Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[Kattlarv]

Totally random, but we had a completely unrelated and for no reason a
"dress up" meeting at my RP community. I was told I looked quite
smashing in my suit and monocle :P (sadly it's not a real monocle)

@Sindri: Ah, I see. Well, I still personally find it a bit derp that
he's supposedly behind everything important, one thing, or several can
be cakes. But about every single one? It just feels like the mane 6 are
dumbed down a bit. That's technically slight off topic though, but
anyhow. And again, Fluttershy still looses, A LOT on having that
relation compared to... almost anyone else. As said, right now were just
left with the "bad story romance" of "those two love each other very
much. They just do, don't ask how. then one of them leaves or dies, the
other is devastated, feel sorry for them and believe these feelings are
true." I'm quite sure you've all seen a game/movie with this in. Anyhow,
point here being, what was she looking for? What was she after? Since
currently to me, it pretty much benefits him ~70-90 % and her ~ 30-10 %.
Since I can't really see him as capable to giving her much at all,
compared to somepony else.

I can sympathise with him in the context he is kinda on a "lower level"
to start with, but that doesn't improve his chances, it lowers them.
Life isn't fair, and that's that. So yeah, still tumbling between Shy as
more of a odd "hussy(?)", ("You gave us good advice, lets have sex and a
foal.") back to being a doormat that just pleases others with no real
concern for herself (or that she would be the type that doesn't care for
herself at all, but that type of people I find sad tbh, since it's
mostly caused by bad childhood) or some type of hidden motive mare.
Which wouldn't make sense with the whole "she got devestated when he
left"... unless if counting "I just wasted months of my life and even
got impregnated with that so called pony for nothing!" depression.

@Cured: That would indicate 1: That she would willingly waste time and
effort on him specifically. Again, with the "busy busy" schedule. While
he is important, is he important enough to revolve your whole schedule
around? Other doctors are much more likely to have time at any time
instead of having to plan for a meeting. Fluttershy is more important
than him, he could fit his schedule to hers, that he could, but as said,
then he would willingly want to "ruin" her life, as he kinda seemed to
know from the start it wouldn't work out. Again, not saying he wouldn't
do it, falls under the "abuse" topic mentioned before. Manipulating and
playing with her feelings is entirely possible. Just keep in mind their
personalities would also have to click. Correct me if I'm wrong here,
but he's mostly just shown to be rather grim and serious yes? Why would
Shy want more of that? (Again, he could have some hidden side. And I
could recall misserably wrong.) 2: This semi-implies that Fluttershy
had NO-ONE else to talk to if after all those years as a ministry mare,
she haden't met a single pony that even barely clicked with her. Or
that, said pony died or was easily overthrown by Golden's ability to
talk about work and... wheeze and cough up gobs of stuff.

@Katarn: Heck, I'm barely even good with the topics I raise xD

@Kipper:

Spoiler:

And omgbbq! Here I spend one day playing a living impaired skeletal scribe with a french accent, another one depressed, and a third one playing DDO, and you have doubled the number of posts? Slagathor is not amused xD Will post this, then gnaw through the comments.

[CamoBadger]

Kattlarv, that was the craziest thing I've ever woken up to, so congrats on winning that award

[Katarn]

Kattlarv, that was the craziest thing I've ever woken up to, so congrats on winning that award

Kim (Kattlarv) are, kinda, our champion in this kind of things and we love her for this

[RoboRed]

Well, I was wondering if the new system on EqD would be any good for this. Guess I have my answer now. :P

Anyway. Hi! Did I miss anything important in the last couple of weeks, or was it just the usual insanity?

Yay! More people are arriving!

It's actually gotten just a teeny bit more insane, but that's gonna be toned down now that the RP's been moved to a separate thread.

On an unrelated note, theory time:

Changelings: they are parasitic insects that lay eggs inside their victims (ponies), the hatched larvae killing them from inside and taking control. The pony body dies and erodes, thus the holes and gnarled horns. The insects eventually grow wings but never leave the body of the host, controlling the corpse for as long as it lasts.

I still like the idea of baby changelings.

@Kipper:

Spoiler:

Suddenly, I remember what the dolphin conversation was about...

Kattlarv, that was the craziest thing I've ever woken up to, so congrats on winning that award

That's our Kim!

[CamoBadger]

Oh...my...that picture...I'm going to die if I see it one more time, I know it...

[SilentCarto]

Changelings: they are parasitic insects that lay eggs inside their victims (ponies), the hatched larvae killing them from inside and taking control. The pony body dies and erodes, thus the holes and gnarled horns. The insects eventually grow wings but never leave the body of the host, controlling the corpse for as long as it lasts.

I still like the idea of baby changelings.

D'awww...
What? CHANGELING is evolving!

Yeah, the 'parasitic insect' idea doesn't make much sense. The holes aren't rotted-out chunks of flesh, they're holes, straight through, with skin/chitin covering in interior and no bones poking through for support. Chrysalis has holes through her hair, which means it must grow that way.

[Kattlarv]

@Sky: (Unconscious) That reminded me of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-7UwvyVzG4&feature=player_detailpage#t=145s

@RP: (Tank+Tree) I forgot, but did anyone do a "FLUTTERSHY! NOOO!" yet?

@The whole girth thing: Fine, have at thee Kipper! (TMI)

Spoiler:

And Wave, here, have this pillow to bring back into the pod xP

Also, in the wrong context, this song fits me oddly well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYDdKKwzEG0 xD (Misinterpreter some of the words, do it! :D)

@Jacky: (Modesty) Modesty? In OUR PH thread? Preposterous!

@Bron (Absence) Good to hear.

@First PH experience: I was like, around halfway through with FoE, and ran out of chapters to read, and I actually think it was since I rolled through the Sidefic thread and looked for one with the shipping label... possibly. That and/or it was recommended through FoE... and just noticed neither has a shipping label... strange, could've sworn on that, ah well. xP

@Elex (Running from) *Waves* :3

@44: I'm both worried and hopeful to this chapter. It either will best case scenario, ruin my inspiration, and worst case, fuel it.

@Random: (Changelings) Doesn't seem very plausible tbh. Seeing how they seemed to only have one queen, and just a bunch of drones. I see them more as some alternated version of doppleganger or something. Plus, they stated it was the first time in Equestria. True, ponies could live outside of there too, but some other weird things seems more plausible. That, or that they work like Orks+ants, (reproduction wise) When they've absorbed enough love, they give the... concentrated love to their queen, which in turn releases spores in some... somewhere from that thing on her head.

@NMN: Exactly which of the parts of the random whatever I was doing are you referring too? xP

@Me: You know, I was reminded of that "Who else but Quagmire?" thing... xP

And unrelated: This is my new armour in DDO: http://ddowiki.com/page/Calamity's_Carapace I wear it just cause...

Also, what exactly does "hide" do? It seems to be like spoiler, cept no click button to show.

[Valikdu]

On an unrelated note, theory time:

Changelings: they are parasitic insects that lay eggs inside their victims (ponies), the hatched larvae killing them from inside and taking control. The pony body dies and erodes, thus the holes and gnarled horns. The insects eventually grow wings but never leave the body of the host, controlling the corpse for as long as it lasts.

Or instead of dying, the host's body could undergo alterations towards a specific purpose, and we'd have the pony Zerg.

[Meleagridis]

For my part, I reckon that it's probably not just enchanted orange juice... though it'd make sense for the MoP to base their healing tech off comforting things like juice boxes, in terms of practicality I expect that the orange is just a flavoring. That way it wouldn't go bad (erm... I think orange juice can go bad). Might be made with flux, even. /shrug

Our basis for RadAway=Orange Flavour is Blackjack. If that wasn't hint enough, other characters specifically note that is tastes mostly like awful. When someone with a more standard kind of tongue brings up 'citrusy tang,' I'll bite.

BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY

Spoiler:

This combines two of the best things ever.

RADIAAAAAATION!

Exact quote. Remember that radiation in the Fallout universe has been explicitly stated to 'work differently'. It's a lot easier than making justification for ghouls, RadAway, etc. We can't draw too many parallels between FOE's 'magical radiation' and our own real world radiation. FOE stuff is a step removed from FO radiation, which is twenty steps removed from real radiation.

On an unrelated note, theory time:

Changelings: they are parasitic insects that lay eggs inside their victims (ponies), the hatched larvae killing them from inside and taking control. The pony body dies and erodes, thus the holes and gnarled horns. The insects eventually grow wings but never leave the body of the host, controlling the corpse for as long as it lasts.

...Nguh. While I'm opposed to making changelings so nasty from a lot of perspectives, let's look at this from a strictly FO:E view. If changelings were always something so terrible, then there is little left to corrupt. They started the Candyland era as terrifying as any beast in the Wasteland days. When the big chage comes along... what do you do? Do they work faster? Do they infect you... more? And where's the tragedy? It would take some work to get a sapient species like that to be sufficiently warped. How can you ruin them when they are already so... terrible? No, by leaving them with a relatively innocent nature you leave much more wiggle room for horrible tragedy after the war. Maybe most changelings only took an afternoon of an unsuspecting lovebird's affection before moving on, but now they have to physically drain them until they become a withered husk. Perhaps they've been altered to feed on blood, with the obvious 'vampire episode' that brings. Maybe they were caught and turned into weapons of war, altered so their very presence shifted the perspective of the enemy. Paranoia runs rampant and they tear themselves apart trying to oust the spy. If the changeling survives, their new capabilities mean that no one can love in their presence and they slowly starve.

Now I've got my headcanon cannon rolling. My personal theory is that changelings are already irradiated post-wasteland critters. Out of everything we've seen in the show (bar manticores, but only because they seem resistant for some reason) changelings match the 'post-war critter' look the best. Their magic is all sickly radiation green... heck, Twi probably soaked a couple rads when she was sent to the crystal maze. Er... that's my theory anyways.

...I'll be back later, I've got to write a story about a changeling Stable now.

[Kattlarv]

@Mele: (Changelings) I actually took a swing at them in my FoE d100 RPG. They've deranged to 3 "hives" as of far. The "Fling" hive, the "Companion" hive and finally the "Predator" hive. The first 2 try to "save" people, so they have enough food to keep their race going. Can sorta be compared to Bioshock's "harvest" system a bit. The first 2 mentioned "rescues", the third "harvests. In short terms.

[CamoBadger]

@The whole girth thing: Fine, have at thee Kipper! (TMI)

Spoiler:

I never thought I'd see a post like this before...well, gotta see something new everyday right?

@NMN: Exactly which of the parts of the random whatever I was doing are you referring too? xP

Your response to Kipper mostly

Also, what exactly does "hide" do? It seems to be like spoiler, cept no click button to show.

Um...good question, I honestly didn't even know we had it...

[RoboRed]

Also, what exactly does "hide" do? It seems to be like spoiler, cept no click button to show.

Um...good question, I honestly didn't even know we had it...

It's the button that opens the secret Mare Do Well lair! (don't tell anyone)

[Paper Airplane]

I guess I'm in the minority that enjoyed Fo:E more than PH.
It's not that PH is bad (seriously Somber, you're story is freaking awesome ), it's just that Fo:E is so good. I mean, to be frank, the Fallout Equestria stories are probably the most absurd idea ever. Fo:E did a great job of taking an idea that was off-the-wall ridiculous, and turning it into an exciting action-adventure. When Little-pip first leaves the stable, you have no idea how the hell any of this happened, and as the story progresses, you slowly see how a peaceful utopia was able to become such a horrible place, and what role the main 6 had in it. It didn't have as many conspiracies as PH, but I thought it was fascinating to find out how the wasteland happened.

Also, the original seemed to have more of a sense of danger. PH may be more violent and dark, but at this point PH is longer than Fo:E, and none of the main characters have died. On one hand, I'd hate to see any of them go, I love Blackjack and her friends, but on the other, Blackjack and her friends through themselves in harms way ever chapter, and while they may be scarred, they've still managed to always avoid death. IMO, Glory should have died in the flash fillies building. It would have been brutal, and sad, but I think it would have worked similar to Steelhooves death in Fo:E, to remind the reader that Blackjack and co. aren't invincible.

This doesn't mean I dislike PH! Somber, I LOVE THIS STORY. I look forward to it every week! And there are some things it does better than Fo:E. (Blackjacks relationship with her friends, for one) I'm just giving my honest opinion.

[CamoBadger]

It's the button that opens the secret Mare Do Well lair! (don't tell anyone)

Must...push...big...red...button...

[Derpmind]

My headcannon for Changelings is that Chrysalis was originally a normal pony who ended up becoming corrupted by evil magical power... and then corrupted herself with evil magical power. She created her Changeling army to conquer the world and has been attacking places all over for at least a few centuries. The Changelings are probably just minions to her, if not outright mindless conjured servants.

The reason Queen Chrysalis impersonated Princess Cadence is, using the immense control she gained over Shining Armor, to avoid the chance of detection and work to subvert the guards and defenses protecting Canterlot.

[Guest]

Good morning, now lets get started on replies

@kim
That was certainly an interesting way to wake up. Kipper will have something to read when he gets back.

I'm not the only one here that has to click a spoiler tag when one is spotted am I? I just can't not click one it's to tempting.

@Kim and Sindri(FlutterxGoldie)
I haven't been keeping as track of this so forgive me if I state any thing that was already said. For how it started it is possible that the since Golden Blood was always in her care he developed the Nightingale effect(falling in love with your nurse, doctor, or care taker) and Fluttershy being Fluttershy accepted to go to dinner with him or something. Then eventually Fluttershy fell in love with him as well, but Golden Blood may have realized what had happened to start to the relationship in the first place causing him to say "I really don't deserve her". Hopefully this makes some kind of sense I'm still not fully awake.

@NMM
like Katarn said this normal for Kim and why we love her. Trust me you'll get used to it.

@Robo
D'awwwww, I had to break out the emergency insulin I have for when Wave posts more Boo. That picture is just too adorable.

@Valik
I like the pony zerg Idea, that one actually makes a lot of sense especially since Celestia did get put into a cocoon that could of possibly been to transform her into a second overlord or something.

@Kim(changelings)
I could see how that would make sense in FoE I was wondering though since it seems that they're split up would the "predator" hive and the "companion" or "fling" hives ever fight each other since they're different factions? Also do the "Companion" and "Fling" hives have different methods for saving ponies?

[CamoBadger]

My headcannon for Changelings is that Chrysalis was originally a normal pony who ended up becoming corrupted by evil magical power... and then corrupted herself with evil magical power. She created her Changeling army to conquer the world and has been attacking places all over for at least a few centuries. The Changelings are probably just minions to her, if not outright mindless conjured servants.

The reason Queen Chrysalis impersonated Princess Cadence is, using the immense control she gained over Shining Armor, to avoid the chance of detection and work to subvert the guards and defenses protecting Canterlot.

The beginning of your description sounded a lot like some fanon for Nightmare Moon...I approve of this headcanon, and add it to my own.

[RoboRed]

Oh...my...that picture...I'm going to die if I see it one more time, I know it...

D'awww...
What? CHANGELING is evolving!

@Robo
D'awwwww, I had to break out the emergency insulin I have for when Wave posts more Boo. That picture is just too adorable.

I will hug him and squeeze him and love him and call him Wingsley.

[Scyto Harmony]

@Changeling Baby pic

Hnnnnnggghhh... there goes my heart, explodin' again...

[Scyto Harmony]

Also - If there's anywhere to talk about your genitalia, it's probably this thread.

I have no idea why, though.

[Guest]

@Robo
Wingsley is best changeling. Hnnngghh...My heart just exploded I regret nothing *drops dead*

[SilentCarto]

It's the button that opens the secret Mare Do Well lair! (don't tell anyone)

The Mysterious Lair-Do-Well?

[CamoBadger]

Wingsley is now canon.

[SilentCarto]

Wingsley is now canon.

I tell you, if I didn't already have a name and avatar...

[CamoBadger]

Wingsley is now canon.

I tell you, if I didn't already have a name and avatar...

So tempted to change mine...but I already have 4 names on this site depending on who you ask

[Rickyking]

So tempted to change mine...but I already have 4 names on this site depending on who you ask

Lol you have 4 names?

[Sindri]

Changelings:

But all changelings have horns and wings, in a significantly different shape from those of a pony; if the changeling grew from the inside there would be distinctions between pony types used as host. Meanwhile, the smell of an unpreserved corpse would make it completely impossible for them to imitate or infiltrate successfully. And the holes in the legs don't look at all decayed; there's no raggedness or irregularity, no bits coming off, no appearance of erosion from the outside or damage from within, just a perfectly regular, smooth hole going cleanly through the limb.
It's an interesting theory, but doesn't seem to fit their diet, their appearance, or their behavior.

It's certainly possible that Changelings use ponies for reproduction in other ways, by replacing some pony's lover or by acting out an entire relationship from the first meeting without breaking cover (or finding a pony with a bug fetish). And even if they breed independently in their hives or whatever, it's highly likely that they leave the nymph with "surrogate" pony parents to ensure a good food supply as it grows. It's even possible that they turn ponies into changelings somehow, though that may raise more questions than it answers. But laying the eggs inside a live pony and killing it as they grow just doesn't work.

*massive snip*

Once again, if all we've seen is all there is, then no, it doesn't make sense. And if you fill in the gaps with a typical terrible storybook "romance," it's a terrible storybook "romance." But I think that assuming it's terribly written before it's actually written is doing Somber a disservice, and you can't judge the characters based on traits that you attributed to them in your own mind without actual evidence to support it from the story.

Kattlarv, that was the craziest thing I've ever woken up to, so congrats on winning that award

You haven't seen anything yet. That's tame for Kim.

Now I've got my headcanon cannon rolling. My personal theory is that changelings are already irradiated post-wasteland critters. Out of everything we've seen in the show (bar manticores, but only because they seem resistant for some reason) changelings match the 'post-war critter' look the best. Their magic is all sickly radiation green... heck, Twi probably soaked a couple rads when she was sent to the crystal maze. Er... that's my theory anyways.

...I'll be back later, I've got to write a story about a changeling Stable now.

Their primary weapons sure looked a lot like balefire, didn't they? So are they the distant origin/inspiration for such things, or did they travel back from a time in which they were commonplace?

Shoot me an email at sindrisnctchr on gmail if you want to discuss changeling abilities further; I'm attempting to write a fic of my own on the subject and it might be nice if we didn't directly contradict each other much, in addition to the benefits of actually discussing things and seeing if they make sense before they become an integral part of the story.

Oh, and IIRC 'Pip said that they tasted like somepony tried to make it orange flavored, but despite or because of that it was still nauseating. Blackjack likes the orangyness, while everypony else hates it, but it's still orangy.

[Fo:E vs PH]

It's mainly a question of preferred style. Kkat's story was an epic, about big damn heroes going on grand quests for the fate of Equestria, and along the way it built a world. Somber's is about the psychology and relationships of a little group of broken ponies in the worst part of the Wasteland, a person who's done horrible things trying desperately to do better, and a pony trying to figure out an age old conspiracy before it's too late (and the fate of the universe, on the side). Somber's might be a little better written (thought that seems like comparing a damn-near-perfect apple to a damn-near-perfect orange and trying to figure out which is higher quality), but if you prefer the first story's style you're going to enjoy it more.

As for Steelhooves' death and Glory's... I don't think they'd have filled the same role.
Steelhooves was always on the periphery of the group; he was a good friend and a loyal companion, but he left his heart with Applejack two centuries ago. He had a couple very specific roles to play in the story and the world, and he fulfilled them. Then he was allowed to finally rest, and his friends mourned and moved on.
Blackjack's group isn't a bunch of friends or travelling companions, it's a family and a damned close one at that. They don't just watch each other's backs in a fight, they are the only support available to ponies who would at best get themselves killed on their own and likely go... wrong. Even ignoring Glory's unfulfilled role in the plot, losing her would probably break Blackjack. And with her broken, the whole group would likely collapse. That dark vision of the future under an evil P-21 would likely have become a best-case scenario, with what we've seen these ponies to be capable of (of course Scotch is serving as a stabilizing influence on her father now, so that particular flavor of crazy is unlikely). Kkat's was an epic, and when one of the big damn heroes dies it's an emotional moment and establishes the tension before the final push. Somber's story is about ponies, with much closer connections between characters, so a death in the mane cast would have much more serious ramifications, and should not be used as a simple plot device to tell the reader "anyone can die."

Especially since we know BJ isn't invincible. She's lost on many occasions, while I can't think of a single engagement that didn't end up favorably for 'Pip in the end.

[Ketchup]

*Gets home from school and checks the PHCC*(honestly, why do I do this first thing?)
Looks like Kim/Kattlarv is back... Normal stuffs... Yep...

In other news, Diablo 3 comes out tomorrow.
*Squeee*

[Guest]

*Gets home from school and checks the PHCC*(honestly, why do I do this first thing?)
Looks like Kim/Kattlarv is back... Normal stuffs... Yep...

In other news, Diablo 3 comes out tomorrow.
*Squeee*

I know, I can't wait. Diablo 3 is gonna be so awesome!

[Moodyman90]

When I saw the line "Steelhooves had a couple very specific roles to play in the story and the world, and he fulfilled them" my mind went to "heavy artillery". I know he did more important things but that's just what sprung to my mind.

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