Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[Scyto Harmony]

AAAAAAHHHH!!! I'd want to try, but unfortunately I'm rather busy, live in a timezone practically opposite to most people, and am about to start a more formal FO:E RP with some mates...

...and am about to start a more formal FO:E RP...

...more formal...

Are you saying we ain't formal?

[Katarn]

Opposite time zone? Ha! It's not a big deal for me, since I live in GMT +2, we have another RP member in GMT +0, so it's alright.

*looks at Scyto's picture* *dies*

[FeatherDust]

Chapter 49 thoughts. Not a full review.

Spoilers abound!:

[FeatherDust]

Who is the entity in 'Hell'?

Uncertain. Luna is the obvious choice, but if it IS her, why did she wind up inside Eater? She died in Canterlot, nowhere near the Hoof. Unless Eater had an anchor into her soul from the whole Nightmare Moon thing.

The other option is that it's the star that originally crashed into the zebra city that used to be at Hoofington. Not sure, need more information.

What do we think of Eclipse's slip-up?

Pretty sure the missing word was 'sister'. We also heard a voice-change right before Eclipsed asked them into her office, which is consistent with Luna putting on her costume spell.

Who is the green figure being tracked on the board?

I'm pretty sure between green and gold, you have Goldenblood and Celestia. Not sure which is which.

Did Goldenblood really organise the attempt on Celestia's life?

That seems to be the implication but I'm not sure at all. If it was Psalm with orders to make sure Celly didn't get captured alive, why would she fire? Celestia wasn't on the verge of being captured.

[SilentCarto]

Hey guys here's a nearly finished pic of the Hoofington cityscape, might add a few things later.

Wow... that is definitely impressive. Is that an SPP tower on the right?
There's one thing bugging me, though, I can't quite figure out which direction I'm looking. From the dam and the bridge, I suspect this is the view from Riverside, but the river should be flowing off to the left, not into the distance.

- P-21 should probably actually gain weight as he gets clean IMO, I mean it works different for everyone and I have no idea how Med-X works but there's that whole compensation fixation thing. Of course it's only been three days.

Yeah, not in three days. Nausea, loss of appetite, and severe weight loss are all symptoms of morphine withdrawal. It can take as much as 8-12 days to get past the sweating-and-puking stage, so he's in pretty good shape, all things considered. Though I think Glory said she's weaning him off the drugs, not just going cold turkey.


It's completely out of nowhere, but... do you remember what Marigold told Tarot?
"You have stars in your eyes. Don’t ever forget that."
And we recently found out that seeing the Everafter somehow gives ponies freaky eyes... And it doesn't even have to involve any necromancy, given that BJ came back simply by choice and having her body repaired.

I wonder... we've never actually seen a good picture of Tarot, have we? The closest we got was a photo of her crying into Card Trick's chest, and a wide-angle shot with her as a foal in a bassinet.

[Rafafidi]

This time a did a review/comentary-thingy:

Spoiler:

Awesome chapter, as always.
Good luck in your moving, Somber, I wish I could help.

[Guest]

@Stringtheory
I feel your pain, mate. Feeling aimless sucks. You're not wrong to hope that you'll find your way during college, though; my mom was studying medieval languages for a year or two, then switched into a chemistry major (with a focus on organic, IIRC) after taking one class. Now, she sets blackboards on fire for a living! (And does grading constantly) Point is, you never know what's around the bend, I suppose.

Oh, and Hinds is suggesting a career with NASA or a private space firm, I think! Programming for those fields is of course incredibly important, and it's very much an emergent field, with rewarding and cool work (I expect). Plus, you might get to go into space, which, barring Lovecraftian entities taking notice of you and/or obscene amounts of radiation exposure, is awesome!

@Chapter 49!
Yay! And I finished commentary within a reasonable time frame this time, too! :) (BTW, for my strategy on this, I read the chapter once, then re-read it while writing down thoughts, sometimes skipping around or focusing in)

Comments!:

PH Soundtrack Thing:

[222222]

@ScytoHarmony: seems like the perfect opportunity for me to get in on the action. So yeah count me in.
@String: the world of military cyber defense is rapidly expanding as well. With a few years of computer science and cryptology, it isn't that difficult to get a job in the military cyber defense areas. Pretty quickly, you wool be eligible for top secret security clearance, and as long as you haven't done anything illegal and aren't insane, you'll get it. After you leave that job eventually, just saying you had top secret security clearance on your resume will open so many doors. Just another option besides the NASA thing, because if you stood between me and getting to mars I would have to kill you. And that would make me sad.

[Snipehamster]

Also, daaayum girl! She picked up Dash's strength, clearly... the Glory I remember couldn't have pulled off that move! Next thing you know, Glory's gonna go suplex a motherf***ing train!

This... this must be drawn.

[MrMagma]

Also, daaayum girl! She picked up Dash's strength, clearly... the Glory I remember couldn't have pulled off that move! Next thing you know, Glory's gonna go suplex a motherf***ing train!

Or she'll throw a boat. Boats are cool.

[Scyto Harmony]

Also, daaayum girl! She picked up Dash's strength, clearly... the Glory I remember couldn't have pulled off that move! Next thing you know, Glory's gonna go suplex a motherf***ing train!

Or she'll throw a boat. Boats are cool.

She'll throw it ONTO Blackjack.

[Caoimhe]

Were you so hot and bollard being away from my cleat you had to result to peepin another's stern? Be glad you had you had your bilge pumped before you got here. Clear my wake, here comes the pain boat! Toot toot!

I'm terrible.

[Cptadder]

OAN every time I see ScytoHarmony's sig it makes me grin, nothing like that bit of free advertising.

Okay onto chapter reactions

What I liked
Another peak into Goldenblood and what I've been asking for, him getting played, him fucking up. Not the master manipulator but a smart pony at the right place at the right time who can still fuck it all up when the cards go against him.

“Silly pony. Is not wire,” he said as he lifted the tube. “Is catheter.”

Rover is best puppy

Speaking as a military man, fuck you REMF Elicpse, who ever planned the Dawn Bay op needs to be spend some time on the Sun, the moons to good for whatever idiot thought it would be a good idea to send a special ops team to stage a fail assassination plot. You use provincial forces for that not your own people because if shit goes south your people may talk and undermine the entire plan.

Oy hey guys did you not notice Pslam there? The door guard should have given a cough of some kind that you've got an operative there hearing high level discussions and kindly move her to a waiting room and quickly.

“I don’t know. A month ago I was Blackjack. A few days after that I got mutated eyes. Then I found out my PipBuck’s the key to all kinds of pre-war technology. Then I had jelly legs. Then I was blind and crippled. Raped… Then dead.” That made him arch an eyebrow. “I came back as a cyberpony… and I just felt all wrong. Still do. I was suicidal for a spell. Terrified of stallions. Went nuts. Tore apart some pegasi and crippled a filly. Got some help. Got laid. Got cooked and irradiated. Died again… worse this time. And now…” I sighed as I turned the glass back and forth before me with my magic. “Now I don’t know what to feel.

I really like this paragraph, not only is it a well written but such an accurate summation of what happened in one million words of story to this point. Were I Blackjack I'd have taken a week or two off at some point between the getting blown up stabbed and shot.


What I noticed
Oh Lacunae, we doth love your lateness to the fun. And the implied fact radiation is a Alicorn turn on Literally!

So Lacunae can feel what Blackjack is thinking at her... Comedy... possibilities... endless :

Coupe of hard tonal shifts in this chapter, but hey Glory is back and I expected Blackjack to go out a window is dramatic fashion

What I disliked

Royalty:

Over all I've got mixed feelings about this chapter, the Flashback caused me some worrying issue re my dislikes. The departure of Whisper was meh at best to me but I did like the time spent in Meatlocker and the short time in Chapel. Riverside was the best part of the chapter for me, everything flowed nicely we saw Keeper again, met a hellhound and made penises jokes.

Over all not the best chapter but it had good sections and it ended in a great place and we had a need wrap up for Silver Spoon and her Ghoul Gang (Trademark). Boy does that girl have a hard road ahead of her but more importantly not a happy answer at the end of it.

[Scyto Harmony]

Were you so hot and bollard being away from my cleat you had to result to peepin another's stern? Be glad you had you had your bilge pumped before you got here. Clear my wake, here comes the pain boat! Toot toot!

I'm terrible.

If by terrible, you mean amazing, then yes.

That 'toot toot' at the end did me in, I've died from laughter.

[Caoimhe]

^^^

Re: Prince Styg the Aroused

The more time I have to think about this, the odder it becomes. I agree that it seems a little off place but I almost feel like his character is intended as a parody/satire of MarySue characters. We can see this sort of in his arc of being curious handsome virgin who beds the main character, then goes to another with no relationship drama, then we find out he's also a nobel figure who defends the honor of and wins the heart of his new love interest who also defends him. I hope this was sort of the intent because it'd be really strange otherwise. By the same token it also weakens Whisper's character for only truly finding herself from a lover's influence and then abandoning her friends (and essentially her world she knows) to be with someone she's known only for a few days.

This could use some revisiting in the future. I can tell it was a difficult situation to develop for all involved.

[222222]

@Caimhoi: Whisper's "friends" she has only known for a few days as well, and her feelings about Blackjack are mixed at best. Also, who said she truly found herself and happiness? Many teenagers experience "love" and get married or pregnant or whatever, and less then 10% of the time do they actually stay together. Well Whisper may be 200 and some years old physically, emotionally she is a stunted wreck, latching in to the first thing that provides her with a sense of security. About Stygius I hope you are right, because that part felt janky for me as well.

[Ketchup]

Finally getting around to reading chapter 49. Yay.

Spoiler:

This chapter really stirred my thoughts, which is great to me. By no means is this chapter bad. Rather, it was a very enjoyable way to spend a morning.

[Ketchup]

Hey guys here's a nearly finished pic of the Hoofington cityscape, might add a few things later.

Spoiler:

Very nice. Similar to my own mental rendition, but green.

[Kippershy]

Spoiler:

Lastly. I hope you're not referring to me again? Are you?
I... I haven't done anything recently have I?

[Kippershy]

@Kippershy: I wouldn't dream of omitting you. I am thinking melee weapons, heavy armor, and lots and lots of chems. Sound about right?

Melee weapons, big guns, heavy armour and lots and lots AND LOTS of EXCESSIVE chem usage... yeah.
*bursts out laughing*

I love you xD


but seriously, yeah. Sounds right, big guns being a choice unless it makes me OP

[Kippershy]

I was going to list off all the stuff that I could whine about, as some others have done (not to insult them) but as I began it, I realised it would become stupidly long and not worth the effort.
(Not that it's some kind've contest).



...Anyway, eh. Life is gonna life.

[Valikdu]

Somehow, an idea of some kind seemed incredibly funny now seems kind of sad after I thought about it. I even made a poster four five many posters.

I'm not entirely sure.:

[hawkeye92]

I just finished reading the new chapter. It was enjoyable, which given the main points are losing team members to get back to a manageable size is no mean feat.

The being horrendously upset without knowing why after her stint into the everafter reminds me a lot of Dr. Who where people who'd forgotten things spontaneously start crying, but don't know what about.

Psyco running off with Stygie provides a valid reason why fluttershy wouldn't have heard about her daughter in the future. On the other hand, it does seem like a bit of a sudden move (but also would they *really* be able to stop hr leaving anyway if she doesn't like it?). I'm glad you went with the current version, the other is too over the top, even if the king is really cool and some of the conversation hilarious.

On the topic of thememory flashbacks, insinuating that Goldenblood might setup the assasination attempt, I wouldn't go there. Also I don't agree with Goldenblood's logic. If Celestia died, sure people could try and spin her as a martyr but it would still crush morale into oblivion. It would be like a god getting killed. I wouldn't be suprised if the war ended overnight and/or Equestrian society tears itself apart.
Also from a story perspective it would seem like Goldenblood is manipulating all of the stuff that happened in the past in the original FoE.

In general, the banter in this chapter was good and I enjoyed all of it, save the implied implications above. I'd like to know who the screaming is coming from. Nice nod to Heroes with the Dise namedrop as well. I'd like to know who the screaming is coming from, I really hope it isn't Luna but I'm sure it probably is.
I'm really looking forwards to the next chapter. I've probably said it before but I'm really looking forward to the fight between Blackjack and Glory, if only for the total clash of lifestyle ideology that's going to be thrown up.
Goddess watching with popcorn made me very happy- I always imagined she'd do that. I hope they stay together, especially given Glory will no doubt have some very trying times ahead and she's going to need all the support she can get.

[Kippershy]

I just finished reading the new chapter. It was enjoyable, which given the main points are losing team members to get back to a manageable size is no mean feat.

The being horrendously upset without knowing why after her stint into the everafter reminds me a lot of Dr. Who where people who'd forgotten things spontaneously start crying, but don't know what about.

Psyco running off with Stygie provides a valid reason why fluttershy wouldn't have heard about her daughter in the future. On the other hand, it does seem like a bit of a sudden move (but also would they *really* be able to stop hr leaving anyway if she doesn't like it?). I'm glad you went with the current version, the other is too over the top, even if the king is really cool and some of the conversation hilarious.

On the topic of thememory flashbacks, insinuating that Goldenblood might setup the assasination attempt, I wouldn't go there. Also I don't agree with Goldenblood's logic. If Celestia died, sure people could try and spin her as a martyr but it would still crush morale into oblivion. It would be like a god getting killed. I wouldn't be suprised if the war ended overnight and/or Equestrian society tears itself apart.
Also from a story perspective it would seem like Goldenblood is manipulating all of the stuff that happened in the past in the original FoE.

In general, the banter in this chapter was good and I enjoyed all of it, save the implied implications above. I'd like to know who the screaming is coming from. Nice nod to Heroes with the Dise namedrop as well. I'd like to know who the screaming is coming from, I really hope it isn't Luna but I'm sure it probably is.
I'm really looking forwards to the next chapter. I've probably said it before but I'm really looking forward to the fight between Blackjack and Glory, if only for the total clash of lifestyle ideology that's going to be thrown up.
Goddess watching with popcorn made me very happy- I always imagined she'd do that. I hope they stay together, especially given Glory will no doubt have some very trying times ahead and she's going to need all the support she can get.

It's Luna, here's why:

It's been on my mind all day of who is the "who".
With you, I should second guess myself; and I have been.

First guess goes to Luna.
but this being you, initially I disallowed it.

Blackjacks
mother? No, she's on the other side of the everafter and she's not
important enough to the eater to be made such a target.
Celestia? No, she soul jarred herself into the SPP main hub, and thus avoided all that nonsense.
Spike
is still alive, Twilight is part of unity, Pinkie doesn't fit, Flutters
doesn't fit, Rarity - as the element of generosity would fit in self
sacrifice but it's such a far throw as to the point where I don't think
so. Applejack doesn't fit for me (didn't she go off to Stable 2
anwyay?).
Rainbow dash doesn't fit either, in my mind.

So,
what about goldenblood? Well, in theory, he could be the person. For all
we know, he's dead now and for all we know, his soul was taken by the
eater as hostage, but still, doesn't feel improtant enough.


Luna.


Luna
died. Luna came from the stars herself (along with Celestia, as seen in
the previous death) and Luna has the power to make her screaming echo
across the world and cause that sense of dread, if she were to scream
the eaters note for pain and sorrowful destruction againsty her will,
that is.
If the EoS has used Luna as a tool, it would make sense
because her soul WOULD be powerful enough to up the ante and back the
hoof become deadly - this would also explain why it was never so deadly
before the war, or even during it.

So my money goes on Luna.
She's the first one to mind, and thus got removed as first choice for
me, but after a deliberate selection process, she seems the most likely.

It was Luna.

[Caoimhe]

I'll be pleased if it is Luna. Being reduced to simply bones on a monster in FoE was kinda disappointing so this could be an interesting play.

[O. Hinds]

So here it is. I've finally done a running commentary of a fresh chapter. :D
It only took me at least 3 separate interruptions of sizeable length to finish - damn classes... xD

Commentary:

Errors:

Questions:

EDIT: Derp. Bravo to Somber and the team as always for an excellent chapter!!

Ah, thank you for the error spotting.

Alright, after having to wait one very long day to read chapter 49, I thought it was an absolutely wonderful chapter. There's so much going on, and such a mix of emotions, it was great and... and I'm really coming up on empty and need to go to sleep... I'll try my best to get a proper commentary done as soon as I can.

just one thing else to say about the chapter:

Thank you so very much Somber, Hinds, Bronode, and Snipe. *hugs all of you together*

Thank you. Also, to your credit, it was your art that came to mind when Boo was frowning.

"our superior numbers"
You what? I thought it was the other way around? That ponies outnumbered zebras and that's why they turned to using mechs?

They had superior numbers at first.
Also, thanks for spotting that error with the deck thing.

[Caoimhe]

Rereading the chapter... all I can think is that I wish I was worth a damn in animation.

I'm thinking of some fantastic cinematography for visualizing the Riverside scene, in particular BJ's conversation with Keeper and then the Dealer as unexciting as it sounds. I wish I held on to some of my art school friends who were decent at it. I know so many artists and actors and writers and filmmakers but no animators. :(

[O. Hinds]

@Stringtheory
I feel your pain, mate. Feeling aimless sucks. You're not wrong to hope that you'll find your way during college, though; my mom was studying medieval languages for a year or two, then switched into a chemistry major (with a focus on organic, IIRC) after taking one class. Now, she sets blackboards on fire for a living! (And does grading constantly) Point is, you never know what's around the bend, I suppose.

Oh, and Hinds is suggesting a career with NASA or a private space firm, I think! Programming for those fields is of course incredibly important, and it's very much an emergent field, with rewarding and cool work (I expect). Plus, you might get to go into space, which, barring Lovecraftian entities taking notice of you and/or obscene amounts of radiation exposure, is awesome!

Or the ESA; don't forget them! If Skylon works (and what news we have seems auspicious, as far as I know), they'll probably be one of the first big customers, and that would make them shoot up in importance if they know what they're doing (which I assume they do).

[FeatherDust]

By the same token it also weakens Whisper's character for only truly finding herself from a lover's influence and then abandoning her friends (and essentially her world she knows) to be with someone she's known only for a few days.

Yes, OBVIOUSLY they're not in real love after a couple of days. But she had to make a decision, and going with Sygius was the better choice. She probably can't come back? Well boo-freakin'-hoo, she's missing out on all that lovely wasteland. Remember, Whisper has literally nothing at this point. She recently had everything she thought she knew thrown away, including an intensely toxic relationship. She's been wandering aimlessly for some time now, tagging along with an incredibly dangerous person she has extremely mixed feelings about.

So: Continue wandering the wasteland with people she barely tolerates and no real goal, or immerse herself in a foreign culture with apparently a nice guy who seems to genuinely like her? It's hardly a decision at all.

Maybe the Stygius thing works out and maybe it doesn't. Sounds like they need some new blood down there one way or the other, and maybe contact with one surface-dweller will encourage them to make contact again.

Either way, it'll be an adventure.

[Caoimhe]

Hmm, I do believe I may be too hard on the whole situation. I'm going to have to reread everything from when she joins up with the rest of the heroes to now to really appreciate it. I think I negated how vicious everything with Sanguine was. After all, in the Wasteland life changing events occur at the drop of a hat.

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