Casual Stroll - An Introductionary RP mainly around Equestria OOC [Open Entry For All]

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

I won't be able to post Friday, since I have some friends to visit during the weekend, so that's sadly not possible. have to bake them cakes, I've been told, and that makes writing difficult.

As such, I will get some posts out tomorrow instead, to try and keep you satisfied until the weekend is over. Should be able to get things back in line after that.

[Sekel 685]

@Blitz Boom & @Widdershins

Finally got around to replying! I'm in the last stretch of online schooling so I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to reply before now. I've been mostly focusing on that.

[Widdershins 9,955]

Oh, and in the fair interest of open communication of future rp plans... y'know, actually conveying intent and plans is probably a good idea. It's just not something i'm good at, bein' a draconequus. I can't just keep hiding things under the banner of keeping it a surprise.

So! @Catpone Cerberus!

 Firstly, I had kind of guessed you'd use the bomb to launch you across. Make use of that macguffin I made you get to get the macguffin.

 But it occurs to me that maybe not everybeing wants to explode themselves at every oppourtunity. A shame, lol!

 

 Secondly, perhaps more importantly.... that Golden Muffin? It's going to peel your flesh off. Probably should mention that. Y'know, as a warning.

 See, it's a golem maker with the drawback that it makes said golems almost continuously out of whatever's nearby. Cus I kinda got this mental image once about Derpy playin' Indiana Jones to get this Golden Muffin idol and it summoning rock golems that she'd have to fight off for the glory of muffin. And of course, I play this in to Widdershins's pancake/syrup golems he makes by thinking that he's the accidental original creator of the idol.

So, basically. What i'm trying to say... is that once you pick it up, it should start tugging at the flesh on your hoof in an attempt to use your own flesh to create a flesh golem. This might sound powerful, but i'm headcannoning that its actually dampened as its original form is a crystal sliver that Derpy somehow managed to bake into a muffin, thus turning it gold in the process.

 Because the only way to dampen uncontrolled draconequus magic is by having someone fully, genuinely, purely just as oblivious screw with it. Sos I figure almost all Draconequus Magic Idols should look like bad modern art sculpture.

 

 So that's why I had you in mind for this. Have you come across something for the lark of it and figure out that it isn't safe to just have it unnattended and leave it in the care of some organization that can either Secure, Contain or Protect it.

 

 /shrug, I dunno, maybe BonBon's secret agency. Look, i just make the world-ending disasters, I don't understand them! 

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

@Blitz Boom I'm going to the province to attend my grandfather's funeral, i won't be able to reply anytime soon.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Windy Breeze

My deepest condolences.  Take all the time you need, we'll pick up when you're feeling you're ready for it again. Please take care.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

Gonna have to respond to things tomorrow. Things got kinda crazy today, so I ran out of time, sadly. My apologies for that.  

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

Been asked to see if there were someone who'd be interested in a side RP, with a pretty good RP'er I've been working with, called @Illiad Easle. The setting he proposed were fairly interesting, and since he heard there is a lot of talented folks here, I promised I'd pop it in here, for him to get some eyes on.  Can never hurt to see if there's someone who'd like the setting.

Gonna quote here what he says, then you can see what you think of it. Waiting for him to pop in an OOC I can link to if it is, where things can be discussed more about that, than this, but he wanted to know if there were some degree of interest first. He's a good one to push a narrative, so that's not something anyone would have to worry about. It'd be less *goofing around* than what I usually do.

___________________________________________________________

 

Life had been perfect, picturesque, Princess Sparkle had been recently coronated and a number of nations had united in a new era of peace. Even nations that had long stood as rivals to Equestria were embracing diplomacy. Everyone was happy,

Except one.

Discord secretly bound Hercules and Cerberus, the two guards of Tartarus, and opened the gates, allowing the spawn of Tartarus, ponies and others who had been tormented to the point of being husks of their former selves, to spill forth on the world. He further recruited leaders from among the worst in society to lead his armies, promising they would rule over what remained when anarchy was restored.

At first Equestria fought back the spawn well, then Discord openly betrayed Celestia, casting her paralyzed body into a river of lava. That very day the Elements of Harmony went missing, and Canterlot fell.

Five years later, you and a few others have survived the Spawn, evaded their notice as well as the notice of those loyal to Discord. Your group has been successful thus far, but not this time. While crossing an open plain your group was spotted by a herd of Spawn.

That leads into the prompt I gave you, where you're running and get the escape chance offered by the surprise helicopter. No one in Equestria knows that the missing ponies were sent to earth, and they don't know at the outset that there is multiverse hopping.

______________________________________________________________________

 

Part of that at the bottoms were a response to a question I had about it, but essentially, it is an AU, build on the concept of *Discord's done a real, REAL big naughty, and now the world is really messed up*.

If you got questions on the technology, remember this is an AU=Alternate Universe. There's a bit of freedom in that, as there is in the way one depicts Discord, despite him being a good guy in the real setting.

Anyway, promised him I'd throw this out here, so... Yeah, there you go. Word kept.

Oh right, requirement I know off: Special or self made races allowed, long as it's not too crazy, and no draconequui. Thinking they don't want the helicopter turned into a giant pancake, @Widdershins.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Blitz Boom

8 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

Yeah, there you go. Word kept

And I appreciate it!

Might I say though... 228 pages in an OOC is not something I ever thought possible. Good job!

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Illiad Easle

It's 6 years old. It had to hit a high number at some point.

[Widdershins 9,955]

@Illiad Easle & @Blitz Boom

Well, Technically...

Confetti goes off and drifts from the ceiling around an unresponsive, dull narrator. A banner floats down titled We're Being a Pretentious Nerdsack Again Party!!! noisemakers wheeze off.

 

   To derive to a point, Sirs... Tartarus never was a place of torture or evil. It's been shown cannonically in the show to be literally just a random, nonmagical cave with random, nonmagical cages offendees are shoved into to have a time-out of sorts. Even in spite of the magical door and locking mechanism with oddly specific requirements that needed unrelated ponies to open, inhabitants of Tartarus were free to send out letters to continue socializing with the outside world.  No effort at all was put into incarceration or restriction of freedom from those inside. Most were shown to be animals of Angel's level of intelligence. Though the judgement of how evil Angel is has yet to be debated.

 Even in original context of Grecian mythology, Tartarus was never a Hell analog. It was simply a place where the souls of departed left and even its ruler, Hades/Pluto was a pretty calm dude who cared for his charges as he purportedly only had the title of Ruler of The Underworld by merit of being the last one to draw his lot. The use of Tartarus at all seems to only be there as a means to have scary evil beings around without any apparent adherence to it requiring specific characters to tie it into the overarching continuity of Equestria and what abilities should be expected of participants.

20 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

There's a bit of freedom in that, as there is in the way one depicts Discord, despite him being a good guy in the real setting.

Actually, I disagree with that personally. Discord might be the most restrictive and narrow of characters to roleplay. Most grievous of all, is involving Discord as a, to use an adopted term, BBEG. While my own bias my obscure on accounts of identifying as one of the species Discord claims to exist with no actual evidence of, there is a point I must ensure. Discord isn't Technically Evil. 

 He's a Trickster God archetype. An almost wholesale ripoff of the same actor's role in Star Trek. Discord would, and frequently in proveable cannon, ruin his own plans and remove his own life & existence just to prove a point. In comics, he's turned himself into a Spirit of Order, mindwiped not only the population into a zombie-like state but even himself. He's sickened his being and calmly told his best friend that he was okay with dying if it meant being liked for not being himself. 

 Discord's only goals are to have fun, however incidental the damage might be. He might betray or do especially vile things, but only to the extent that it would create more of adventure for him to witness. Forming armies, ending the perceived "good" Status Quo, battle tactics and long-game strategies (that don't mean his own, personal satisfaciton like forcing somepony to apoligize or admit his superiority) are not something a "Chaos" integral character would do. And there are much more violent, but lower tier villains that would do as such. Something that has been shown in the show due to potential timeline outcomes.

 Now, I must assure that I point out no fallacy on behalf of what I observe. Nay, (Neigh!~) I speak up on behalf of my own concerns at actualizing what I previously read. From what I can read of it myself and as I understand it, there is just evil abound from forces beyond what we would directly know and I know not what would be the required actions of those taking part in the offered action. In short:

 It's vague. I don't understand.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Illiad Easle @Widdershins

Hey, it was Illiad's idea. He defend it. I'm just writing and enjoying the RP.  Though my assumption to some degree, will be him interpreting it as in the way it have been in Greek mythology. Or perhaps, what we have seen in the show, is more a part of it, and the idea is that the gates to the afterlife version is somewhere else? Beneath it perhaps?

All I am defending here, is that there is an afterlife in the universe. In which way it works, I have not touched much upon myself, as I don't know, and haven't watched the show, which means I can't be certain. Whatever's on the other side of the veil, I leave for someone else to discuss.

...Also, really nice *Technically* picture. Really does look like the sort who'd go on and on about some minute detail, that someone stopped caring about thirty minutes prior.

Oh right, and as for Discord, I don't think he's evil either. Not the one we know of. He is, as you say, a trickster god. As a trickster he is compelled to do his pranks, and do what he considers fun, and does his to share it with others, even if they might not find it as fun. As a god though, he is also above the way that regular mortals think, and it gives him another vantage point, where he are not able to see what he considers fun, to be what others think of as cruel and mean spirited. Not the first time he's in the show anyway. I'm sure Fluttershy have made him understand it by the time the show wrapped up, to some degree.

Really, not arguing against anything you say here. You made some fair points, and I look forward to seeing you two discussing it, and figuring out how your so far clashing view points will align.  Still gonna assume it is something related to an alternative universe sort of thing. Y'know, like with the Trotting Dead thread, or any of the Fallout ripoff threads.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Widdershins @Blitz Boom

2 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

Hey, it was Illiad's idea. He defend it.

And defend it I will.

Before I begin I don't mean any of my commentary personally, as I'm sure you did not intend any of yours to be personal or in bad faith.

On 11/9/2020 at 2:15 PM, Blitz Boom said:

remember this is an AU=Alternate Universe.

Technically that's all the justification I need. Those two words give me all the freedom I need to say how things are, how things work, and what has happened up to the point of the introduction of the RP.

That said, I'm not one to put things out just because, and I pride myself on there being reasonable motivations for actions and characters given the context of the show. Consider this AU FiM adjacent if you will.

5 hours ago, Widdershins said:

Even in original context of Grecian mythology, Tartarus was never a Hell analog.

To quote Encyclopedia Britannica: 

Tartarus, the infernal regions of ancient Greek mythology. The name was originally used for the deepest region of the world, the lower of the two parts of the underworld, where the gods locked up their enemies.

 I can think of at least one account of people being tortured down there, the river Styx is often said to be a river of literal pain and anguish. And given Tartarus is supposed to be the opposite of Elysium, I think it is fair to say that it is not a good place to be and reasonable to assume that some are tormented there.

As it pertains to the setting, I think Blitz's interpretation is reasonable. I've set the gates at the back of a cave covered by a fortress. It is not unreasonable that some, as shown in the show, were imprisoned alive in the cave, while others, not shown because it's a kids show, were tormented for eternity behind the gates.

5 hours ago, Widdershins said:

The use of Tartarus at all seems to only be there as a means to have scary evil beings around without any apparent adherence to it requiring specific characters to tie it into the overarching continuity of Equestria and what abilities should be expected of participants.

To be fair, my user of Tartarus and Discord stems from the fact that I've based this scenario off of Five Score Divided by Four, which came out around season 3 before any of us saw Tartarus, before the Elements were returned to the tree, and before the extent of Discord's reformation was really known. I thought it reasonable as an ever present evil with limited abilities similar to but not quite zombies.

5 hours ago, Widdershins said:

Discord isn't Technically Evil. 

I suppose that depends on your definition of evil (I would say that mind control falls into that category), but I digress. He is at best Chaotic Neutral.

Nonetheless, by the same argument by which we state that his chaotic antics aren't technically evil because he does them for his amusement and he finds them funny (Leading into a very subjective view of evil) We can say that if he takes enjoyment in watching civilization fall that it is not out of line for him.

However, I have a wholly altruistic rational for his actions.

Discord is a spirit of chaos, and chaos requires change. In the prompt that Blitz laid out one can see that the world was growing stagnant, I left some of the finer details out of the prompt partially because they're not relevant and partially because those playing would not be aware of them. Discord sought to upset the status quo, and saw that something drastic would have to be done to prevent things from going back to the way they were, so he upended the board, sent everyone he could to Earth for 25 years, let the worst of the world burn everything down while they were gone, and 25 years later those he sent away would return, having gained knowledge and experience from their time on Earth to rebuild from the ashes a better world than the one they had been torn from.

That is why the balance were unable to stop Discord, because he was acting towards a greater good. Further, he didn't take much enjoyment from the destruction, but sometimes one has to fulfil their duty rather than just their pleasure.

I don't know if you'd agree on that, but again, AU says I can cast Discord as any architype I want/need, but this seems reasonable as he has before ruled the world, why not again?

5 hours ago, Widdershins said:

Forming armies, ending the perceived "good" Status Quo, battle tactics and long-game strategies (that don't mean his own, personal satisfaciton like forcing somepony to apoligize or admit his superiority) are not something a "Chaos" integral character would do.

Chaos does not preclude strategy nor planning, often a chaotic character's motivations are to upset order, and what better source of chaos is there than anarchy?

6 hours ago, Widdershins said:

From what I can read of it myself and as I understand it, there is just evil abound from forces beyond what we would directly know and I know not what would be the required actions of those taking part in the offered action. In short:

 It's vague. I don't understand.

This is what I would say is the most important part of the issue, hopefully I can enlighten.

From the perspective of the player characters, everything was idyllic until suddenly it wasn't. They had their lives turned upside down in the ensuing anarchy evading both the spawn of Tartarus and former acquaintances turned anarchists and pursuers.

After being on the run for some time, several months at least, they, while being pursued by another group of attackers are rescued by a mysterious means, a strange airship appearing before them and carrying them away to safety in a secret cloud city.

Once on the city they are greeted by some officials that tell them the city is called the Æther project, that they are welcome to remain so long as they are willing to contribute to the good of the project.

They would then be assigned duties based on their abilities.

As a foreshadowing, there's a certain group on the project that wants to take control, and they are going to try and get the newcomers to join them so they can enact their plan. Others will be secretly recruited by the ruling faction to prevent that. The players will be free to choose what side they want to be on, if either of them.

I know it's a bit vague, most of the stuff involving Discord and Tartarus is background anyway, and mostly serves to tie it in to the rest of my universe. If there's anything more you'd like to know or would like clarified do let me know.

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

@Blitz Boom

This is Tepe's character design.

He is a former navigator for the Weym herd in Zebrica, he has two sisters, Fadhila and Thamani Muziki.

Grimdark backstory:

Quote

In the casual stroll story, Tepe had been long dead, having died from a very brutal death which started from a chain reaction of attacks.

While looking for a new place to build a new village for the herd, he was ambushed by a leopard, chased by a group of hyenas, attacked by a crocodile, pursued by a cheetah, injured by wild dogs, before falling victim to a male lion, who took advantage of his fatigue and injuries. His remains are never found and his herd searched for him for 25 days before giving up. He became a wandering spirit, looking for a way back to his herd.

Throughout his days and years as a ghost, he is unable to communicate, until he met Sorrow several years later. His family are most likely dead by time he met her.

Despite wandering as a ghost for years, he did not seem to be aware of being dead 

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by Windy Breeze

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Windy Breeze

Weren't sure if he were dead at first, so thank you for clearing it up. Looking forward to seeing how he's spooking around.  And unaware of being dead+ Vauw. Seems like there's a special case here with someone who Really needs help from Sorrow.  Let's hope it goes well.

P.S. That guy had absolutely 0% luck in his life. Holy Celestia. O.o

 

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Catpone Cerberus

Bit busy rest of the night, but I'll write in something for you tomorrow.

 

[Sekel 685]

@Blitz Boom & @Widdershins

Sorry about the lack of posts. I've been focusing on finishing my course. One more week and it'll be finished so I should be relatively back on schedule after that.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Sekel

Focus on getting that done mate, we'll be here when you're done.  Make sure to ace it, just like I know you can do! We're rooting for ya.

 

 

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Blitz Boom
Not going to reply today but I have to ask something. I just want to make sure that this is indeed something you meant for me to notice and not just a typo or something similar
 

On 11/14/2020 at 8:48 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Leviathan would take the bracelet, and greedily take it on around her arm.

12 minutes ago, Blitz Boom said:

definitely still jingling on her leg

I just want to make sure because while it ultimately wouldn't change much when it comes to Ruby's next actions, she would definitely notice that if you meant it to be a thing and it isn't just a an error. 

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Catpone Cerberus

No, that's just me being a dummy. xD I'll fix that.

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

@Blitz Boom

Doctor Needle knew the truth behind Autumn's murder and Razor's disappearance?

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Windy Breeze

You set up the gang that caused this in the first place, and made no indication that it were a finished chapter, seeing as Razor were staying behind to deal with it. I am merely assisting in setting things into motion, and figured that if a gang were powerful enough to do what you had set up, they were likely to have influence in several areas. A hospital link would be useful, in case someone they were after, went in for treatment, and needed to have an *accident*, for example. Plus she'd have the chance to examine any body that came pass the coroner, and do hers to ensure that things were in check, and no evidence were collected against the gang. As well as making sure that whoever it were, were truly dead.

Seeing as Dr. Needle have just been told this story, she is reporting it on to them, though with the added subtext of her own, that she isn't certain if any of it is true, as she does not believe in ghosts. Yet it isn't for her to decide what will happen. She's not the boss after all.

You can leave it there, or have it picked up eventually, once Razor gets some help to get his investigation going, but I figured it wouldn't hurt helping to set up something. Just in case.

Though keep in mind, what she knows, and have reported on, is from two angles. What she knows from working with the gang, and what Sorrow have just told her. She probably don't know everything. Just enough to be looped into the important bits, such as the facts of what Razor did, and how he ended up later.

If this is any sort of issue with your plan, I can delete that paragraph, and let it be. It's no skin off my nose.

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

@Blitz Boom

I had no issues with Dr. Needle's involvement in with the gang, it makes sense there will be a member from the gang who works in a hospital. Razor doesn't know of her yet since they haven't met.

As for the boss of the game, I have decided it would be a dragon, he is the only member of the gang to knew why the said gang exist and its true purpose, the rest had no idea, and only joined the gang with several unknown different reasons.

One of the gang members is also murdered by Razor seconds before drowning himself.

Edited November 22, 2020 by Windy Breeze

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Blitz Boom
Just a random question that may or may not effect my next reply whenever it may be, something I don't remember if it's stated at any point. Is Leviathan fire-proof like Equestrian dragons in general? I remember that she's water-air dragon (was that right?) but since that isn't something from the show, I don't know it follows the canon. If she's not fire-proof, has she said it at any point?

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Catpone Cerberus

Fireproof is mainly the fire-related dragons, and she's a wind water aligned, so... Not fireproof, I'm afraid. Just fire resilient, as dragons tend to be. So if you turn up the heat too much, it'll hurt, and she'd probably end up having to shed some scales before the fire damage goes off.

So you can breath fire on her, and it'll probably hurt, but it's unlikely to do any real damage. Don't push her into lava though. Not her element.

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

@Blitz Boom, no offense, but I have been waiting for you in the roleplay.