporting her magic in some way, and she's not going to find it so easy to teleport anymore.

Now while i agree with aonee i would like to save the confermation of if thats true or not till the end. or at least somewhere in story and not here haha.

I agree. Somber, I'd prefer you remained silent on this, especially if it's true. If you really want to shoot it down immediately, I guess that's fine, but my preferred response would be a cryptic smile.

[Aonee]

Same here with regards to confirmation.  If takes the fun out of WMG'ing. And while Twilight could have been supporting BJ's magic, I believe she was still regaining magical usage before Unity- see her light ball spell, before her exposure to mass amounts of taint and cloud.

[Icy Shake]

I'm afraid I must preface this with an apology for its lengthy, rambling, utter incoherence.

I've always seen Blackjack as closer to Generosity than Magic. It's perhaps the case, though, that a major contributor to this was simply that from a physical magic perspective, she has historically not been gifted. Depending on the outcome of her magical proficiency post-Goddess, that may no longer be an argument against Magic. Also, the fact I like Rarity more than Twilight likely also plays a role, even if I don't mean it to.

Moreover, seeing Magic as Friendship or Love, particularly if interpreted as Caritas, then I could see most of what I always considered arguments in favor of Blackjack-as-Generosity being applied to her as the Element of Magic.

Naturally, the first place my mind always took me was to forgiveness: after all, forgiveness can only be given, never earned (like love). Blackjack's incredible capacity for forgiveness is one of the things that really makes her stand out to me. Merciful judgement, in turn, is one of the key aspects of Charity and—I would argue—not just an important contrast with the Wasteland as a whole, but with Littlepip in particular. And it's in large part because of that that I've long seen Blackjack as a greater figure of hope for the Wasteland than Littlepip herself: Littlepip basically acts as an exceptionally powerful and proficient raider pointed in a positive direction; Blackjack advances (at least to a first approximation) the same ends, but with means that go counter to what's expected in the Wastes—mercy in victory and attempts to end cycles of violence and hate not merely through the eviceration of the vanquished but through their redemption.

Now, one of the reasons that I believe that Blackjack may represent the Element of Caritas—whether that be Magic or Charity—is that her giving nature and particularly her forgiveness do not come from simple emotional responses, but from deeper within herself; notably there was the case of Roses's rapist, by whom Blackjack was disgusted, whom she desperately wished she could kill, but found she could not. Certainly, this aspect of her personality was not achieved by equine effort, but innate to her very being. I may come back to that later*. Now, this ties in with her role as a deconstruction of the Messiah figure, or perhaps even more specifically as a Christ figure; she is there not only to save the deserving, but any who will accept the chance to do better than they have.

Moreover, I think to the times that she has given more than her life to do the right thing (see also Rarity, figurines). Chief among these is, naturally, the gassing of Stable 99. There's the argument, of course, that she meant to die in that act, but the fact that she saw that as taking the easy way out and sought it even though it was not necessary for the plan to work highlights to me that the greater sacrifice was her home, her idendity, her self-worth, what remained of her belief in herself. (As a side note, and to help degrade the average tone of this comment to something more like my norm, I'd like to say that I think that the "virtue of sacrifice" is utter bullshit and claptrap; the virtue is whatever motivated the sacrifice, not the sacrifice itself.) That brings me to what I see as the strongest argument against Blackjack being the Element of Caritas, whether Generosity or Magic: as a theological virtue, Caritas cannot be possesed in excess—one strictly improves with the posession of greater Caritas/Love, just as anything becomes only better with greater goodness, beauty, and truth. Yet it is her sense of what should be—a great part of what motivates her—that also contributes so much to her suicidal tendencies. In a way, though she so often despises herself, it could be argued that that comes from not a lack but an excess of pride, for it almost seems that her perspective is that she ought to be above sin, that she should be capable of always delivering the people she sets out to help and never fail or cause harm to one she didn't mean to; yet that is a standard she seemingly applies uniquely to herself, even after seeing—living in!—the manifest failings of those she had been taught to regard as goddesses and whom she had such a powerful reaction to, merely being in their presence in memories.

And I can't even say that Blackjack entirely personifies the positive aspects of Caritas. A quick checklist gives:

There are nine parts to Divine Love. The first is Patience, Love Passive: that is in no hurry, that suffers long, that bears, believes and hopes and endures all things. There is Kindness, Love in Action: it never acts rashly or insolently; not inconsistent, puffed up or proud. Also we find Generosity, love in competition: which is not envious or jealous. Humility, Love in Hiding: no parade; no airs; works then retires. Love has Courtesy, Love in Society: does not behave unseemly; always polite; at home with all classes; never rude or discourteous. Unselfishness, love in essence: never selfish, sour, or bitter; seeks only good of others; does not retaliate or seek revenge. Love has a Good Temper, Love in disposition: never irritated; never resentful. Love is Righteousness, love in conduct: hates sin; never glad when others go wrong; always gladdened by goodness to others; always slow to expose; always eager to believe the best; always hopeful, always enduring. Finally love has Sincerity, Love in profession: never boastful and conceited; not a hypocrite; always honest; leaves no impression but what is strictly true; never self-assertive; does not blaze out in passionate anger, nor brood over wrongs; always just, joyful, and truthful; knows how to be silent; full of trust, always present.

Blackjack strikes a precarious balance on Patience, with her despair being the great argument against that quality of Love. And she can be very rash and inconsistent, yet overt pride is one of the characteristics I would least associate with her. Humility is a slam dunk. Courtesy is another weak point, as there is no doubt that the graces of refined society elude her (if she even wanted them), yet this is balanced by her almost instantaneous acceptance of people of all sorts, as with the ghouls of Meatlocker, Stygius, and pretty much everyone she's met. Oh, and who can forget

“I just want to save ponies,” I muttered, at a loss.  “That’s what Security does.”
“Just ponies?” he asked with a scowl.
“No.  I mean… not just ponies.  I want to save the lives of everyone I can.  Griffins.  Minotaurs.  Zebras.  Everyone,” I added and then looked at the pebbles he held and levitated one out of his grasp.  “Even little rocks, if they’re alive.”  Lancer looked up at me, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

She is perhaps a mixed bag on Unselfishness, feeling at times bitter over the betrayals she faces, as with Caprice, but this almost always falls away when the object of her resentment might need her in some way. Revenge is nearly her antithesis. She flunks Good Temper, but her Righteousness is one of the reasons her life is so hard. As for Sincerety, Blackjack is well known to expose fits of ire, and brood greatly over wrongs—chiefly those she committed or those that were done by people to whom she had shown mercy. And as with my earlier note on Pride, she does not present only the truth; she is incapable of putting herself or her actions in so favorable a light—at least insofar as the truth she is judged against relates to her being a Mare, not a God.

Yet for all this, being an Element was never so simple as exhibiting that quality in all its perfection; where Rarity is concerned, this may best be seen in "Green isn't Your Color"; where though she offered so much, it was ill given because it is not what Fluttershy desired. (It's worth noting that I see a parallel to this in the aftermath of the Deus arc in Flank, paired with a similar situation later in the Society where she does show more consideration and perceptiveness of what the community wants (and, more importantly,needs).) Or if not there, then the balancing of being a good sister or friend against the passion of her work and her image or the realization of her greatest personal desires, respectively, in "Sisterhood Social" and "Sweet and Elite."

And taking a more direct statement of the meaning of Caritas,

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

I see a description that fails to match Blackjack only insofar as she is mortal, and thus imperfect (unless something comes (at least a little) out of left field and she has more than a spark of the divine within her). (Oh, and I included the part from the prophesies on because I think that it fits well with Caiomhe's conception of her as something new, which sweeps away the world as it is known to those that inhabit it.)

Or, of course

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends

especially when those friends include many who hate you, or resent you, or at the very least wish you ill in service of their own avarice/convenience OH WAIT A MINUTE.

So in truth, I cannot speak against Blackjack as the Element of Magic, though I much more strongly feel the Caritas => Charity (particularly via Mercy/Forgiveness, but also by evidence of her great Sacrifices) => Generosity than Caritas => Love => Friendship => Magic.

*It turns out I never did, so I'll just make the bare-bones observation that Blackjack's moral weaknesses largely reflect poor mastery of Cardinal Virtues like, mainly, Prudence and Temperence, though arguably also Justice (in her possible forgiving not wisely but too well) and Fortitude (attempted suicide), Virtues that may be gained through effort and self-improvement (and with which she has improved over time!), which contrasts with her seemingly boundless Love for others, Hope, and Faith (ex-suicide), which in that system of philosophy cannot be achieved but are granted by the grace of God.

Ugh. Well, that done, I think it's time to run a comparison between Hendrick's, Plymouth, and Cadenhead's Old Raj to cool down the mind a bit.

[SilentCarto]

Same here with regards to confirmation.  If takes the fun out of WMG'ing. And while Twilight could have been supporting BJ's magic, I believe she was still regaining magical usage before Unity- see her light ball spell, before her exposure to mass amounts of taint and cloud.

It's true that she managed to do more with her magic than ever before after she read the magic primer from Twi's office, but those were all either tricks we wouldn't be shocked to see out of any unicorn (even Snails!) or upgrades to her signature Magic Bullet spell. Incremental upgrades, like you would expect. Teleportation came out of nowhere during her fight with Pain Train, without the "substantial effort" Lacunae said that increasing her magic would require. And given that was after she got fully connected to Unity, I'm inclined to believe she got the spell "the easy way".

[SilentCarto]

I've always seen Blackjack as closer to Generosity than Magic.

I don't disagree, though I have certain reservations about the final group not being two earth ponies, two unicorns, and two pegasi, which would require both Generosity and Magic(!) to be earth ponies.

Of course, we've made certain guesses about Boo's fate, and she is technically an earth pony... or, at least, she doesn't have wings or a horn. I'm not actually sure that makes her an earth pony by default, but I'm not getting back into the pony genetics discussion.

Overall, though, I have a feeling that BJ isn't one of the Bearers at all. She has her own war to fight, and it doesn't necessarily end when Pip clears the sky. In fact, given Hoofington's natural weather patterns and the location of a major city right above it, I wonder if the Hoof will see sunlight at all.

[Moodyman90]

Just throwing this out there, but Blackjack seems to has some talent with magic that lets her dive into other people's minds. Granted it's only been with Lacunae and Rampage, but unless I'm misremembering that event all those chapters ago and misread the newest chapter, it was Blackjack going into Lacunae's mind that cause Lacunae to be connected to Blackjack and thus the rest of Unity. Blackjack opened that connection herself.

While I'm leaning towards Magic, if Blackjack is a bearer, I'm not oppose to her being Generosity. Just that all we have to go on with "Blackjack isn't good with magic" is Blackjack herself. And between having a lousy magic teacher growing up and probably a mental block due to having a small horn, she didn't really believe she could do all that much in the way of magic outside of the levitation of items and weapons. We've seen that she's gotten better with her magic ever since her horn grew back but hasn't really had time to develop it due to lack of downtime that lets her focus on magic.

And I'm not counting on Blackjack being Twilight's descendent as a reason. In this instance I believe Blackjack needs to stand on her own.

[Derpmind]

I guess someone's got to mention it: The real problem with Blackjack being an element bearer, or being a pony capable of bearing an element, is that it requires Somber to meddle with 'the canon'. Not that I think there's anything wrong with doing that, but Somber's shown a bit of reluctance towards doing so. (Though Somber's Star lore is already very divergent from the bits and pieces in Kkat's story.)

[Icy Shake]

Again, I'm with SilentCarto on Blackjack's magic. Never saw a reason that the Bearers had to be an even mix of the races, though. I guess that's more a personal thing. None of that's to say, of course, I think she has to be or will necessarily become a Bearer, or that if she never becomes one it makes her any less of a shining light of her virtues.

But where Derpmind thinks that it would be messing with canon in a way that Somber would avoid, I'm not sure I agree. Arguably Shattered Hoof Ridge was a far bigger case, or Flux, or Pinkie's death (granted, I think that in each case they pretty much fit into little cracks that allow consistency); I've even heard the argument that making Big Mac even a modestly well-known figure prior to the assassination attempt is a major canon breach (which I don't really follow, at all, but the argument's out there). In contrast, very specifically nothing was said about the identities of the two other Bearers, leaving them wide open. And I suppose that closing off such a big open question would leave less for someone doing more in continuity with PH, but it's not like it would be the definitive outcome for all the FoE-verse.

[Moodyman90]

It's actually not messing with "the canon" all that much really. All that was really spelled out in the original story was Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, and Kindness, with Generosity and Magic given token mention of "We found the right ponies after Pip went into the thing." And it's never mention who they are, what they are, or even how they're connected.

Also, it's not like they activated the Garden of Equestria directly afterwards either. By all rights correct me if I'm wrong but didn't it take them a few months to years to find the last two ponies needed?

Also, I haven't heard of any other fic trying to fill that hole of "who are the last two?", and if there has been a few they haven't been notable enough to be mentioned when the topic of "Which FoE fics should I read?" pops up.

I'm not saying that Somber should try to fill that, especially if that hasn't been apart of his plans until now, but I'm not oppose to it. All in all, it's up to Somber. If at some point in the story he decided that Blackjack should be one of the two bearers, I say let him do it. And if has never been part of the plan, no point in trying to force him to make it so, especially if he doesn't want to.


Still, it's nice and fun to speculate about this stuff.

[Aonee]

Actually, "We're No Heroes" by otherunicorn ends with one or the characters becoming the Element of Generosity. I'd say it's notable enough to warrant a read, I liked it.

[Moodyman90]

Huh, I had forgotten about that one. And obviously never read it myself. I need to branch out more on what I read.

[SilentCarto]

I guess someone's got to mention it: The real problem with Blackjack being an element bearer, or being a pony capable of bearing an element, is that it requires Somber to meddle with 'the canon'. Not that I think there's anything wrong with doing that, but Somber's shown a bit of reluctance towards doing so. (Though Somber's Star lore is already very divergent from the bits and pieces in Kkat's story.)

I admit that is part of my reluctance, yes. I don't want to call it 'presumptuous', exactly. It's more like a sense that BJ already has her own story, her own path, and she doesn't need the Element of Magic on top of that like it was some kind of reward for her good work. It's not solely a matter of "Kkat didn't say so, so Somber shouldn't either," though -- I'd be totally on board for Charity being the Bearer of Generosity!

I think there may be a bit of wishful thinking involved in trying to shoehorn BJ into the new Bearers. As Celestia's monologue in MMC noted, "Magic" includes a healthy dose of Leadership, so I think you could make a case for just about any protagonist being a candidate (with the glaring exception of Murky.) And for all that BJ sacrifices for others, I think Generosity is a little more focused than that. Pip denied Generosity as her own virtue yet declared that it was Sacrifice, after all.

I think there can be a strong temptation to shoehorn characters into certain elements just because they're good people. BJ certainly displays loyalty to her friends, for example. But we know the Element of Loyalty went to someone else, so that just gets ignored.

Never saw a reason that the Bearers had to be an even mix of the races, though. I guess that's more a personal thing.

There's no explicit reason, no. It's more of a thematic thing.

Celestia and Luna created six Elements even though there were only two bearers. The Ponyville bearers were evenly split. Even the windigos in the Hearth's Warming story were driven off by an alliance of one of each kind of pony. I have to wonder if the Flame of Friendship is the unrefined version of the force harnessed by the Elements of Harmony.

I think all this points to an underlying principle that magic likes threes. It just seems as if the power of Harmony is strongest when all three types of pony work together and balance each other out.

[FeatherDust]

...Ohhh, NOW I get it. "Well bred." Twister wasn't showing disdain for aristocracy that could bribe its scions into early promotions, but rather implying that those three slept their way into a high rank.  Got it.

I think he was implying that they have a... family tradition, if you get my drift.

I don't see any reason to think that.  Obviously there's some twincest going on there, but this is hardly the first time that's happened in FoE.  (Gestalt & Mosaic, for instance, or... uh... the girls on the Starbucked sign, I guess?)

Point being, the only things we know about these two (three really) is that they are too young and too hot-headed for a command position, but they got them anyway; and they were sleeping with Harbinger.  That implies they got the rank because Harbinger gave it to them, and Twister would have been commenting on that.  It's a big stretch to claim that comment implies an incestuous parentage.

"At first, only one tribe answered him: the Roamani.  They are a martial tribe, what many think of when they think of the war.  Duty and sacrifice are their creed."

Where exactly did Vanity get those guns..?

It wouldn't make much sense for zebras to create paired guns enchanted to be easily levitated and aimed as one. Which isn't to say he couldn't have adopted a Roamani expression for their names, and possibly as a personal motto.

No, it wouldn't make sense for zebras to make guns that are specifically tailored for a unicorn; and furthermore most unicorns wouldn't have enough knowledge of and respect for zebra culture to reference it.  Except we know of one unicorn who had both.  Duty and Sacrifice might have been originally made (or commissioned) by Goldenblood as a gift for his favorite uncle.

Or it might just be a big coincidence.

[Icy Shake]

Yeah, I pretty much figured that the D&S thing was a coincidence, myself; those are pretty standard martial values which transcend time and nation.

A quick Google search of "duty and sacrifice" (with quotation marks), for instance, mostly gives results about Memorial Day. Military units in Australia, Finland, India, Lebanon, Malaysia, and the Philippines all have mottoes involving duty or sacrifice, and of course far more involve things like faithfulness, loyalty, and death.

From the US, there are the slogans of West Point ("Duty, Honor, Country"), the 1st Infantry Division ("No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great, duty first"), and the Army Values ("Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless-Service, Honor, Integrity, Personal Courage").

[Icy Shake]

Ah, chapter twenty one. One of the best non-enemy action scenes, growing Blackjack insanity, The Cop, and the start of the "shooty look." Lots of stuff to love here. Too bad we're leaving the best non-Blackjack Blackjack behind. (Party on, Captain. Party on.  ) On the plus side, we're back to Stable 99.

Chapter 21 Thoughts:

Chapter 21 Editing:

Other Editing:

[O. Hinds]

Ah, chapter twenty one. One of the best non-enemy action scenes, growing Blackjack insanity, The Cop, and the start of the "shooty look." Lots of stuff to love here. Too bad we're leaving the best non-Blackjack Blackjack behind. (Party on, Captain. Party on.  ) On the plus side, we're back to Stable 99.

Chapter 21 Thoughts:

Chapter 21 Editing:

Other Editing:

Ah, thank you very much as always.

So, it looks like you treat "ripper" as a common noun. In the Fallout universe, "Ripper" is a trademarked proper noun, referring to a specific product line released by a company of the same name. Do you want to keep it common, or harmonize with the games? (It only comes up a dozen times, so it's not a huge issue either way.)

I don't know, sorry.

Huh? Roll-up door? What's that?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll_up_door

[cb5]

I am most of the way done with chapter 59, and I have a question.

Also I think I have an idea of where those zebras are coming from.
1)They obviously have souls
2)They're obviously not naturally born, but still have souls regardless
3)They have free will which is why they are killed if they disobey

Spoiler:

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