Re: [Fallout Equestria] Setting discussions

[O. Hinds]

Very interesting.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Of course... If each of these intelligences have their own turf, parts of the facilities and sub-systems that they are each primarily assigned to ; there may be an override protocol that could be used by someone to have the whole Systems submit for a takeover of the facilities.

Though after such a move it's not sure you would ever want to release that override... You wouldn't want to leave in control of a whole facility whose sole purpose is to build tools of death and destruction in enough quantities to take over the world a bunch of artificial intelligences that are extremely pissed-off at you, now, don't you ?

But, I suppose if all you wanted to do was to engage some kind of self-destruct sequence...

Well, if you have the necessary rank in Science, you could always try to reformat ALL the different mainframes to factory default and reinstall the original software they were shipped with, in order to have a clean-slate to work with.

But effectively, you would be committing mass-murder / genocide while doing so. Forcing against its own free-will one the AIs to kill all the companions it had for two hundred years of loneliness, and then to kill itself, just so YOU could take control of a place designed to build enough weapons to arm the whole world twice over.

You monster.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Next in line will be Neighpon.

Time for me to find some inspiration for that one.

Hinds already got "San Franscisco" covered with San Frantello, so I'll have to find something else.

But given the geographical position of the city, I can already say it's going to be a harbor of some sort.


Maybe some kind of submarine pen to deny Zebra convoys access to the Sea of Equestria ? With faux-japanese accents ? Probably something like the Bay of Tokyo. Though it only exist because flatland is very limited in the rest of the country...

Maybe some kind of special economic zone for the rest of the world to invest in Equestria, like Hong Kong ? A cosmopolitan trade center with dozens of species from the world over ? Which fell into economic depression when the war started and trade became difficult ?

Hmmm...

The good point is that the Sea of Equestria is bordered by more than Equestria and the Pax Roamana, and that there's apparently an independent power in the middle of it. So that could be a good justification for a trading port & a special economic zone.

Could have also made it Equestria's Spy Nest, the place to be for every spies.

Now we'd need to know what powers apart from Equestria and the PR would border that sea to have a better idea of the various flux of goods and people in the city.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Also, we need more species. Exotic species. I say : giraffes.

Originally came from that big continent in the south, but a group settled on the Eastern bank of the Sear of Equestria, out of the Pax Roamana - effectively creating an independent Giraffe Nation.

Though what kind of culture would you give those guys ?...

Phenicians ? Hmm... I'm not convinced.

[StoneSlinger88]

What about Boston harbor? Until the 1800's it was almost constantly under land-reclamation, leaving a 50-square mile sheltered harbor. It was the location of a large amount of foreign immigrants chose to go, and played a large part in the industrial revolution.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Hmmm, I'll consider that.


I think we could put the city close to a semi-active volcano - the active but relatively calm kind. Vesuve / Fuji like.

That way one of the city's advantage could be geothermal power.

That and post-apocalypse you could have the imposing and menacing silhouette of a volcano awoken by balefire detonations looming over the place, constantly releasing clouds of smoke and noxious fumes in the atmosphere. And the occasional eruption and lava releases.


It wouldn't be just next to the city. More like twenty - twenty five kilometers away.

[StoneSlinger88]

Holyoke Massachusetts would do. At one point it was the world's largest producer of paper, and the first planned industrial community in the US, largely thanks to the wide availability of water power. Maybe not geothermal, but geographically speaking the town is in the shadow of Mount Tom, which I'm sure we could find something to relate to in-universe.

[Harmony Ltd.]

In fact, the place being a volcanic hotspot could explain why it's a peninsula...

[StoneSlinger88]

Hmm... What if the origin of the rivers flowing into the harbor were coming from a large spring in the volcano, and the balefire bombs ended up causing the water to be replaced with lava flows?

[Harmony Ltd.]

Also, the city having been built historically close to an active volcano would fit with the theme of Japan having grown with volcanic eruption, tsunami, earthquakes... Could explain why the locals would revere nature spirits and generally have beliefs of their own.

With Princess Celestia and Luna being some kind of Yin and Yang in their cosmology. They could tell you that the Nightmare Moon conflict resulted from an imbalance and that only balance can ensure lasting Harmony and Peace.

Something like that.

[O. Hinds]

Maybe some kind of submarine pen to deny Zebra convoys access to the Sea of Equestria ?

Well, the Pax Roamana has a Navis-S base in Aquimania to try and do the reverse.

The good point is that the Sea of Equestria is bordered by more than Equestria and the Pax Roamana, and that there's apparently an independent power in the middle of it. So that could be a good justification for a trading port & a special economic zone.

Hm? Except for Porca Porca (and, if you count them, the Highlands), the Sea of Equestria has only Equestrian and PR coastlines.

Could have also made it Equestria's Spy Nest, the place to be for every spies.

Why? What is there to steal or sabotage there?

Now we'd need to know what powers apart from Equestria and the PR would border that sea to have a better idea of the various flux of goods and people in the city.

Still don't know what you're talking about, sorry.

Also, we need more species. Exotic species. I say : giraffes.

Originally came from that big continent in the south, but a group settled on the Eastern bank of the Sear of Equestria, out of the Pax Roamana - effectively creating an independent Giraffe Nation.

Though what kind of culture would you give those guys ?...

Phenicians ? Hmm... I'm not convinced.

…And what do you have happening to the Northerners living there already?

[O. Hinds]

Also, the city having been built historically close to an active volcano would fit with the theme of Japan having grown with volcanic eruption, tsunami, earthquakes... Could explain why the locals would revere nature spirits and generally have beliefs of their own.

Hmm… Yes, I can see that area having some volcanic activity.

With Princess Celestia and Luna being some kind of Yin and Yang in their cosmology. They could tell you that the Nightmare Moon conflict resulted from an imbalance and that only balance can ensure lasting Harmony and Peace.

Something like that.

…Eh, no comment on this at the moment.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Hmm... What if the origin of the rivers flowing into the harbor were coming from a large spring in the volcano, and the balefire bombs ended up causing the water to be replaced with lava flows?

Nah, lave rivers are extremely rare. Most likely, what would have happened would have been some kind of Mt. St. Helen scenario or something like that, but at a lesser scale - a single balefire bomb launched on the volcano's caldera would have cracked the thing and led to an explosive eruption.

Though I don't know how you could explain the volcano being MORE active throughout two centuries without literal magic at work. Maybe it's just a coincidence and the volcanic hotspot entered a more active phase ?

For two centuries and counting ?

That'd be a big coincidence.

Probably some kind of experiment that went wrong.

...


....

Yes. Yes ! I think I'm holding something there !

[O. Hinds]

Ah, sorry; we seem to have been cross-posting a bit.

[Harmony Ltd.]

@ Hinds : whoops, misremembered your map, sorry.

Well, it could still have been an important merchant port before the war : San Frantello in the West, and Neighpon in the East.


The "spy nest" thing would be in the idea that it's a very cosmopolitan city with people coming from the rest of the world to trade there, and that in these conditions you could imagine a number of intrigues taking place there.



Also, two words : gambling halls.

And opium.


It's late and I'm spouting too much stereotypes.

[Harmony Ltd.]

no problem with the cross posting. I was starting to get bored anyway. :D

[O. Hinds]

Well, it could still have been an important merchant port before the war : San Frantello in the West, and Neighpon in the East.

Hm… There are also Dawn Bay, Kalcolta, and, of course, New Oatleans. What would make Neighpon so special?

The "spy nest" thing would be in the idea that it's a very cosmopolitan city with people coming from the rest of the world to trade there, and that in these conditions you could imagine a number of intrigues taking place there.

Again, though, why would it be so cosmopolitan?

[Harmony Ltd.]

Maybe Neighpon was some kind of semi-autonomous city, kind of like Hong-Kong, and contrary to the other Equestrian ports on that sea not only were there no tariffs, but there were also advantageous conditions for the implantation of foreign industries / trading companies in the limits of the administratively held city's territories ? Something like that ?


I'm just throwing what comes to mind.

[O. Hinds]

Why would that be that case, though?

Oh, you mean that this is just brainstorming?

[Harmony Ltd.]

Pretty much.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Maybe the place was historically semi-independent from Equestria, kind of like Monaco in that it's officially independent with its own government and fiscal system, but the police officers on the street depend from the French Ministry of the Interior (police & internal security), or like with Andorra, where the French president of the Republic by treaty hold the title of Co-Prince of the country.

And as for the historical reason why it's semi-independent... As I said, maybe it's down to their worldview or something about religion, I dunno ?

[Ironmonger]

I found this flag after doing some internet diggery. Might prove inspiring.

Spoiler:

Also:

Spoiler:

Thought these might be useful, but that might be the sleep deprivation talking.

[Admiral Stoic Rum]

I found this flag after doing some internet diggery. Might prove inspiring.

Spoiler:

Also:

Spoiler:

Thought these might be useful, but that might be the sleep deprivation talking.

The second one is a smaller portion of a larger map

[Harmony Ltd.]

I found this flag after doing some internet diggery. Might prove inspiring.

Spoiler:

This could be useful for a Germaneigh flag in your own setting, if only it wasn't specifically a pegasi on the flag.

[Harmony Ltd.]

As for the map thing, it comes from that : http://hlissner.deviantart.com/art/Equestria-and-beyond-rev-8-1-253465186

[Harmony Ltd.]

Thought a bit more about Neighpon.

What if the place was originally a "colony" of a species other than Ponies, before the creation of Equestria ; and that it started being populated by ponies after the Equestrian peninsula became populated by them.

And with the passing of the centuries & millenia the Ponies became a majority in the city and its surrounding area, strengthening the ties with Equestria, while staying nominally independent, and having a culture different from the rest of the peninsula, a melange of the original inhabitants beliefs and equestrian practices. Something like that.




Current inspiration from that point of view is Monaco and Hong-Kong.

[O. Hinds]

Thought a bit more about Neighpon.

What if the place was originally a "colony" of a species other than Ponies, before the creation of Equestria ; and that it started being populated by ponies after the Equestrian peninsula became populated by them.

And with the passing of the centuries & millenia the Ponies became a majority in the city and its surrounding area, strengthening the ties with Equestria, while staying nominally independent, and having a culture different from the rest of the peninsula, a melange of the original inhabitants beliefs and equestrian practices. Something like that.




Current inspiration from that point of view is Monaco and Hong-Kong.

But a colony of what? Unless you're supposing that there were zebras here who stayed behind, but if so, why, and what happened to them?

[Harmony Ltd.]

Still trying to come up with something decent.

Can you give me more details about Porca Porca, please ?

[O. Hinds]

Can you give me more details about Porca Porca, please ?

Internal memo: 10-23-11: Goodbye> Well, dust off your resumes, because you’re all fired effective tomorrow! That’s right. Let Applejack or whoever the hell is director now deal with this mess. My brother and I are off to sunny Porca Porca where the beaches are warm, the local swine friendly, and the extradition treaties nonexistent. So long, suckers! F&F.

I put it in the Sea of Equestria due to it needing to be really close by (otherwise they'd have been on the skywagon when it was discovered that they'd gone, which would result in the skywagon being rerouted to the nearest MoM facility). There'd probably be a hot spot at that location anyway, though, so it makes sense for there to be islands there. Thinking about what Porca Porca would be like, given the above information, I decided that it was probably maintained by both sides as strategically neutral. It would have a reputation as a good place for dissidents to go... and it would have plenty of spies either doing deals or dealing with said dissidents; for this reason, both sides might allow free travel to it (or, rather, as free as there's transportation), since traveling to it is generally a sign that you should be spied on, a sign that you're doing the spying, or both. Also, if either side gained control of it, the other would likely bomb the place to bits; that would put Equestria and the PR back where they started, and the locals who survived would not be very happy. This doesn't mean that both sides aren't trying to win the favor of the locals, though, or build bunkers on the sly.
The locals may actually have come out of the war rather well, now that I think about it.
In short, I'm thinking of Porca Porca as the intrigue-filled eye of the storm that is the Sea of Equestria.

[Harmony Ltd.]

The inhabitants... Are they literal swines ?

How would that fit with Applejack having pigs in pens in her farm.

... And same question concerning the talking sheeps we've seen her herd, really...

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