Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[WavemasterRyx]

Not necessarily, unfortunately.  It's possible that Razorblade was from outside the Hoof.

Ah, right... Well just add it to the long list of things I'm entirely wrong about.

[Meleagridis]

Okay, okay, I finally caught up and I've got all these things to say about 62b and-

And 63 is out!  There's a lot of good stuff in this one.  :D

I'll just get to it later, then.

Reading Reaction to the New Chapter:

Does anybody know how long it would take for a pregnancy to start getting seriously dangerous if your uterus can't expand due to Robo-Gut? Seeing as we are now three months in...

[Silver136]

Okay, okay, I finally caught up and I've got all these things to say about 62b and-

And 63 is out!  There's a lot of good stuff in this one.  :D

I'll just get to it later, then.

Reading Reaction to the New Chapter:

Does anybody know how long it would take for a pregnancy to start getting seriously dangerous if your uterus can't expand to to Robo-Gut? Seeing as we are now three months in...

Well in humans pregnancy lasts about nine(?) months.(It's been a while, so don't hold me to that.)
 As for cartoon ponies in a post-apocalypse world, goddesses only know...

[Evilgidgit]

Time for some fan theorising.

Spoiler:

[WavemasterRyx]

Well, I've been wrong about everything so far, so I guess I might as well check about this too while I'm at it.

Spoiler:

[O. Hinds]

Not necessarily, unfortunately.  It's possible that Razorblade was from outside the Hoof.

Ah, right...  Well just add it to the long list of things I'm entirely wrong about.

Sorry.

Well, I've been wrong about everything so far, so I guess I might as well check about this too while I'm at it.

Spoiler:

Whoops! Sigh. And we gave him wings and changed his color in this chapter originally, too. He seems to be a bit difficult to keep track of.
Anyway, thanks, and please don't be so down on yourself. :)

[Guest]

Earth ponies can secretly do levitation. They just don't bother with it because, to earth ponies, literally everything tastes delicious.  

[Retl]

Relevant to the most recent author's note, has Somber considered using patreon.com? A friend of mine who does a webcomic started using that lately, and seemed pleased with it.

[Icy Shake]

Wait . . . who or what are from Glyphmark? Not the Atoli, right? The sharks or squid?
Or is it the zebra of Glyphmark that the Atoli hunt with harpoons?

The zebras that the Remnant are using as slave labor.

What was Blackjack's natural luck, again? Because she's damn lucky herself. I figure it couldn't have been above 9, unless the bonus luck from the set didn't make a difference. Or maybe she (or Boo) breaks the scale and is beyond heroic or legendary or whatever 10 was.

She started with 9, IIRC.

Ah, thank you.

Well, I was going to say something about the pronouns, but I guess the doctor's changed in mind as well.

This came up in the editing chat, actually.  Dr. Morningstar's gender is "Morningstar".  :)

I suppose there's nothing else Morningstar would rather be. :)

Depending on how this goes, could make me wonder why the volume split wasn't between 62 and 63.

…But the volume split is between 62 and 63.

I—I never said it wasn't! Stop distorting my words!

That's what could have happened. But how about this?:

[Meleagridis]

In chapter 62b, Blackjack gets a new Party Member Temp by the name of Flame Pinion. He asks BJ for help in clearing out the wind tunnel in the tower. A little bit later, she asks him to cover her as she rockets off into the sky. In the process, she drains her power reserves, mechanical and magical, to their breaking point and almost falls out of the sky. The next we hear of Flame Pinion is in a list of names of who could possibly be rescuing Blackjack when she's on top of the tower.

So... what happened to Flame Pinion? Why did Blackjack have to haul herself those precious last few feet if she supposedly had one of Twister's lackeys present? I didn't really expect him to make it- he screamed Red Shirt. But I expected a line about him getting blasted from the sky, maybe even that he stays behind or just never emerges from a cloud. Instead, he just kind of fades into the ether.

Only conclusion?
Flame Pinion. Black Pony Mountain.
You do the math.

personal tangent about the lighthooves fight:

Comments are enabled on the document, should anyone want to suggest corrections or additions, but I want to keep versions consistent, so to see within cells you'd have to download the file(turns out that only applies to nonnative files hosted on drive) so direct editing isn't.

I can't leave comments. Doof's CM was a fork and knife, coat was grey.
It... might help to have the 'general other' split up based on faction, appearance, race, or something.

By the way, on a completely separate note, it occurred to me earlier that all of BJ's weapons have names other than her startmetal sword (if it ever comes back, I mean).
I thought a good name for it would be Key since she uses it to open containers or doors about as often as she uses it to open people.
Thoughts, anyone?

Trottenheimer /cracktheories
But seriously, I like that guy and he has one of my favourite quotes. I hope that the last time we see Goldenblood (assuming he isn't only mostly dead) is a conversation with Trottenheimer.

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:

Glad I'm not the only one interested in epic post-nuclear magical cockroach quests.
It's a given that he fights Dawn, I think. I mean, why else would she be in that pod in 63? Because he's made a deal with the devil with Steel Rain.
You realise there is now 3 months of roach questing to fill in, right?

Okay, just saying -- do not blow that thing up before Glory gets a chance. Or at least shove a wing or two in your saddlebags. Then you can ask her to marry you and give her an engagement wing!

I have nothing to say, I just love the pun.

Just got through 61 (I'm the slowest reader ever)

I feel indignant that this made me feel indignant.

[Caoimhe]

Late coming in to this, I've been far too busy for any stuff. As always, most of my commentary is about tone and feeeeeeelings.

Spoiler:

[Meleagridis]

I'm helping.

Chapter 62b: "She tilted her head, scratched at ear with her hoof"

63: "Remains of the ponies who’d once lived here were strewn everywhere. If the water could not dissolve it or sweep it away, it persisted. Sodden clothes lay strewn everywhere, like"

Not an error I guess, but strewn everywhere was strewn everywhere like an everywhere strewn everywhere.

[Scienza]

I can't say much other than I enjoyed the new chapter, but there is one thing I now question and simply would like an answer for.

Spoiler:

Don't mean to cause a ruckus, don't want to start any debates, I just want an answer as to why that has to be a thing by one of the brushing team if not from Somber himself, I'll pass that along and be done with it. I was okay with it until I kept getting asked why when I couldn't provide an answer.

It cemented the connection between Cognitum and the enervation/starmetal, since the two were both linked by the Core, but not directly connected. It also introduced a new facet to the rings. Before they were an object, inorganic with physical properties. They way they're interacting in Sky Striker is like a virus, spreading from host to host and attacking his cells directly. Dawn already contracted them and her battle with Striker infected him. This combined with how the Core built itself and grew almost like a fungal colony puts the Core in a very interesting and organic light.

[O. Hinds]

I'm helping.

Chapter 62b: "She tilted her head, scratched at ear with her hoof"

63: "Remains of the ponies who’d once lived here were strewn everywhere.  If the water could not dissolve it or sweep it away, it persisted.  Sodden clothes lay strewn everywhere, like"

Not an error I guess, but strewn everywhere was strewn everywhere like an everywhere strewn everywhere.

Ah, thank you.

[Meleagridis]

Question:
Exchange of fluids transfers the raider virus, yeah?
What if there's a swapping of mouth weapons? Could an earth pony get infected by using raider weaponry?

[O. Hinds]

Hm. Interesting idea. I'd lean towards "no", though, as I seem to recall that saliva isn't one... Hm... Though, considering the general health of raiders, if they had bleeding wounds in their mouths... Oh, that would be unpleasant.

[Meleagridis]

Thing is, EPs already have a bit of protection about their mouths, either from some impressive immune function or simply the fact that it's not what we should be focusing on in a drama. But with a thing like raiderism, it becomes less worldbuilding and more... something can go terribly wrong, if that makes sense. The unicorns from Shadowbolt Tower probably won't care, and the pegasi can't contract that strain. The steel rangers won't be using them. But what if they sell some stock to caravaneers? Or, perhaps worse, there's a unicorn too young to properly heft things but old enough to want to smash a radroach in maintenance? He grabs an old crowbar in his mouth...

Then again, if blood is the primary mode of transport, it wouldn't much matter if they were cleaned properly. I guess this is more relevant to recently used weapons.

[Derpmind]

Scenery Porn count: 7
  

I'm really sorry Somber, but for some reason when I read the chapter I only got to the end of the first scene with Pslam before I stopped thinking of things to

Don't know why that happened, but as everyone else has said this was an excellent chapter, though I was hoping for a scene with Psychoshy and Stygius. I really miss

[O. Hinds]

Scenery Porn count: 7
  

I'm really sorry Somber, but for some reason when I read the chapter I only got to the end of the first scene with Pslam before I stopped thinking of things to

Don't know why that happened, but as everyone else has said this was an excellent chapter, though I was hoping for a scene with Psychoshy and Stygius. I really miss

...Did you mean to not finish those sentences?

[O. Hinds]

Regarding a Whisper/Stygius scene, well, I'm not sure how they'd have gotten a PipBuck for Blackjack to use the Perceptitron with (IIRC, Whisper didn't take hers). However, if you're okay if probable noncanonicity, perhaps swicked you be happy to provide you with some Psychoshy. :)

[FeatherDust]

Okay, I haven't read any other responses yet, but:
Somber, this was an excellent chapter.  All my yes.
The one funny comment I had was:

Spoiler:

I have a few editing comments.  Some of these are a bit less mechanical and more in terms of actual word choices and stuff.

Spoiler:

[O. Hinds]

Okay, I haven't read any other responses yet, but:
Somber, this was an excellent chapter.  All my yes.
The one funny comment I had was:

Spoiler:

I have a few editing comments.  Some of these are a bit less mechanical and more in terms of actual word choices and stuff.

Spoiler:

Ah, thank you, though I'm afraid that I decided not to put in most of the changes you suggested.

[Dekshuduph]

Chapter 63 Edits:

[SparkyTheDiamondDog]

63 "Just don’t forget that you were a motherfucking Burner first, bro,” Toaster reminded with an scowl.


It flowed endlessly from the firmament, racesd down the cracked black walls, spurted out of downspouts, sprayed off molding, and crashed down stairs.

[Silver136]

Scenery Porn count: 7
  

I'm really sorry Somber, but for some reason when I read the chapter I only got to the end of the first scene with Pslam before I stopped thinking of things to

Don't know why that happened, but as everyone else has said this was an excellent chapter, though I was hoping for a scene with Psychoshy and Stygius. I really miss

...Did you mean to not finish those sentences?

I believe that was the joke, since he said "I stopped thinking of things to (say)."

[O. Hinds]

Chapter 63 Edits:

63 "Just don’t forget that you were a motherfucking Burner first, bro,” Toaster reminded with an scowl.


It flowed endlessly from the firmament, racesd down the cracked black walls, spurted out of downspouts, sprayed off molding, and crashed down stairs.

Ah, thank you.

Second 'of' should go.

Icy pointed this sentence out for the 'You'. I add that first 'on' should go.

I disagree, sorry.

[FeatherDust]

I keep seeing comments where people are claiming nobody in chapter 63 seems very interested in reaching Blackjack and/or recovering her body.

Am I missing something? She fell into the most inaccessible location in the entire Hoof.  That's the whole point, isn't it?  You can't get into the Core.  The fact that nobody went into the Core to find BJ doesn't reflect a lack of desire, just the fact that they can't.

But that aside:  Didn't Rampage say she'd been into the Core once before?  I seem to recall she got real hesitant to say anything more about it after that revelation, though.  I guess whatever method she used the first time has since been cut off from her, though.  (Which makes sense -- Cognitum would hardly allow a hole in her security to remain once it had been identified by an intruder making it inside.)

“Robot processors miss things. Empty food tins. Missing gemstones. Turds in the corner. A trail of drained Wild Pegasus bottles.

Question is, miscarriage, or Blackjack ignorance, or is she counting on the poison-management to be just that good?

He's not listing things he HAS seen, just potential evidence that a scanner that's only searching for intruders (that is, directly seeing a living being) wouldn't make note of. That's the point of the discussion, to show that detection efforts to this point have been inadequate because they're using relatively stupid probes rather than intelligent creatures.

[Guest]

Just got through 61 (I'm the slowest reader ever)

I feel indignant that this made me feel indignant.

I also just finished 62A. So I'm going to go ahead and claim the title again.

[Icy Shake]

Comments are enabled on the document, should anyone want to suggest corrections or additions, but I want to keep versions consistent, so to see within cells you'd have to download the file(turns out that only applies to nonnative files hosted on drive) so direct editing isn't.

I can't leave comments. Doof's CM was a fork and knife, coat was grey.
It... might help to have the 'general other' split up based on faction, appearance, race, or something.

I've added those. Thank you for the contribution. I'm sorry about the commenting; I'm new to hosting things on drive, but I found that I could comment while not logged in as the owner by right-clicking on a cell, though that wasn't my first or second guess of how to do so.
As for the "general other" change, that sounds like a good idea and I'll see about implementing it over the weekend. Perhaps a change to "Faction," "Job," "Appearance," "Important Relationships," and repurpose the "Role" column to more specifically the character's relation to Blackjack, or something along those lines.

“Robot processors miss things.  Empty food tins.  Missing gemstones.  Turds in the corner.  A trail of drained Wild Pegasus bottles.

Question is, miscarriage, or Blackjack ignorance, or is she counting on the poison-management to be just that good?

He's not listing things he HAS seen, just potential evidence that a scanner that's only searching for intruders (that is, directly seeing a living being) wouldn't make note of.  That's the point of the discussion, to show that detection efforts to this point have been inadequate because they're using relatively stupid probes rather than intelligent creatures.

I interpreted it somewhat differently. Based on the way he was playing his hand, with numerous questions and insinuations that were in his mind already proved, I took it to mean that he had seen signs but had no recourse to do anything (other than remember them for this conversation). It's true, though, that it could be an entirely theoretical statement.

Swicked: I see where you're coming from with Lighthooves, but I think I missed much of it myself because Blackjack's drive is so personal, where his—until 62—seems more institutionally oriented; yes, he's personally and immensely devoted to Thunderhead and that informs his agenda and his actions, but I never really saw everything he did as being about him in the same way it was with Blackjack. Now, that changed in 62, but by then my thoughts about him had been somewhat solidified, so I didn't make the connections I should have.

Editing, 63:
“Don’t heal em’ all the way.  Chicks dig scars.”
"em’ " -> " ’em"

[O. Hinds]

Comments are enabled on the document, should anyone want to suggest corrections or additions, but I want to keep versions consistent, so to see within cells you'd have to download the file(turns out that only applies to nonnative files hosted on drive) so direct editing isn't.

I can't leave comments. Doof's CM was a fork and knife, coat was grey.
It... might help to have the 'general other' split up based on faction, appearance, race, or something.

I've added those. Thank you for the contribution. I'm sorry about the commenting; I'm new to hosting things on drive, but I found that I could comment while not logged in as the owner by right-clicking on a cell, though that wasn't my first or second guess of how to do so.
As for the "general other" change, that sounds like a good idea and I'll see about implementing it over the weekend. Perhaps a change to "Faction," "Job," "Appearance," "Important Relationships," and repurpose the "Role" column to more specifically the character's relation to Blackjack, or something along those lines.

“Robot processors miss things.  Empty food tins.  Missing gemstones.  Turds in the corner.  A trail of drained Wild Pegasus bottles.

Question is, miscarriage, or Blackjack ignorance, or is she counting on the poison-management to be just that good?

He's not listing things he HAS seen, just potential evidence that a scanner that's only searching for intruders (that is, directly seeing a living being) wouldn't make note of.  That's the point of the discussion, to show that detection efforts to this point have been inadequate because they're using relatively stupid probes rather than intelligent creatures.

I interpreted it somewhat differently. Based on the way he was playing his hand, with numerous questions and insinuations that were in his mind already proved, I took it to mean that he had seen signs but had no recourse to do anything (other than remember them for this conversation). It's true, though, that it could be an entirely theoretical statement.

Swicked: I see where you're coming from with Lighthooves, but I think I missed much of it myself because Blackjack's drive is so personal, where his—until 62—seems more institutionally oriented; yes, he's personally and immensely devoted to Thunderhead and that informs his agenda and his actions, but I never really saw everything he did as being about him in the same way it was with Blackjack. Now, that changed in 62, but by then my thoughts about him had been somewhat solidified, so I didn't make the connections I should have.

Editing, 63:
“Don’t heal em’ all the way.  Chicks dig scars.”
"em’ " -> " ’em"

Ah, thank you.

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