Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[CD]

Do your colleagues know? Maybe one of them found it, or a handyman. If not, I can understand your pain. I don't like having to begin all over again. Just hang in there. It's cliché to say you've gotten through worse, but there you have it.

[pokeperson1000]

First off, I am so sorry to hear that Somber. hopefully you can get it back. somehow.

Second, on an unrelated note, vinylshadow can math. very much so. let us see how well vinylshadow can math, shall we?

9.9/10=99%

odds of losing something forever at school: 99%

odds of recovering said lost item (according to vinylshadow): 0.1%

... i wonder what the remaining 0.9% is...

anyways, sorry, i just found that amusing....

...i'll leave now...

[Rayndalf]

You could also search for .tmp files, using the method Epsilon suggested.
Regardless of the version of word the computer was running, there are many different ways to recover word files, so I would suggest consulting microsoft's guide.

[tylertoon2]

Sigh... neither works.  So sorry.  So very very sorry...

Does the school you work at have a lost and found?

[Derpmind]

It's too late for this advice to help, but going forward you should always try and have more than one copy of any important files that you don't want to loose. Something as simple as an extra flash drive that you keep up to date and store somewhere different from the one you carry around with you can be enough to prevent this from happening again.

Edit: And in other exciting PH news, I completely missed this in the Latest Topics sidebar because I thought it was our usual topic. Fallout Equestria: Project Horizon (Revised Edition)

[Vinylshadow]

I think we told him that exact same thing a while ago when he lost chapter...it was either 67, 68, or 69...

THE MORE (copies) THE MERRIER!

Writing: Always a learning experience

[SilentCarto]

I know I'm like two weeks late to this party... I've been moving, which sort of eats up a lot of your big chunks of spare time. But anyway. Allons-y!

...what do you mean, "Wrong universe"?

Chapter 71 Commentary:

Editing:

[BLame]

Hi there chaps, I've been a massive fan of Project Horizons ever since I started reading like sixteen months back and have been lurking these threads pretty much ever since I hit the end of the current chapters for the first time (which was No. 57: Best Night Ever IIRC), always eagerly anticipating the next chapter. I've loved reading all the interesting things people had to say throughout, all the theorycrafting and just everyone talking together about what they though/hoped would happened next, and figured I'd sign up before this fantastic story comes to an end.

I'm really sorry to hear about your misfortune with the flash drive Somber, I've had my own mishaps with losing info in the past (losing 30,000 plus words of degree coursework to a hard drive failure but a couple of days before the end of a semester deadline) and know it's an excruciating experience, so for what little it may be worth, you have my sincerest sympathies. Redoing lost work is never fun, especially when it's a follow up to something as emotionally charged as the last chapter. Really hope things get better for you soon.

[O. Hinds]

@SilentCarto:
Ah, thank you.

Congratulations

…Huh. I seem to recall that we decided to use the correct spelling there, and that I already fixed it once after that… odd.

Shouldn't that first sentence have an exclamation, too?

Hm… I think that it's better as it is. Sorry.

No comma between vivid and blood.

And here too, sorry.

That's a sentence fragment. I'd comma it with the previous sentence.

And this one. It is indeed technically grammatically incorrect, but it's constructed semi-conversationally for effect. I think that it works too.

Probably should have reloaded at some point there.

Oh, right. Oops. Thanks! Somber went back and added her shooting the heart long after the chapter was published, and it appears we both forgot to add reloading.

COMPLETELY appropriate for a surprise attack. It's like a surprise party, but with bullets!

:D

My brain is screaming that this would contain all the thermal and acoustic energy of a space launch and end up exposing the other pads to it. (Real world launch pads are positioned miles apart.) I have to keep reminding myself that magic can cover a multitude of sins.

Oh yes. Fun fact: the first draft of the chapter didn't have the bulwark fields. Just the launch pads, right next to each other and the (single) building without so much as a chainlink fence for protection. Somber has admitted that he doesn't actually know that much about rocketry…
Still, he quite liked the idea of the bulwark fields once they were proposed and, as you can see, worked them into the chapter rather nicely, I think. And all of this being so compact is explained by there being a war on and a small defensible building expensive in magic being deemed better than a cheaper, sprawling complex more vulnerable to attack and hungry for valuable space. The bulwarks also help protect the rockets from enemy fire during launch.

Here's a zebra who's never played Kerbal Space Program.

:D

Oh. So I'm probably an entire chapter behind at this point. Oops.

No, you're caught up.

Right now, I'm unable to be happy that this was exactly how I imagined them.

Nice; sounds like the descriptions were good. And, yeah, as mentioned (IIRC) in my editor's note, I know where you're coming from with regard to the emotions…


@BLame:
Welcome!

[Icy Shake]

That's a sentence fragment. I'd comma it with the previous sentence.

And this one.  It is indeed technically grammatically incorrect, but it's constructed semi-conversationally for effect.  I think that it works too.

Man, the [sentence][. or ;][fragment of further description] is so common I've had to train myself to just not bring it up except in weird cases, like where there are multiple fragments, but the first one is joined by a semicolon instead of a full stop, despite not being particularly more closely related to the first sentence. Project Horizons, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Descriptive Sentence Fragment.  
Seriously though, it's such a large feature of Blackjack's narrative voice that I'd find it weird if there were especially long stretches without that sort of thing.

COMPLETELY appropriate for a surprise attack. It's like a surprise party, but with bullets!

:D

And, it should be said, as long as it's only Pinkie's image, it's only slightly more conspicuous than the Union Flag!

Congratulations

…Huh.  I seem to recall that we decided to use the correct spelling there, and that I already fixed it once after that… odd

That reminds me, Hinds... how is spelling "congratulations" wrong a joke? You seemed to think it was and that never made sense to me.
I mean, there's no horse pun. There's no pun at all that I can see. So... what?

I had made the same comment (in thoughts, not editing), where I saw it as not necessarily a joke per se, but as implying a certain sarcastic emphasis.

[O. Hinds]

That reminds me, Hinds... how is spelling "congratulations" wrong a joke? You seemed to think it was and that never made sense to me.
I mean, there's no horse pun. There's no pun at all that I can see. So... what?

Just seemed funny to me in context.
[shrugs]
Sorry.

[SilentCarto]

[spoiler=Reply to Ryx]

The only part that seemed a bit off to me was Blackjack gloating to Amadi about Discord.  Just the way they were speaking had me wondering if I was missing something, but if no one else mentions it being a problem (or can offer a more concrete detail of how it's "off" ) then it's just me, and you shouldn't worry.

Hm.  That bit was one of the last parts we put in, and we were all rather tired by that point.  Perhaps that explains why it seemed off?  Hopefully most people won't mind, though.

I read it as a deliberate gambit to keep his attention on her and not the propoli prepping the rocket.

Maybe we could somehow, some way, get the Elements of Harmony to banish me to the moon... but I doubted it.

Well, and that would depend on it being a very specific kind of banishing, too. Never been a fan of the "Luna/NMM walking around on the surface of the moon" style banishment, myself.

I agree, but this IS BJ imagining it. (The one that really gets me is "sad Luna on the Moon", somehow forgetting that she's Nightmare Moon at the moment...)

My only regret is that Blackjack didn't kill that fucking zebra! He has a rune stone for a heart! How hard is it to figure out you need to separate the rune stone from his flesh? She should have ripped out his heart and taken it with her! His body would heal, sure, but it would spend eternity trying to escape earth's orbit and get to the heart.

Er... no? I'm pretty sure he would regenerate from the stone itself. Now, I don't object to the idea of grabbing the stone and pitching it out the hatch once they reach orbit, but they'd need something to keep him disintegrated until then... and some space suits.

To jaded, at 4:15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ28CRhAObw

Dang it, ninjaed by Somber! I was going to post that exact scene from that exact video!

She could have at least ripped out the control module. That would be kind of funny having all the Cyber Zebras just walking around eating grass and being chill while he yells at them to attack people and they ignore him. Without his cybernetics he's just another pile of flesh to the cyberbrood.

It's starmetal, remember? Practically indestructable except by more starmetal.

He did fall and shatter from a gantry only to be blasted by the heat of a rocket launch at point blank range. Maybe it melted his control electronics.

We can only hope. You're right that the starmetal should have conducted heat normally to the non-starmetal electronic components, so that could work... if the heat was applied long enough.

http://chipandironicus.com/videos/mgr/38.html @12:15 - 12:26

My first thought was, "Why are the tubes that connect to his cyberheart so long?!"

Well, denial seems a reasonably popular response. There are plenty of ways she could have survived! Not likely ways, granted, but it's possible...

Well, Cerynitis should have been evacuating that direction, so it's... possible that he could have picked her up on the way. Especially if the rocket blast fried the Brood control electronics.

Not likely, though, yes. I'm... sort of hoping she somehow got away even though I know it's best for the story if she didn't. Still, even if she didn't, BJ has talked to dead souls before. I wouldn't mind if Glory turned out to be there to back her up out in soulspace.

By the way... shouldn't Cerynitis be a female name?...

(Sorry if any of this repeats people... I'm still a few pages back.)

[SilentCarto]

That's a sentence fragment. I'd comma it with the previous sentence.

And this one. It is indeed technically grammatically incorrect, but it's constructed semi-conversationally for effect. I think that it works too.

Eh, it looked weird to me.

Probably should have reloaded at some point there.

Oh, right. Oops. Thanks! Somber went back and added her shooting the heart long after the chapter was published, and it appears we both forgot to add reloading.

Ah, that explains why she DID reload a few lines later, after blazing away with an empty gun.

Uhm. Speaking of which, a few lines later, "I did the only sensible thing I could in that situation. I reloaded." Which is now a tad odd.

Still, he quite liked the idea of the bulwark fields once they were proposed and, as you can see, worked them into the chapter rather nicely, I think.  And all of this being so compact is explained by there being a war on and a small defensible building expensive in magic being deemed better than a cheaper, sprawling complex more vulnerable to attack and hungry for valuable space.  The bulwarks also help protect the rockets from enemy fire during launch.

Yeah, I love how the bulwarks act as pop-up walls that change the battlefield at a moment's notice. And allow the characters to be in proximity to ungodly huge energy releases without dying. And it's a great name, too, by the way.

Hmmm... I wonder if a bulwark system could stand up to a balefire bomb...

Oh. So I'm probably an entire chapter behind at this point. Oops.

No, you're caught up.

So I see! Thanks.

[SilentCarto]

If anyone made a GIF of me facedesking for eternity, it would be so appropriate right now.

I lost chapter 72.

See, being a sub, I can't access Gdocs. I get blocked.  So I take a flash drive everywhere I go and just work on that.  Yesterday, I got home and checked my pockets.  You guessed it... no flash drive.  I asked my students today if anyone found a green flash drive and offered money, but no drive.  So unless it magically appears... yeah.  It's gone.  Along with chapter 72 and four other stories I was dinking about on.

Yeah...

Facedesk forever.

If anyone knows a MS office trick to recover a file, that's about my only hope.  Otherwise... yeah...

Aww, man... I'm sorry. I've lost stuff like that before, too... absolute suck.

I guess you just have to begin again... but know when to let go.

P.S. All caught up!

[Epsilon]

It's starmetal, remember? Practically indestructable except by more starmetal.

That's actually something I was wondering about. I'm not sure if it was addressed in a previous chapter, but was the virtual indestructibility of starmetal a small retcon from FoE's original canon? I seem to recall Xenith crushing the metal with her bare hooves.

We can only hope. You're right that the starmetal should have conducted heat normally to the non-starmetal electronic components, so that could work... if the heat was applied long enough.

And then, of course, a balefire bomb was dropped on him. If that doesn't do it, I don't know what will.
Speaking of which, does this mean that a balefire detonation isn't enough to destroy the Phoenix Talismans? They did allude to the possibility that Rampage at least could be killed by balefire, but I got the distinct impression that this wasn't the end of the Legate. If balefire isn't enough to kill him though, what do you guys suppose would? Short of burying him in a tomb of concrete, they'd probably need to use the Elements of Harmony.

[Rayndalf]

It's starmetal, remember? Practically indestructable except by more starmetal.

That's actually something I was wondering about. I'm not sure if it was addressed in a previous chapter, but was the was the virtual indestructibility of starmetal a small retcon from FoE's original canon? I seem to recall Xenith crushing the metal with her bare hooves.

Different starmetal acts differently, I believe. The eater's is unyielding. That's its primary property. Not by force and not by magic (save that within its specific frequency).
It matches the star's soul, I'd figure.

So different samples of starmetal behave differently depending on their source. Would it be safe to assume that all samples would react to moonstone the same way?

[Technowolf]

It's starmetal, remember? Practically indestructable except by more starmetal.

That's actually something I was wondering about. I'm not sure if it was addressed in a previous chapter, but was the virtual indestructibility of starmetal a small retcon from FoE's original canon? I seem to recall Xenith crushing the metal with her bare hooves.

The only star-thing I remember her crushing is a moon rock, after learning that it was just a "dumb rock" and NOT an evil demon from space.

[O. Hinds]

Uhm. Speaking of which, a few lines later, "I did the only sensible thing I could in that situation. I reloaded." Which is now a tad odd.

Howso? She was just firing again.

[Epsilon]

It's starmetal, remember? Practically indestructable except by more starmetal.

That's actually something I was wondering about. I'm not sure if it was addressed in a previous chapter, but was the virtual indestructibility of starmetal a small retcon from FoE's original canon? I seem to recall Xenith crushing the metal with her bare hooves.

The only star-thing I remember her crushing is a moon rock, after learning that it was just a "dumb rock" and NOT an evil demon from space.

Looking at it again, it seems that it was a meteorite she crushed out of anger. Though given the context and the fact that it held certain aesthetic properties, I think it can safely be assumed that it was composed of starmetal, albeit unrefined. Perhaps another explanation is that the refinement process (Possibly through magical or alchemical means) is what gives it its strength?

[SilentCarto]

We can only hope. You're right that the starmetal should have conducted heat normally to the non-starmetal electronic components, so that could work... if the heat was applied long enough.

And then, of course, a balefire bomb was dropped on him. If that doesn't do it, I don't know what will.
Speaking of which, does this mean that a balefire detonation isn't enough to destroy the Phoenix Talismans? They did allude to the possibility that Rampage at least could be killed by balefire, but I got the distinct impression that this wasn't the end of the Legate. If balefire isn't enough to kill him though, what do you guys suppose would? Short of burying him in a tomb of concrete, they'd probably need to use the Elements of Harmony.

Well, starmetal would work. We already know the sword could destroy soul jars. Maybe if she could apply enough force directly to the transmitter, she could crack the soul jar by using the starmetal casing itself as a drill tip. Megaspells were never confirmed for effectiveness, it was just a "would this work?" Thus Rampage being mad at BJ for not shooting her with Folly.

I'm not sure if balefire vs. other megaspells would make a difference, either.

So different samples of starmetal behave differently depending on their source. Would it be safe to assume that all samples would react to moonstone the same way?

No, I don't think so. The Eater of Souls' metal is uniquely charged with his essence. Other meteoric iron would have other properties, depending on its source. I headcanon that the weirdness in the Everfree wasn't malevolent, just... other. Like those stars who couldn't help Equus because ponies don't really want to be turned into singing spires of jelly. (Well... most ponies.)

Uhm. Speaking of which, a few lines later, "I did the only sensible thing I could in that situation. I reloaded." Which is now a tad odd.

Howso?  She was just firing again.

Ehh... I guess... but did she really blow a whole drum on the heart? (If so, you might explicitly note her holding it on target until the action locked open.)

I might be overthinking this.

[O. Hinds]

Ehh... I guess... but did she really blow a whole drum on the heart? (If so, you might explicitly note her holding it on target until the action locked open.)

Even if she didn't, she has one empty drum and one partially empty drum, and there's a lull in the combat.

[Technowolf]

Moving away from heart discussion 2014, what's the over-under on the Balefire missile pumping out just enough rads to ghoulify Morning Glory? (#tomorrowevenifoneofushastoturnundead)

[Vinylshadow]

I think you have to be alive when you're absorbing rads to become a ghoul

If Glory dies of gunshots before the rads arrive, she's dead and gone


aaaand if we're dead-set on Glory coming back as a Ghoul...

yay for Squishy Make-up Sex with Blackjack?

[BLame]

I think you have to be alive when you're absorbing rads to become a ghoul

If Glory dies of gunshots before the rads arrive, she's dead and gone


aaaand if we're dead-set on Glory coming back as a Ghoul...

yay for Squishy Make-up Sex with Blackjack?

Assuming she wasn't just flat out destroyed (guess it depends on where and how the Balefire Missile hit the area and whether her attackers survived to continue their assault) I guess it would depend on just how radiation proofed the room she was in was. IIRC, Ghoulification in the games was a random result of being exposed to a concentrated amount of radiation for an extended period of time (some would just die of radiation sickness as expected). So basically she'd need to be exposed to just the right amount to not die too quickly, but enough to trigger the mutation. Her weakened state would probably tilt her towards the former outcome though I reckon.

I think the idea on her surviving somehow is interesting, although I personally think I'd prefer she didn't. I honestly wasn't hit too hard when she went (as heartless as that sounds), because IMO it was telegraphed pretty far in advance through that Chapter, and the ending all went down pretty fast (I'm really interested in how 72 may open, I'm expecting it to bring the feels even if 71's ending didn't for me). That said, I'd think it might undo a bit of the impact if she managed to survive all that and come out relatively unscathed (non-ghoul etc.), and the same to a lesser degree if she does suffer ghoulification. At this point, considering all the events of Blackjack's life since the Raider invasion of Stable 99 all the way up to now, I'm fully expecting a very much phyrric victory/tragic ending to PH, although I love seeing Blackjack get a break (Best Night Ever and some of the Chapel rest chapters were among my favourite chapters), so a happy ending wouldn't be unwelcome with me too much either.

[Vinylshadow]

Diggin' the icon XD

Maybe she survives but becomes horribly disfigured and goes into hiding because she thinks BJ wouldn't love her anymore

...too cliche?

[BLame]

Diggin' the icon XD

Maybe she survives but becomes horribly disfigured and goes into hiding because she thinks BJ wouldn't love her anymore

...too cliche?

Cheers, it was a selfie of my Blackjack cosplay from BUCK Con this year.

I don't think that's likely tbh, I mean Glory becoming disfigured is basically just role reversal between Blackjack and Glory at this point. Glory was there for Blackjack all the way from increasingly horrifying mutation to death to cybernetic augmentation (literally watching as her equinity was slowly stripped ever further away) and beyond, and likewise Blackjack was there for her in turn when she lost her wing, and literally became somepony else. I think ghoulification/disfigurement etc. would be just another rock on their road at this point.

[Rayndalf]

Moving away from heart discussion 2014, what's the over-under on the Balefire missile pumping out just enough rads to ghoulify Morning Glory? (#tomorrowevenifoneofushastoturnundead)

Didn't think of that. Guess it just adds to the growing list of ways she can survive but probably won't. At least this one is brutal enough to happen. She'd probably look at it as a scientific opportunity like Moira does. 
Besides being a ghoul isn't too bad, they could always print a new body.

Edit: Ultimately she brought it on herself for tempting fate like that.

[Epsilon]

Personally, I think the point is kind of moot. It just wouldn't make any sense to me that Glory could somehow survive a balefire bomb hitting the facility. After all, this wasn't a fortified military bunker like Maripony and I seriously doubt that a few magical bulwarks designed to partition the launch pads could absorb that much kinetic and thermal energy, especially after two centuries of neglect. Realistically, there shouldn't be anything left of the space center than a smoldering cinder. (Maybe that's just me. I've always considered Balefire to be virtually absolute in its destructive capabilities...)

As cruel as it is to say, I don't think Glory should survive regardless, considering how contrived it would feel for the story. This is obviously going to have an enormous impact on Blackjack's character development and to me having Glory survive by little more than a hand wave would just look like a lack of conviction.

Mind you, I'm not opposed to the idea of Blackjack meeting Glory in soulspace or the like for a final goodbye.


And no, Moira Brown does not count as a valid counterargument.

[Rayndalf]

Personally, I think the point is kind of moot. It just wouldn't make any sense to me that Glory could somehow survive a balefire bomb hitting the facility. After all, this wasn't a fortified military bunker like Maripony and I seriously doubt that a few magical bulwarks designed to partition the launch pads could absorb that much kinetic and thermal energy, especially after two centuries of neglect. Realistically, there shouldn't be anything left of the space center than a smoldering cinder. (Maybe that's just me. I've always considered Balefire to be virtually absolute in its destructive capabilities...)

As cruel as it is to say, I don't think Glory should survive regardless, considering how contrived it would feel for the story. This is obviously going to have an enormous impact on Blackjack's character development and to me having Glory survive by little more than a hand wave would just look like the result of a lack of conviction.

Mind you, I'm not opposed to the idea of Blackjack meeting Glory in soulspace or the like for a final goodbye.


And no, Moira Brown does not count as a valid counterargument.

Indeed I recognize that in all likelihood Glory is dead and will remain dead. I hope She becomes more than just become another soul trapped by Eater. Maybe Blackjack could make a nice soul jar or some such.

I highly doubt balefire/megaspell/missile will kill P-21 and Scotch, so either the launch fails (sabotage?) is shot down by the space center's defenses, or the teleportation jammer is disabled, and the Alicorns could evacuate them. 

Its likely the space center was built to be nearly balefire/megaspell/missile proof, being a high priority target for zebras. If one missile could level the place, it wouldn't have survived the war in the first place. It would make sense that the compound would have the means to shoot down a missile, hell it could probably shoot down one of its own rockets. 

If Cog's rocket, and the missile are shot down, its just a matter of finding Glory and taking her to either those Zebras or an Alicorn, I assume someone was fairly comprehensive medical training.
With all the technology unlocked by Blackjack, you could effectively rebuild a pony from a soul, and a live brain.


Shame it won't happen.

[Epsilon]

I highly doubt balefire/megaspell/missile will kill P-21 and Scotch, so either the launch fails (sabotage?) is shot down by the space center's defenses, or the teleportation jammer is disabled, and the Alicorns could evacuate them. 

Its likely the space center was built to be nearly balefire/megaspell/missile proof, being a high priority target for zebras. If one missile could level the place, it wouldn't have survived the war in the first place. It would make sense that the compound would have the means to shoot down a missile, hell it could probably shoot down one of its own rockets. 

Well, no, P-21 and Scotch were aboard the rocket when it lifted off so they're going to be fine (For now).

Also, based on the given description of the Space Center's layout, it doesn't sound as though the facility was structurally designed to withstand a balefire attack. If that were the case, it'd surely be built at least partially underground.

Furthermore, being a part of the Core, I would also assume that any nearby anti-missile batteries or laser turrets were shut down when the laser towers along the Core's outer wall went offline (Though that's speculation).

With all the technology unlocked by Blackjack, you could effectively rebuild a pony from a soul, and a live brain.

Now there's an interesting thought! Build a new best friend out of the dead! All you really need is their soul and a sample of their genetic material.

Either way, though, I want her story to be over. We're  near the end of the story and I want things to hurt.

 *Hugs Blackjack* Please be gentle.

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