Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[Kippershy]

Sorry, everyone. It's been a rough week and I've been really, really depressed lately. It takes all my energy just faking being normal at work so my students don't know. That and the antidepressants really are wacking away at me. And my computer broke so I'm down to my crappy laptop and... just everything. Sorry. Thanks so much for letting me know that 55 was an improvement. I'm glad I can do better. We'll try and get that chapter 9 wrinkle straightened out. And add a little bit about why she couldn't use her broadcaster. I forgot, but BJ wouldn't. Dawn could very well have a jammer installed.

Anyway, sorry for being silent so long.

While I'm at it, being the resident /g/entleman and computer repair guy for many of my friends... do you know where the issue stems from? If you don't know what the issue is, any symptoms you could describe to me?

[Harmony Ltd.]

Just looked back and saw it. Now I can't even edit it out or even delete of my post as a whole.
At least there's no foul intention behind it, so nothing to be ashamed of.

Now worry, I was just teasing you.

[O. Hinds]

Sorry, everyone. It's been a rough week and I've been really, really depressed lately. It takes all my energy just faking being normal at work so my students don't know. That and the antidepressants really are wacking away at me. And my computer broke so I'm down to my crappy laptop and... just everything. Sorry. Thanks so much for letting me know that 55 was an improvement. I'm glad I can do better. We'll try and get that chapter 9 wrinkle straightened out. And add a little bit about why she couldn't use her broadcaster. I forgot, but BJ wouldn't. Dawn could very well have a jammer installed.

Anyway, sorry for being silent so long.

I've sent you an email about the editing matter (there are also two other editing matters in the thread that I'm not sure you've seen yet). I do hope that things improve for you soon.

[Derpmind]

And add a little bit about why she couldn't use her broadcaster. I forgot, but BJ wouldn't. Dawn could very well have a jammer installed.

I think it's better for the Goddess's mental blocks to be preventing BJ from using the broadcaster than for the one enervation field BJ's in to happen to have a jammer installed. It's all kinda minor though.

I'm glad I can do better.

You always do.

[Icy Shake]

And add a little bit about why she couldn't use her broadcaster. I forgot, but BJ wouldn't. Dawn could very well have a jammer installed.

I think it's better for the Goddess's mental blocks to be preventing BJ from using the broadcaster than for the one enervation field BJ's in to happen to have a jammer installed. It's all kinda minor though.

I agree here. There's not much time left, so it wouldn't necessarily come up again, but presumably the Goddess would have a plan in place to prevent this without relying on conventional signals always being jammed when her telepathic signals are. Especially since possibly her all-time favorite Blackjack moment was when

Arrrrgh! Do you have a radio? What? There's one built into your leg? One that (is a replacement for the one that) greatly impacted your personal life? Why not use it, now that the Goddess is cut off?

so she wouldn't forget about Blackjack's broadcaster, either.

I'm glad I can do better.

You always do.

Keep up the good work.

[Guest]

@Somber
Sorry to hear that you've taken a turn for the worse of late. Glad that you're more satisfied with 55 than 54, though. Thanks for the update!

[FeatherDust]

If you google 'onery', it'll give you Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary with the definition as a 'variant spelling' of ornery.
It could be wrong, I thought it was a typo at first.

Sorry, yes, my kindle's onboard dictionary is actually the Oxford English, not MW. Still, if the OED doesn't recognize it ...

[Harmony Ltd.]

Never try to play Scrabble with an English-speaking person

You'll spend four hours arguing what dictionnary(ies) to use, and even then you won't know if you can trust them.

[FeatherDust]

Hehe... My brain:
"Queen Blackjack hereby declares that Wednesday is opposite day. The servants will be in charge and the citizens will do the work. The... The queen says... 'Better play nice'..."

[WavemasterRyx]

Anyway, sorry for being silent so long.

55 was a good chapter.
*hugs you gently* Just try to take care of yourself, sir. I hope that things get better for you soon.

[O. Hinds]

Sorry, everyone. It's been a rough week and I've been really, really depressed lately. It takes all my energy just faking being normal at work so my students don't know. That and the antidepressants really are wacking away at me. And my computer broke so I'm down to my crappy laptop and... just everything. Sorry. Thanks so much for letting me know that 55 was an improvement. I'm glad I can do better. We'll try and get that chapter 9 wrinkle straightened out. And add a little bit about why she couldn't use her broadcaster. I forgot, but BJ wouldn't. Dawn could very well have a jammer installed.

Anyway, sorry for being silent so long.

I haven't finished the chapter yet, but I sat down and thought for a while and tried to write a "Missed Opportunities" outtake for ya.

Missed Opportunities:

Hah!

[Admiral Stoic Rum]

Yeah Queen Whiskey, thats it, hoof you're done, she's a queen now.

[SilentCarto]

No wonder Goldie is so determined to have himself executed for all the crimes of the OIA. Luna is hock-deep in it all! She knows about most, if not all, of it. In her Eclipse-guise, she's mocking her own pretense. "Princess Luna sits on her throne and makes impressive speeches while the Ministries do all their acts behind her back. Poor Princess Luna."

She's knowingly fooling around with horrific experiments of every sort and then playing dumb. I mean, that's... Luna's evil.

Goldenblood is determined to take the fall for the mare he loves. He's going to be executed at the end so that she can look like an innocent dupe rather than -- well -- basically Nightmare Moon without armor.

Hmmm. That's a frightening possibility. It does bring into question a lot of things we thought we knew about Goldie's last days. If his execution was a charade, then he could well be the one inside the Redoubt after all. Hell, it might have sent him there directly, no need to open the door.

Which brings me back to another point. We've sort of assume that Luna was what shocked BJ so badly inside the Tokomare. Luna and Celestia are at least partially luminous souls, so maybe she was horrified to see the EoS gnawing on Luna.

But there's one other possibility that's been lurking in the back of my head for a while. The green lightning matches the pyrotechnics in the Tokomare. What if this is just like Project Chimera, but for power generation? What if the Tokomare is draining energy by torturing the Eater of Souls? Maybe the "who" that's screaming is the soul of a bright blue alicorn stallion, and the Enervation is a curse ponykind brought upon itself...

[Stringtheory]

Maybe the "who" that's screaming is the soul of a bright blue alicorn stallion

wait, where did this bright blue alicorn stallion come from?

[SilentCarto]

And add a little bit about why she couldn't use her broadcaster. I forgot, but BJ wouldn't. Dawn could very well have a jammer installed.

I think it's better for the Goddess's mental blocks to be preventing BJ from using the broadcaster than for the one enervation field BJ's in to happen to have a jammer installed. It's all kinda minor though.

Agreed. BJ already described feeling "twinges and tweaks" and "chains in her mind". It's not a huge leap to read that as some sort of standing orders or prohibitions that don't require ongoing monitoring.

[thatguyvex]

wait, where did this bright blue alicorn stallion come from?

I think its from one of BJs weird abstract visions from one of the times she'd died, maybe the first one? Can't recall the details, just that she was saw a what might have been the afterlife/the past, and there was some sort of glittery alicorn shaped soul stallion... thing, that tried to drown out all the other souls with its song or some such, and got its butt kicked by all the other souls, and it then crashed into the planet... or something.

Okay apparently my memory is somewhat unreliable, but I do remember something along those lines happening, so that might be what SilentCatro's talking about.

[SilentCarto]

Maybe the "who" that's screaming is the soul of a bright blue alicorn stallion

wait, where did this bright blue alicorn stallion come from?

The hooves holding me tightened, and off to the side I heard another note rise. It accompanied a star glowing with a fierce blue-white corona. A pony… no. An alicorn, proud and regal and glorious. He spread his wings wide and sang his note loud and gloriously across the heavens. He drove back those shadows beyond and all things that dwelled within. Such was he that his song drowned out all others as he swelled with pride. I expected the star to eventually stop and take a break, but he didn’t. Instead, he grew along with his volume.

It grew to the point where the melody of the those luminary bodies was drowned out. Grew to where it became almost painful. I kept waiting for him to burst as the others had and let something new take his place. The mischievous ones floated about him, trying to trick him and break his onerous note, but he burned them with his scorn. Louder! Louder! It was if he were trying to fill all the universe with the single overwhelming note! He struggled with the strain, the note transforming into a scream.

Then he exploded. It was not a gentle burst of lifegiving light. No, this explosion was raw and violent as his scream echoed to the farthest corners of the universe. Then his cloud fell inward; he would not die as the other luminous ones had, would not share his life. His blue glow contracted and darkened. Something that was a star hardened and transformed from light to something dark and base. And still it screamed, tearing at the melody around it. No trick by the spirits could stop it. No song from the others could reach it. And as the song died, the darkness encroached.

wait, where did this bright blue alicorn stallion come from?

I think its from one of BJs weird abstract visions from one of the times she'd died, maybe the first one? Can't recall the details, just that she was saw a what might have been the afterlife/the past, and there was some sort of glittery alicorn shaped soul stallion... thing, that tried to drown out all the other souls with its song or some such, and got its butt kicked by all the other souls, and it then crashed into the planet... or something.

Okay apparently my memory is somewhat unreliable, but I do remember something along those lines happening, so that might be what SilentCatro's talking about.

That's right. More to the point, it's the entity that would become the Eater of Souls.

[Stringtheory]

wait, where did this bright blue alicorn stallion come from?

I think its from one of BJs weird abstract visions from one of the times she'd died, maybe the first one? Can't recall the details, just that she was saw a what might have been the afterlife/the past, and there was some sort of glittery alicorn shaped soul stallion... thing, that tried to drown out all the other souls with its song or some such, and got its butt kicked by all the other souls, and it then crashed into the planet... or something.

Okay apparently my memory is somewhat unreliable, but I do remember something along those lines happening, so that might be what SilentCatro's talking about.

Oh yeah, him, the Eater of Souls, yeah it was originally a star which tried to out-something all the others, so the other stars ganged up on him destroying him, yet destroying themselves in the process, so he came crashing onto Equestria way in the past and he's trying to regain his power, or something like that, I forget the details, Somber wrote that backstory in a forum post a while back, I'm sure someone will dig it up.
Also it proves that Somber can write a sympathetic backstory for ANYTHING, including giant vampire stars

[Derpmind]

Hey, thatguyvex, just wanted to congratulate you before I signed off. Remember this?

So, normally I just lurk around here and read the
comments, but as I have this little sliver of a question in my brain
that I can't seem to find the answer to on my own I thought I'd register
just for the sole purpose of asking you fine folk.

That was two three days ago. You've already made 10 more posts since then. You're one of us now. You will continue posting, and posting, and posting. There is no escape from this joy.

To all you lurkers, don't be afraid of posting! Once you join us, you'll never want to leave.

[Stringtheory]

Hey, thatguyvex, just wanted to congratulate you before I signed off. Remember this?

So, normally I just lurk around here and read the
comments, but as I have this little sliver of a question in my brain
that I can't seem to find the answer to on my own I thought I'd register
just for the sole purpose of asking you fine folk.

That was two three days ago. You've already made 10 more posts since then. You're one of us now. You will continue posting, and posting, and posting. There is no escape from this joy.

To all you lurkers, don't be afraid of posting! Once you join us, you'll never want to leave.

As a new member of the PHCC (Project Horizons Comment Crew), I offer you the 'traditional' joining choice: a shotgun, a bottle of whiskey, or infinite sanity, pick one (don't choose the sanity, it's not worth being sane around here, you'll miss out on all the fun)

[thatguyvex]

Oh yeah, him, the Eater of Souls, yeah it was originally a star which
tried to out-something all the others, so the other stars ganged up on
him destroying him, yet destroying themselves in the process, so he came
crashing onto Equestria way in the past and he's trying to regain his
power, or something like that, I forget the details, Somber wrote that
backstory in a forum post a while back, I'm sure someone will dig it up.
Also it proves that Somber can write a sympathetic backstory for ANYTHING, including giant vampire stars

BJ doesn't remember that dream sequence does she? Hey, giant vampire stars have feelings too. Hm, odd, the way its described, sounds kind of echoing of Boast Busters. Loudmouth show off rolls into town, makes a big scene, gets on everyone else's nerves.

Oh, and SilentCarto, you're scary good at finding those specific passages fast.

Hey, thatguyvex, just wanted to congratulate you before I signed off. Remember this?
<blockquote>
thatguyvex wrote:So, normally I just lurk around here and read the
comments, but as I have this little sliver of a question in my brain
that I can't seem to find the answer to on my own I thought I'd register
just for the sole purpose of asking you fine folk.

That was two three days ago. You've
already made 10 more posts since then. You're one of us now. You will
continue posting, and posting, and posting. There is no escape from this
joy.

Heh, thanks. It's pretty inevitable that I'll lurk again at one point or another, but might as well make an attempt at being sociable in the meantime.

As a new member of the PHCC (Project Horizons Comment Crew), I offer you
the 'traditional' joining choice: a shotgun, a bottle of whiskey, or
infinite sanity, pick one (don't choose the sanity, it's not worth being
sane around here, you'll miss out on all the fun)

*takes the bottle of whiskey* Cheers!
</blockquote>

[Stringtheory]

Oh, and SilentCarto, you're scary good at finding those specific passages fast.

It's called having a complete text of the story and using control-F (that's command-F if you're on a mac), we're pretty sure Somber's now writing the story knowing we can find obscure plot details from the very beginning in under ten seconds flat

[thatguyvex]

That would certainly explain it. Whenever I try to track down an obscure detail its mostly starts with me going "Bloody hell, which chapter was that scene even in... uh... was it... late 30s... early 40s...?" and then the mining begins.

[Stringtheory]

That would certainly explain it. Whenever I try to track down an obscure detail its mostly starts with me going "Bloody hell, which chapter was that scene even in... uh... was it... late 30s... early 40s...?" and then the mining begins.

If you know part of the text you're looking for, just use control-f, it'll save you a lot scrolling.

[thatguyvex]

Heh, its the simplest things that are often easiest to overlook. I always forget that command exists. Would've saved me a lot of trouble when trying to find Sunset's color scheme.

[Admiral Stoic Rum]

Hey, thatguyvex, just wanted to congratulate you before I signed off. Remember this?

So, normally I just lurk around here and read the
comments, but as I have this little sliver of a question in my brain
that I can't seem to find the answer to on my own I thought I'd register
just for the sole purpose of asking you fine folk.

That was two three days ago. You've already made 10 more posts since then. You're one of us now. You will continue posting, and posting, and posting. There is no escape from this joy.

To all you lurkers, don't be afraid of posting! Once you join us, you'll never want to leave.

As a new member of the PHCC (Project Horizons Comment Crew), I offer you the 'traditional' joining choice: a shotgun, a bottle of whiskey, or infinite sanity, pick one (don't choose the sanity, it's not worth being sane around here, you'll miss out on all the fun)

OH OH! Pick the RUM!

[SilentCarto]

BJ doesn't remember that dream sequence does she?

That depends on exactly what you mean by "remember". Short form, her body only remembers things her body experienced, but her soul can apparently remember previous soul experiences as well. She was, after all, "able to compare deaths".

Oh, and SilentCarto, you're scary good at finding those specific passages fast.

Heh, well, the star dream is one of my favorite bits, so I have its location pretty well memorized.
...but yes, I am scary good at that.

Actually, in all seriousness, I just pick a rare word that I'm pretty sure is used in the passage I'm looking for and run a search for it. That usually pares it down to a dozen or fewer hits, which is easy enough to brute-force through. Of course, remembering a decent keyword can be a bit of a trick sometimes, but anyway...

*takes the bottle of whiskey* Cheers!

[Exodus Hero]

*takes the bottle of whiskey* Cheers!

Stay classy my friend.

[Plasticube]

No thanks I know my limits, I get my daily dose of wat by spending 5 minutes a day in these threads.

[O. Hinds]

Forward note: I always tackle PH and Murky chapters over at least two or more days, and the portion of this read/review I did for today... well, it’s silly. Really silly.
I wonder if it’s noticeable where I picked up? Anyway, just so you know, I'm aware of the fact I'm probably only funny to myself at this point.

Project Horizons Chapter 55 reading review!:

Very funny review, Swicked, as usual.

Spoiler:

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