/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal


If you want to see the latest posts from all boards in a convenient way please check out /overboard/

Name
Email
Subject
By clicking New Reply, I acknowledge the existence of the Israeli nuclear arsenal.
Comment
0
Select File / Oekaki
File(s)
Password (For file and/or post deletion.)

B7956E00-44A4-4260-829C-D839B8931FBD.png
Occupied Equestria, Day 5, Mid to Late Morning
Anonymous
vVf+Z
?
No.89111
89113
Six years after season 6, Occupied Equestria presents an alternative history where Chrysalis chose a different approach to her second attack on Equestria. The Changelings have conquered half of Equestria, while a former Equestrian colony - soured to Princess Twilight's notion of harmony with all creatures thank to their dealing with griffins - Invaded and took the other half. In Baltimare and the Equestrian Southeast, the magic of friendship has weakened, as Communists, Changeling infiltrators, Fascists, gangs, and corrupt creepy politicians threaten the city. This role play is based in large part upon the Equestria at War mod for Hearts of Iron 4, and uses D&d 3.5e mechanics.

Ash and Iron seem to want to head out from the abbey. Dark Star was having a conversation with the rescued foals after doing community service. Silver is having a surprisingly friendly conversation with Blue Skies about politics. Spark is babysitting and Brie is supposed to be doing the same. Onyx is sleeping.
1739 replies and 76 files omitted.
Plantation Colt
Me2Nm
?
No.90951
>>90950
That's an aged boi
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90952
90953
>>90950
>>90948
>>90948
"In Ordung. Wenn Ponys fragen, bin ich dein dummer Sohn, der nicht sprechen kann, und er ist mein Schulfreund"
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90953
90954
>>90952
Brie looks at Kerr, rather impressed. "Guter Einfall. Ich wollte es spontan spielen, aber das funktioniert gut. Du brauchst dich nicht dumm zu nennen."
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90954
90955
>>90953
He whispers "Was nennen Sie sonst ein Pony, das kein Pony spricht oder versteht? Kaufen Sie jetzt die Sachen, bevor mein Bruder entscheidet, dass Sie gut schmecken"
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90955
90956
>>90954
Brie bows slightly and directs the colts toward a fancy clothier.
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90956
90958
>>90955
He finds none other than a path tread well before: the Baltimare Branch of the high class "Pommel" chain. A pony named Trim Fit asks "How may I be of assistance for you today. He looks down and notices the foals, but says nothing
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90958
90959
>>90956
"Good afternoon my good stallion. I shall need a proper suit to go with my vest."
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90959
90960
>>90958
"For what sort of occasion?"
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90960
90961
>>90959
"Making a good impression. The colts and I are to be leaving to visit distant relatives."
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90961
90962
>>90960
He rubs his chin in silent contemplation.
"It seems that you need something high class, yet versatile enough to wear for most occasions, and comfortable enough to wear several days in a week. I think our best suits for that are to our left. Let e ask you, what sot of weather are you anticipating, and do you have any special needs?"
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90962
90963
>>90961
"Yes, let me look here. It's been many years since I've visited so I can't speak to the weather, but what do you mean by special needs?"
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90963
90964 90966
>>90962
"If you were anticipating your clothing protecting you from difficulties beyond a simple spilled beverage or a cold breeze"
Plantation Colt
Me2Nm
?
No.90964
90965
>>90963
Do all shopkeeps sell advanced spy gear nowadays?
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90965
90967
>>90964
It's actually the same one
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90966
90968
>>90963
"Hmmm. Not a bad idea, but let me decide on the suit first."
Plantation Colt
Me2Nm
?
No.90967
>>90965
Oh, whoops.
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90968
90969
>>90966
"Very well, we have a number of sets, as you see, over here. I recommend a bow tie, should you intend to fly."

The suits are, in a way, standard for male formal wear for the century, with undershirts (or Brie can just keep his vest) and a number of suits. They vary from solid colors to plaid to checkers, most on the lighter side. The clothing is undeniably formal, yet not so much as a wedding tuxedo. They likewise vary by warmth: Deep Winter, cold, cool, nuetral, warm, and very warm. Yes, they are made for winged ponies
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90969
90970
>>90968
Brie glances at Slim. "Something like this would be fine I think. How much does such a suit run?"
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90970
90971
>>90969
"50 bits for a single set"
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90971
90972
>>90970
"I see. And if I did want it a bit more durable, would you be modifying the suit? I'd prefer that any such embellishments be,... discreet."
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90972
90973
>>90971
"But of course. It would appear to be... warmer, but otherwise, utterly indistinguishable to the observer"
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90973
90974
>>90972
"Still lightweight and quiet I hope, I would hate to be clinking around."
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90974
90975
>>90973
"It is silent, or as silent as it can be. As for weight, it certainly should be so much that you could not walk a great distance with it, or fly"
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90975
90976
>>90974
"That sounds perfect. So it would be 50 for the suit and how much for the embellishments?"
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90976
90977
>>90975
"300 additional for the basic add on, for 350 total""
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90977
90978
>>90976
"Excllent. Do you carry colt sizes?"
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90978
90979
>>90977
He looks down
"One moment"
He walks out, and returns after a minute
"Indeed we do"
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90979
90980
>>90978
"I trust they will need to be fitted?"
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90980
90981
>>90979
"I take it you wish to purchase the same for these two as for yourself?"
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90981
90982
>>90980
"They needn't be identical, and I gather you are the expert in style and color coordination. Select something that you feel would be fetching. Slightly on the warmer side I think, it gets a bit cool where we're headed."
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90982
90983 90987
>>90981
He smiles
"Very well"

A more detailed description of what is produced will come tomorrow. But for now, I must sleep
AnonEEEEmous
zjQLO
?
No.90983
As soon as Fit is out of earshot, Brie would whisper "Nur um sicher zu gehen, Sie bekommen Ihre eigenen Klamotten. Es wird gut sein, wenn du dich umwandelst, aber das bedeutet nicht, dass wir nicht auf andere Probleme stoßen werden."
to the Lings
>>90982
K
That Hippie With No Money
BMCwp
?
No.90984
90985
>tfw last 50 posts isn't nearly enough
Plantation Colt
Me2Nm
?
No.90985
90986
>>90984
Barbie Brie going shopping for some classy suits.
Anonymous
BMCwp
?
No.90986
90987
>>90985
Thanks
Plantation Colt
Me2Nm
?
No.90987
90996
>>90986
So, have you thought up something?
>>90982
Is Ash's character sheet at >>90892 acceptable?
I would like someone with diplomacy right about now.
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90988
90989 90990
2019-02-22 (2).png
>>90548
Silver is kill, but though Silver is gone, Blue Skies talks on, as though giving a grand speech she has memorized before.

She tells of the conquest and the occupation of an area of Griffonia known as "the Frontier," an area of sparsely populated griffon land that separates the Eastern ponies from the more serious Griffin nations.

Some of this land had once belonged to the Eastern ponies, cultures disposed, oppressed, or even exterminated. Most of it became the Empire's forward operating base of terror: the Host's twice yearly raids into pony lands, and the scheming crusades of the Knightly orders. All carried out the will of the Emperor to maim, mangle and mar the vibrant pony societies of the east, in exchange their petty baronies and fiefdoms. What had they done with this land in all this time, exactly. It remains wild, undeveloped, with neither the industry nor the culture of the ponylands of the east, and certainly nothing like Equestria.

Or so it had been. In the span of less than a year, the guns of the New Marelanders left these lands under pony control, a state it had not been in for hundreds of years. All of it. The entire frontier. There was something almost magical about this fact to her. Something shown in her eyes, and her smile, though it remained vicious carried in it a happiness more so than normal. To think that these ponies had achieved in months what the none of the Eastern ponies had the will or follow through - or where applicable, the power - to achieve after centuries of torment from the griffins. To be sure, they would talk of standing as a bulwark against the griffin menace, but the Equestrians of Griffonia had done it. For they themselves lived on lived on stolen Griffin land. They dealt with Griffins both living among them and across their borders. In a way, it was only natural that they would be the ones to take that first step in the sacred crusade against the Griffin menace.

But though Blue Skies is an idealist, she is also a pragmatist. The new territories may have been easy enough to take, but they would be far more difficult to hold. Almost 11 million griffin subjects lived in the frontier, or twice the pony population of Equestria’s Griffonian colony. Thus the question, how to keep them? This was not straightforward, as the geopolitical situation imposed special constraints. First, ponypower was strained to the limit, and any colonial occupation must consist of an absolute minimum of military forces and administrators. The second is that these territories would have to be profitable if the colony as a whole were to survive, so whatever what put in must be less than what is taken out.

The first step was to divide the subject nations into smaller entities, generally administrative units based upon cultural or historical commonalities. This was easiest in locations like Zaphzia, where the nation was a collection of tribes. Divide the nation into its constituent tribes, emphasize the differences between the tribes, try to erase commonalities uniting the tribes, and any rebellion would have more difficulty in uniting the nation against its occupiers. Each unit would then have a pony administrator on the higher “federal” level to oversee taxation and order, but also a separate local administration, that where possible, represented a continuation of the preexisting political, social, and economic order of the territory. The theory was that if that if the occupation were perceived as mostly a continuation of the status quo, it would be more palatable. The question remained, how to govern these territorial units?
History and happenstance provided a helping hoof… or in this case, a helping claw. They were not the first to subjugate great masses of griffins. Griffinhiem herself had once subjugated these lands, and the states themselves were mostly – mostly – ruled by a tiny wealthy elite, with the vast majority having no say in the political order. Some areas, most particularly in Lushi, were feudal baronies, with a tiny number griffin nobles ruling over masses of disenfranchised serfs. All that needed be done in those areas was to shoot all nobles who opposed foreign rule or were too incompetent to keep in power, and leave in power those who were willing to collaborate, while dividing the possessions of the removed nobles amongst the populous, the loyal nobles, and new occupiers. Thus, every griffin could feel as if the change in administration had lead to a material improvement in their wellbeing, while not causing much harm…. At least to them personally.

In locations like Gryphus, where the land had been ruled by merchant oligarchy, the Bourgeoise more numerous, and the difference between the poor and the rich smaller, occupation was more difficult. While it was simple enough to replace the existing governing councils with councils filled with griffins friendlier to the occupation, this represented a change in the way that the councils were selected, and an obvious loss of freedom to at least some of the inhabitants. But such a change was unavoidable. At least, what could be done was to develop New Mareland owned industries in parts of the region, invite portions of the griffin merchant class as partners in the enterprise, and then elevate these griffins to leadership. Grifoinia was almost blessed with backwardness. Griffins were accustomed to living in hierarchical societies that were non-responsive to their own needs or concerns. The lands were so far behind the Equestrian level of industrialization that any introduction of more serious technology would result in a massive increase in living standards.
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90989
90990
blackperch_creag_by_equestria_prevails-d81i1ct.png
>>90988
>>90548
Other steps would be necessary for any long-term occupation. One of the first things any new autocrat does to prove his rule is to woo the masses with grand, collective projects, either wars or building projects. Since the griffins do not care for pony wars, this meant railway projects, dams, and the like. New railways were built into frontier areas, and a central rail line ran from the port in the south up through the frontier to the north. While the amount of money that could be spent on such projects was very limited, rail lines were essential to the exploitation of the region, industrial development, and any massive movement of troops that would occur should the frontier territories be used to launch future invasions.

A standard for civil service was put in place, requiring new civil servants in the administration to be fluent in ponish. This of course meant that ponies tended to pass the exam, and if any griffins did so there were more assimilated into pony culture. The police of the territories were recruited from among the griffins, although they would often be deployed into different geographical and cultural territories, to reduce their loyalty to the populations they would garrison and police. While the highest levels of the civilian and military administration were almost always ponies, an ambitious and competent griffin certainly could make a viable career in the military or civil service of the occupiers. Only a competent griffin of course – there was more than enough oversight at this level to ensure that.

Beyond making Rule by pony tolerable, it must also be made – in time – Natural. The Griffins would learn in the schools and their new curriculums that the Pony, and the Pony alone, has a special place in history. It is the pony who is the master of magic, the master of technology, and above all else, has mastered friendship and harmony. The Pony thus has a right like none other to hegemon over all other races. To take the land of others to secure its own safety, its own preservation – and its own Glory. If griffins were allowed to participate in any level of society – military, economic, administration – as if they were equals of the Pony, it was not because of the equality of the races, but as proof of the Pony’s mastery of Harmony.

But all of this would not be enough to make rule over the Frontier lands stable. What was needed was to make the frontier truly pony land was ponies. Settlers would populate sparse countryside, as famers, prospectors, and miners, eventually forming enclave pony communities, and the core of a ruling minority pony nation. The land for these operations could be taken in part from unsettled wilderness, and in part confiscated from natives who are resettled elsewhere. The Eastern areas of the old Host and old Hellquill especially where designated to be cleared, or at least, thinned, of Griffins. And these Griffins in turn would be encouraged to emigrate to Griffin countries, or resettled further South and West. This process was easier in Hellquil, where fully 20% of the griffin population were recent immigrants from Griffinhiem. They could simply be sent back. Something special was planned for some of the remaining population.

But now the question, where to find the ponies? Hellquill and Longsword had indigenous pony populations. Ilgarkadija had a very large pony population, that even as the griffins shot, burned and slew many, fought back, and numbered over one half million by the time of liberation. The ponies of former Hellsword had not fared as well against the pure black evil of the griffins. Of Hellquill’s 1007 population of 360,000, at most a few tens of thousands remained alive in the country, with a few tens of thousands living as refugees in the Riverlands or Longsword. It was populating the actually griffin pony countries with settlers that would prove more challenging. New Mareland itself was settled upon land adversely acquired from native griffins and had a huge griffin minority. The government sought immigrants from Equestria before the depression made that impossible, and no ponies could be spared. Tens of Millions of ponies lived right over the border from the Frontier. The problem was, naturally, that these ponies lived in foreign nations that were ideologically hostile to the occupying government. Still, a few hundred thousand could be expected to immigrate, mostly from Lake City. If only there were another source…

At this point, Silver is presumably nearing the end of his meal, as Blue Skies lectures on.
Silver
NJdlu
?
No.90990
90991
>>90988
>>90989
Silver is very much liv, even if he remains quiet during much of Blue's grand lecture. He's starting to enjoy listening and learning about this part of the world he hasn't heard of before, even if he's finding its griffon inhabitants extremely objectionable.

As the lecture nears its end, he freezes just before one of the last bites of his burger. 'If only there were another source…
'


"...So, that is why New Mareland decided to invade Equestria, or at least part of reason. Ponies."
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90991
90992
>>90990
Blue Skies is almost surprised to see the corpse across from her animate. Then she smiles, and says

"New Mareland invaded in part because of the threat the Harmonic government posed to its independence and its existence, and partly out of the desire to save their little ponies from becoming Chrysalis's subjects, everyone of them"
Silver
NJdlu
?
No.90992
90993
>>90991
As with most 'official statements', it's eyeroll worthy enough to get a similar reaction out of Silver. "Of course...still, you can not deny that it helps New Mareland out very much to have control of largest population of ponies in world to use to resettle these Frontier lands you speak of."

Obviously wanting to change the subject away from something that would inevitably lead to an argument, he takes one of the last couple bites of his burger. "So, Lake City. What is it like?"
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90993
90994
>>90992
“The Frontier lands are only a beginning...”

“I’ve only been to Lake City twice, since it’s a bit further west than I was used to traveling. It’s a pony nation-state, where they speak a different language, do not worship Celestia, and have different architecture than in Equestria. It’s less industrial, less wealthy, and less harmonic than here. Colder too.”
Silver
NJdlu
?
No.90994
90995 90997
>>90993
Silver decides to ignore the ominous statement about the Frontier lands. "But what was it like? What made it special compared to its neighbors? In fact, who were its neighbors? It is not place I have heard much off, if at all."
Silver (OOC)
NJdlu
?
No.90995
90997
>>90994
*much of

Is Greneclyf Harmonist, Communist, or Fascist in this universe? I haven't seen them go down the same path twice, even with Historical Focuses on.
Anonymous
BMCwp
?
No.90996
90999
>>90987
I have a few ideas.
I too would like diplomacy, because the pacifist build will be next to impossible without it.
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.90997
90998
>>90994
"I can't say I have that much experience with them. I couldn't speak the language when I was there. What I can say is that it was more like Equestria in many ways than Nimbusia. They elected their government. They didn't like griffins, and the Stallions there were much the same as Stallions everywhere. It's neighbors were"
She starts looking a bit up, and to the left
"Deponya, Rikejeck... Rikojekavik.. Reykjekvik... River City, and" She makes an expression of disgust "Wittenland"

>>90995
Alas, if only somepony knew
Silver
NJdlu
?
No.90998
>>90997
If only.

"Rijekograd, in River Republic? I have heard of them, actually. They are supposed to be something like 'Equestria of East', yes? I have not heard of Deponya or Wittenland, otherwise."

With a final bite, he finishes off the burger, satisfied with his meal. "It is clear you do not like this Wittenland, for some reason. What is it?"
Plantation Colt
Me2Nm
?
No.90999
>>90996
Alright, whenever you're ready to roll, I'll be ready.
I wonder oh I wonder if the GM will at least accept your skills.
Anonymous
B1XZI
?
No.91002
NEW THREAD >>91000 →
Anonymous
BMCwp
?
No.91007
https://mlpol.net/vx/res/91000.html#91004