General Chat Thread

[Friendship_Cannon 1,676]

hey, what´s going on? asides from the usual people having their little crisis now and then (just got over my latest, I had a great time!)

[Ganaram Inukshuk 3,682]

hey, what´s going on?

Me being more lethargic than usual.

[DJRainbowDash 724]

Hows it going everybody? 

[Ganaram Inukshuk 3,682]

Hows it going everybody?

More lethargy than usual.

[DJRainbowDash 724]

More lethargy than usual.

 

I'm that way myself today, its been dark and gloomy and rainy all day today.

[Shiki 5,855]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxD-rxv6zfw

Shit.

Something pony related that I can't pretend that I dislike because there's no flaws.

[Haven Celestii 9,385]

I WOKE UP IN A NEW BUGATTI!

[Shiki 5,855]

I WOKE UP IN A NEW BUGATTI!

So philosophical and self-reflecting. 

I feel that I know myself better after reading this.

I can easily say that my eyes have now been opened. 

 

And what font is that in your signature? It looks disturbingly familiar. 

Edited April 10, 2013 by Plummeh

[Hawk Moth 390]

Royals and their bloodlines /)_+

That is some wickedly hard politics there. Seems like peace is totally out of the window, eh?

 

Say, other than the name and the location, is there any more differences between this Midlands and Osterrland? Maybe like culture differences or whatnot.

 

There's no such thing as peace the way we know it. The only option is subjugation by one party or another or wealth at another nation's expense. There has been no nation on Goss that Osterrland has not gone to war with at one time or another.

 

The cultural differences between Midland and Osterrland are myriad. There are even internal differences within each country based on geographic regions. For example, the Osterran states of Lipson and Garrisheed are more Midlandian in terms of culture. The more east you go towards the center, the more traditionally Osterran it gets. The Northern North or Old North has a lot of cultural overlap with the northern peoples of Halvarrland. The Central North is more representative of the old Osterran culture. Central Osterrland is where the proper, modern culture is best expressed, as that's where the capital is. The Central South is, on the whole, the most modern and home to the state of Sarrowmarch, the industrial capital of Osterrland where old society and culture have been largely replaced by modernity. The South and East South share culture with the archipelago nation of Valindaeum that lies east and south off Osterrland's coast.

 

As for what sets Osterrland apart from Midland, there's language, for starters. The Osterran language of Osterrlicht also known as Common Osterrlicht or Middle Osterrlicht is a corrupted and simplified version of Old Osterrlicht. That older language is properly known as Ostvarrlicht, given the proper name for the Osterran peoples is Ostvarr, which translates to "Central North", with the Halvarr or "Old North" to the north and Myrvarr to the east and south - that name being a portmanteau of Varr and Myr, referring to the Valindaean continent of Myros. Common Osterrlicht too, is both a derivation of Old Osterrlicht and the traditional language of Midland, Mulss. The two cultures actually have a lot of overlap in terms of linguistics, as Old Osterrlicht was predominantly a language only spoken in the northern regions and present day only in religious and courtly ceremonies, leaving the two peoples to interbreed and communicate with each other to birth a common language.

 

Another big difference is architecture. Historic Osterran buildings feature a lot of woodwork, given the nation's large amount of thick forests. Historic buildings in Midland are almost exclusively stone. There are also many earthworks in Midland as well, compared to Osterrland which only features such old formations in the north, specifically in and around the state of North Wall. There is also more modern architecture in Osterrland than Midland. The advent of cast iron allowed for larger buildings, and certain Osterran cities that were mere towns in older times sprang up in a few decades as major industrial centers. That kind of modern architecture is largely absent in Midland.

 

Religion is mostly the same with some key differences. The religious authority in Osterrland is the Cathedral or the Osterran Cathedral in contrast with the Midlandian Cathedral. Both preach the same religion of Acclesiism, though they each have a different set of prime saints, and the Midland Cathedral uses an extra book called the Book of Sub-Locus that is considered apocryphal by the Osterran Cathedral. The Midland Cathedral also differs in terms of leadership, which is led by a tribunal of priests whereas Osterrland's Cathedral is led by a single high-priest. And of course, Osterrland touts its religion as the "true" faith.

 

Government is also arranged differently. After the 2nd Midlandian Revolution, the nation was finally stripped of its royal family and crown, replaced by a stronger parliament (one had already existed for smaller, secular concerns), and a Grand Chancellor position was formed as the chief executive. The Osterran Cathedral also deemed it heretical for Midland to ever raise a standing army, and in the future, Midlandian immigrants were prohibited from joining the Osterran military as well.

 

As for Osterrland, government is a chaotic mess. Osterrland has a King, who in the past has served both religious and secular roles along with a strictly secular parliament known as the Assembly of Houses, which is made up of representatives from all the noble houses in Osterrland. The Cathedral also has pull in the nation, and at certain times in history, completely dominated government. Traditionally, the Cathedral was the religious authority and had its own army and police force which enforced the law as dictated in the Book of Law - all local laws were constrained to single states and were enforced by the state feudal leader's house troops. The Cathedral also invested the King into his position, granting him as the legitimate ruler as dictated by Heaven. The King, too was the unofficial leader of the Assembly as well, as Assembly decisions (mostly concerning tax, succession, and border disputes) would be given to the King for approval. The King also commanded each state's feudal militaries. In present times though, the Assembly has de-facto control of the military, and the King is mostly a figure head. There is also an official separation of Cathedral and State laws.

 

Another political power in Osterrland is the King's private knightly order, known as the Eye of Heaven. Traditionally, the Eye made up the King's royal guard and served a military role only. In later centuries Knights of the Eye (alternately Knights of the Sun) were the favored military generals, and the Eye branched out into several sub orders: The Order of the Vigilant Hand were warriors; the Order of All-Sanctity, priests; the Order of the Pure Mind of Man, scribes; the Order of Penance, a mix of all three. Eventually members of the Eye became a very potent political power, superseding most houses in the Assembly and making decisions independent of the King and Cathedral. Their worship from three separate religious books: the Book of the Eye, the Book of the Hand, and the Book of the Mask have effectively made them a religious cult in and of themselves. At one time, the Cathedral denounced the Eye as heretics, but the decision was overturned by the King. For the last few centuries though, no member of the Eye has been permitted to also join the Cathedral, and they constantly struggle with the Assembly for power.

 

Finally there's the Consistorial Guild of Mechanistry or just the Guild. Originally established as a pseudo-academic fraternity for tinkers, alchemists, and doctors, it quickly formed into a trade union that fiercely guarded not only its knowledge of the sciences but science in general, going to elaborate and often violent means to keep such secrets within their ranks. Traditionally, the Guild served as scientific and technological advisers to the King and wealthy noble leaders exclusively, but their numbers were driven down and underground by the Cathedral which denounced their order as heretical magicians for their agnosticism and strange worship of machinery and astronomical mathematics. Only loopholes in religious law and support from the Osterran State under the Assembly kept them from being officially dissolved and exterminated by the Cathedral, and over the years they became the number one force of modernization in Osterrland. Their fierce and jealous protection of knowledge also meant that if a noble or even the King wanted anything beyond the traditional scope of knowledge, they had to have a Guildsman do it for them. In this manner, the Guild became the keystone of modern Osterran culture, having contributed to everything from metallurgy, steam propulsion, and electrics to automotives, repeating rifles, and modern medicine. Likewise, the Assembly and Guild have been in a long, secular partnership, as Guildsmen build and advise on the building of almost all Osterran infrastructure. Guildsmen also operate and maintain complex military machines such as tanks and airships, the latter of which has its own Guild-led military branch. Their omnipresence in society has put them at extreme odds with the Cathedral, who still see them as the country's greatest heretical movement. Both groups also engage in perpetual, clandestine war against each other.

 

To put it bluntly, there are many political powers in Osterrland, and they all hate each other. The Assembly hates the Cathedral and the Eye of Heaven. The Cathedral hates the Eye of Heaven, the Guild, and the Assembly. The Eye of Heaven hates the Cathedral and the Assembly. The Guild hates the Cathedral and the Assembly. The King's opinions change from one to another.

[Friendship_Cannon 1,676]

I WOKE UP IN A NEW BUGATTI!

 

YOU  took it! how dare you!

[Ganaram Inukshuk 3,682]

What is this blasphemy?

 

I need rest...

[Viscra Maelstrom 3,718]

goodnight

[Bari 7,023]

http://youtu.be/Nu09clCfX20

 

http://youtu.be/zEOQwTsZATM

[IronPuddinG 249]

-snip-

[Hawk Moth 390]

 

-snip-

 

 

Well the post was meant for someone else, so your not reading of it doesn't bother me, though I'd appreciate it if you didn't have to tell me of everything of mine that you take pride in not reading.

[IronPuddinG 249]

Well the post was meant for someone else, so your not reading of it doesn't bother me, though I'd appreciate it if you didn't have to tell me of everything of mine that you take pride in not reading.

 

One time bro.... One time....

Oh well, jimmies successfully rustled.

:3

[Floris 287]

I have finally blew my thumb hard enough and now I'm full of air again after being flattened by the

 

 

BAN HAMMER.

 

Edited April 10, 2013 by Floris

[Hawk Moth 390]

One time bro.... One time....

Oh well, jimmies successfully rustled.

:3

 

I don't know why pissing someone off is something to be proud of. I used to take pride in bothering people, but it was when I was in elementary school. Thanks internet. Thanks for justifying bullying by calling it another name. 

[IronPuddinG 249]

I don't know why pissing someone off is something to be proud of. I used to take pride in bothering people, but it was when I was in elementary school. Thanks internet. Thanks for justifying bullying by calling it another name. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygr5AHufBN4

 

Shhh...

No tears...

Only dreams now....

[Hawk Moth 390]

Shhh...

No tears...

Only dreams now....

 

Why is it necessary to be an asshole? Ever for that matter? When did it become fashionable to not be nice? Actually, forget it. You're 15. I'm not going to be made fun of by someone ten years younger than me.

Edited April 10, 2013 by TheIronHugo

[Bari 7,023]

Why is it necessary to be an asshole? Ever for that matter? When did it become fashionable to not be nice? Actually, forget it. You're 15. I'm not going to be made fun of by someone ten years younger than me.

Aye, it's best to ignore people who get on your nerves. Saves you the trouble of getting upset. There are better things to put your energy into.

[Pan the Fabulous Ferret 2,642]

[Hawk Moth 390]

Aye, it's best to ignore people who get on your nerves. Saves you the trouble of getting upset. There are better things to put your energy into.

 

That does sound best. I just hate ignoring people. It seems so much like cowardice.

[Haven Celestii 9,385]

Well the post was meant for someone else, so your not reading of it doesn't bother me, though I'd appreciate it if you didn't have to tell me of everything of mine that you take pride in not reading.

I don't know why pissing someone off is something to be proud of. I used to take pride in bothering people, but it was when I was in elementary school. Thanks internet. Thanks for justifying bullying by calling it another name. 

Why is it necessary to be an asshole? Ever for that matter? When did it become fashionable to not be nice? Actually, forget it. You're 15. I'm not going to be made fun of by someone ten years younger than me.

[Bari 7,023]

That does sound best. I just hate ignoring people. It seems so much like cowardice.

Not entirely. It's more like superiority. Or something...that doesn't sound weird.....

 

Uh, it's like, you recognize that something isn't worth your time, and as such, do not acknowledge it. It's a good way to stay ahead.