My Little Pony XXXVI: Superponies Everywhere!

[Anarion]

I thought Lixie was on the ship with you guys?

I think he drew on her while she was asleep and then jettisoned her somewhere or other. I'm actually not super clear on where we ended up.

[Mando Knight]

He explained the vents. They're basically contractually obligated to have them, even though they make no sense and make infiltration much easier. The vent-builders in the starship teamsters guild have a vice grip on this stuff.

Hey, you try getting the HVAC to work on a multi-kilometer-long ship without a network of fairly large ducts.

[Pokonic]

More visitors! Me and the dead one over there were having a discussion until he started invoking Ponwin's law of comparing everything to Discord.

Still silent on the topic, I see. Well, so be it, I have things to do and charities to fund. Anything you wish to say, party-bringer, before I go away to help save baby dragons from being orphens?

[Aotrs Commander]

I do seem to be the centre of attention on ponythread today, don’t I? Either finally everyone is coming to understand I am the most awesome thing in the everything, or you all must be really bored or something...

With particlar apologises to Soras, who I know is not a fan of spoiler boxes, I have spoilered some of the longer responces, for the sake of the ponies wouldn’t couldn’t care less about my ramblings (foolishly or intelligently – you decide...)

I'm just saying that mere winter temperatures are not going to get to me all that much. If some other pony has been sticking to the tropics and doesn't know cold... well that's on them.

I thought that was plenty cold enough to non-lethally extricate the ponies from the vents, and cool off the magma without too much hassle. As it happened, it was enough. *shrug* As I said, I could have just sealed off the important parts of the bridge, and opened the whole vent system to space. (Which is part of the redundant system for exactly that purpose, or for flushing out any contaminents etc etc.)

If there is a next time, I might well just do that...

Honestly oh lichy one I have to wonder why you even bother with vents at all.

Humour aside, the vents do exactly what they're implied function suggests, circulate the atmosphere but mostly they're there to provide maintainance access to parts of the ship. (To be honest, they are much more like the Jefferies Tubes on Star Trek than they are actual ventilation ducts as seen in most action movies.)

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And yes, we DO need (breathable) atmosphere on our ships - not for the Undead, but as I've said before, for the various living personnel, dignitaries, prisoners etc. Not to mention the probems that would be caused by differential pressure and temperature if we didn't, especially with our unusual teleportation method¹. Not insummountable ones, but a nuisence non-the-less. And considering the power and maintainance requirements for atmospheric systems are pretty negligible...

One of the general truism of advanced technology out here is that the higher up the chain you go, the more adaptable your technology gets. The top end can make sun-buster torpedoes out of their regular armaments, adapt hyperspace drives for temporal travel... Basically do stuff that would make in Star Trek Federations configuring of gubbins look positively cast in stone.



¹Which, basically is like jump-gate/hyperspace FTL as opposed to actual teleporters... not surprisingly, as our FTL is a Gate system - the difference between Gate drive and personnel Gates is nothing more than size and range. And our Gate spells are simply a magical way of using exactly the same method, though the range of portal, Gate size, and range of transit varies by spell (you'll notice I have used several Gate spells today). Actually, to be more technically correct, the technology emulates the spells, since the latter were developed first by Lord Death Despoil.

Then again I've never considered having a massive fleet a useful means to any end I wished so what do I know. Maybe if you're using that silly Vancian magic it makes sense, certainly doesn't for me.

You'd find to exceedingly difficult to get anyway in the galactic community without one, as a power. Remember, despite our small size (only twenty-seven or so worlds, plus assorted smaller colonies), we're a major player in the galactic stage.

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You can't control a planet if you can't control the space around it, no matter how great your ground forces are, and you can't even get the ground force to control the planet in the first place without a starfleet. It's worth noting that most ground battles on planets will only tend to take place over key installations. Ground armies not in the key positions, you just don't fight, you wipe them from orbit, if you even need to do that. And if you want to subjugate a population, nothing does so as fast as the threat of orbital bombardment. (Also, aside from homeworlds, most planets don't have such a wide coverage of population as somewhere like Earth, anyway; it tends to be concentrated in one or two areas.)

(Of course, you can't control a planet without troops on the ground to hold those key installations - orbital intimidation only gets you so far, and until you have your dudes down on the important bits (what they are really depends on exactly who and what is down there), the world isn't secure.)



This section is a bit of backwater, actually, mostly to watch over some of our supply routes - and to guard the interstellar wormhole (which is invisible to visible spectr and barely detectable unless you have the right sensors) that leads back to Sol. Remember, Bleak Despair itself isn't in the Sol system (or, for that, matter anywhere near it), which is why I transit to and from Earth using my own spells (plus a few focusing items at either end). That's why things like Wraithfire's OFC Shield operations are possible, since by the time it reaches us - even taking into account the wormhole making it even possible- it's travelled a compartively long time, giving us time to react to it.

Now, while the wormhole is mostly unknown and/or ignored as being the wrong type for allowing safe transit for starships, and while no-one has successfully used it as a back passage into Aotrs space, it is still a potential weakpoint if some one developed or has the technology to do so. If anything, you guys have vindicated Bleak Despair's presence, actually, as you have proved some stuff can come through, even if it's only teleport signals and pony-hug-cannons.

As I've said before, out here, you have to be prepared all the time to deal with threats that you aren't familiar with. You can't afford to be as genera-blind as in most sci-fi media, where they come accross something and go "that's impossible!" We have to, as the Terrahawks said, "expect the unexpected." Most sci-fi generas only has one type of FTL transit, for a kick off - whereas I could list a half-dozen off the top of my head.

And, as I've taken occasionally pains to explain before, we don't actually use Vancian magic. Some of my spells - e.g. Maximised Disintegrate - are merely named in homage to D&D - and others, like our Gate spells, or Haste or Fireball, are merely co-incidental or just common. Which is why I now say "meditate to regain my mana", generally, instead of "regain my spells."

When I first started out on forums in general (on WotC and then here) I tended to phrase stuff in D&D game terms, as it was a point of humourous reference that everyone on the those boards could understand. Once people were daft enough to actually start listening to me (more fools you all!), especially here, I've slowly slipped more into using the proper terms, as I found I was explaining rather too often, that actually, no, the real world isn't D&D...!

Why would a ship of undead have breathable air in the first place? It's full of oxygen, which corrodes stuff and helps fire. A pure Nitrogen or rare gas environment would be way more useful. They could save a lot of resources by saving isolations and spending less on fire safety.

See above. The fact that the modal majority of sentient species come from Earth-like worlds with nearly identical atmospheres (and yes, that is largely due to divine meddling or planetary "seeding" in many cases) means that, for another, most of us are just used to such an atmosphere, as in life - it's just more comfortable.

And, as I say, the resources expended on it are quite literally negligible - proportionatly less than, say, running your car stereo/radio/mps player or something, as an analogy.

Ahh this merely underlines my conclusion to not bother with a fleet. Teleporting is always faster.

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Teleporting is also much, much easier to block, even if you can do it over interstellar distances - which is usually the perview of magic or very advanced technology, and the latter tends to have limitations. Those tend to be either range or the fact that anyone who has a similar level of technology can easily disrupt it at the exit point - and as I said above, very advanced tech can easily adapt counters to stuff it's not seen before fairly quickly. There's a reason why most of the top level guys use what you might consider to be fairly basic kit (i.e. conventional hyperdrive, albiet just exponentially better and more efficient) - because all the twiddely, funny technology that you might think would be an "I win" button is usually easily countered at that level.

And with enough umph behind it, even really high tech stuff can get stopped. (Case in point, Metalyka, the Cybertank system is basically impregnable in practicality, because there are so many baffles, hyper-space disrupters, temporal locks and such the only way in is physically (I very much doubt even the TARDIS could get on the Metalyka's surface itself), despite the Cybertanks being a little below us on the advancement scale.)

Teleporting's fine for small bits of hopping around as an individual, but generally not for anything more major, like actual military operations of any size, at least unless your tech makes it absolutely safe (e.g. ours, or that of the Rift Collective, but we both have range limitations for Gate drives and teleport drives respectively).

I thought Lixie was on the ship with you guys?

Hopereaver, I thought I told you to check Lixie's location, you know how she pops up everywhere.

Oops. I just homed in on her co-ordinates... I thought they looked vaguely familar.

Hopereaver?

Yessir?

Fist.

*salutes* Fist. *runs into Bleakbane's fist* *thump*

*sigh*

With any luck, she's at home and they just landed in her waste disposal or something.

I'm running out of non-violent solutions.

[Tiki Snakes]

Well, it's worth noting that the Aotrs is Overlord-List-Aware (though apparently not entirely compliant I'm sure man-sized air-ducts are specifically ruled out and I don't see that Bleakbane has a 10 year old child advisor).

So, some theories. They have breathable air, despite a majority of non breathing personell.
Makes sense to me. If you have only non-breathable air or no atmosphere whatsoever, then bording parties will be, as a matter of course, invariably already using breathing aparatus. If you have a redundant, but breathable atmosphere, then you can vent it and have a good chance of taking the boarders by suprise.

Likewise, Vents. Everyone knows infiltrators, spies, escaping prisoners etc will naturally seak out man-sized vents at the earliest opportunity. So, you install a network of them that don't run anywhere important, have full sensor coverage and a few security measures in there and you have one irresistable honey-trap for incorrigible sneaks.

The problem with having no fleet is that once you are at your target location, you have no real chance of air support. Likewise, you have less options for dealing with other peoples fleets, controlling intergalactic trade etc. If your goals are neither militaristic nor large-scale-economical, sure, Teleportation should win out as the transport method of choice.

I've completely lost track of where Lixie is, actually. Though, apparently Hopereaver hasn't.
[edit] Lich-Ninja'd.
[edit2] As for today's Lich-centric insanity, I did point out just recently that your particular brand of madness was quite infectuous didn't I? These things tend to hit critical mass and then... Plus the amount of cult activity.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

I thought Lixie was on the ship with you guys?

Hurrr hurrrrrr

I regret notheeeeng!

[Aotrs Commander]

Well, it's worth noting that the Aotrs is Overlord-List-Aware (though apparently not entirely compliant I'm sure man-sized air-ducts are specifically ruled out and I don't see that Bleakbane has a 10 year old child advisor).

So, some theories. They have breathable air, despite a majority of non breathing personell.
Makes sense to me. If you have only non-breathable air or no atmosphere whatsoever, then bording parties will be, as a matter of course, invariably already using breathing aparatus. If you have a redundant, but breathable atmosphere, then you can vent it and have a good chance of taking the boarders by suprise.

Likewise, Vents. Everyone knows infiltrators, spies, escaping prisoners etc will naturally seak out man-sized vents at the earliest opportunity. So, you install a network of them that don't run anywhere important, have full sensor coverage and a few security measures in there and you have one irresistable honey-trap for incorrigible sneaks.

The problem with having no fleet is that once you are at your target location, you have no real chance of air support. Likewise, you have less options for dealing with other peoples fleets, controlling intergalactic trade etc. If your goals are neither militaristic nor large-scale-economical, sure, Teleportation should win out as the transport method of choice.

To be fair, the problem with Kyouhen and co in the vents wasn't finding them and getting them out (I mean, sensors, come on!) It was finding them and getting them out without killing them. Which would have been a more typical Aotrs modus operandi, and particularly if they were classified as "hostiles" and not "misguided sort of allies". (I don't think you guys realise how far I bend the regs for you sometimes...) If we had more standard teleporters, we could have just beamed them out, but that's the price we pay for the other advantages Gate technology offers.

Though your points are all valid.

On the other hand, boarding parties are generally fully environmentally sealed anyway, as a matter or principle (for the same reason our armour is.)

I've completely lost track of where Lixie is, actually. Though, apparently Hopereaver hasn't.

She apparently has, hence the problem. Not that Lixie is easy to keep track of in the first place.

[MCerberus]

Still silent on the topic, I see. Well, so be it, I have things to do and charities to fund. Anything you wish to say, party-bringer, before I go away to help save baby dragons from being orphens?

It's the key difference of why your cult is doomed to fail. Being a meany-pants. Discord is a meanie pants, with the whole chaos for self-gratification think. You're deathqueen deathgod or whatever seems to enjoy being meany-pants with world domination.

There's nothing meany-pants about a being whose one of many songs sings of dance parties.

[maximus25]

So, today my dad asked me if I wanted a tattoo. Long story short, my parents are currently discussing whether or not they will allow me to get The Great and Powerful Trixie tattooed on my chest.

It's going to hurt a lot...

[MCerberus]

So, today my dad asked me if I wanted a tattoo. Long story short, my parents are currently discussing whether or not they will allow me to get The Great and Powerful Trixie tattooed on my chest.

It's going to hurt a lot...

Never do anything permanent involving pop culture. Ever.

[Draconi Redfir]

*Arm wiggles to song*

i can't stop listening to this. Curse you.

[Pokonic]

It's the key difference of why your cult is doomed to fail. Being a meany-pants. Discord is a meanie pants, with the whole chaos for self-gratification think. You're deathqueen deathgod or whatever seems to enjoy being meany-pants with world domination.

There's nothing meany-pants about a being whose one of many songs sings of dance parties.

Hah! Realy now? The Queen mearly helps those who feel as if they are unwanted and left-out and give them community and security!


....Oh, your talking about Luna, arn't you? Fool girl went mad after she gained so much power at such a small amount of time. Admitly, she was not the prime choice for a avatar. First off, she wanted revenge. Thats a no-no. What happened there was a Alicorn wanting more power and failing badly at it. Nothing else. All the Queen does is give power to the worthy. Apperently, a Alicorn is simply not a prime host.

[Tectonic Robot]

"So, uh, Mr. Guard, I wouldn't suppose I could convince you of letting us go...? We're totally harmless. Totally, completely harmless."

[Soras Teva Gee]

With particlar apologises to Soras, who I know is not a fan of spoiler boxes, I have spoilered some of the longer responces, for the sake of the ponies wouldn’t couldn’t care less about my ramblings (foolishly or intelligently – you decide...)

Ehh this isn't too bad, its when they make up the majority of a page and such, which is terrible for casually browsing the thread.

As for your lengthy responses, well you are certainly more savvy then the typical conquering overlord. I just don't see much value in accruing power in such a manner. I'd get sick of the clerical work within a week and put it off on some subordinates who sooner or later would just pull a Starscream because I clearly don't care and the whole thing would come crashing down. Besides that I'd have to compete with dread lichy spacelords and all. I think I'd find maintaining an empire more tedious then cataloging individual hydrogen atoms for exotic mana deviations.

And I forget that as a specialist in teleporting others don't find it quite as convenient as I do.

I do seem to be the centre of attention on ponythread today, don’t I? Either finally everyone is coming to understand I am the most awesome thing in the everything, or you all must be really bored or something...

Hmm yeah them ponies huh? Lets see what we can do...

Ooh here we go:

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Twilight just became best pony all over again. Though seriously when did she raid my old clothes drawer?

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Never do anything permanent involving pop culture. Ever.

Sound advice!

IF (big, big if) I were to get a MLP tat, I'd do something pretty subtle. Like Rarity's hairdo (without Rarity). Hard to recognise as a reference, and it'd still look nice once the reference is no longer relevant to me.

[maximus25]

Ponies are a way of life.

[otakuryoga]

So, today my dad asked me if I wanted a tattoo. Long story short, my parents are currently discussing whether or not they will allow me to get The Great and Powerful Trixie tattooed on my chest.

It's going to hurt a lot...

1st tattoo?
its not as bad as some people make it out to be..mostly depends on location
when i got mine it felt to me more like having a bit of hot wire pressed against my skin than being repeatedly stabbed with a needle

Never do anything permanent involving pop culture. Ever.

the flipside to that is...if you are not the least bit ashamed of liking something in pop culture it is perfectly ok to get ink of it
--i have Lum from Urusei Yatsura on my left rear shoulder

[Soras Teva Gee]

Never do anything permanent involving pop culture. Ever.

Much as I love ponies, yeah I have to agree. I never got a tattoo because ultimately I couldn't think of something I'd be just as happy with 40 years from now.

Seriously tattoos need to be absolutely timeless, like Superman's S-shield class at a minimum.

[Lix Lorn]

She apparently has, hence the problem. Not that Lixie is easy to keep track of in the first place.

(Is behind Aotrs and has been all along, currently with an anvil on top of her. Is yet to notice drawings on her face. This means Derpy is also on board and there is a red X on Aotrs' bridge.)
Owwww...

[Pokonic]

(Is behind Aotrs and has been all along, currently with an anvil on top of her. Is yet to notice drawings on her face. This means Derpy is also on board and there is a red X on Aotrs' bridge.)
Owwww...

There she is.

[Tiki Snakes]

As for your lengthy responses, well you are certainly more savvy then the typical conquering overlord. I just don't see much value in accruing power in such a manner. I'd get sick of the clerical work within a week and put it off on some subordinates who sooner or later would just pull a Starscream because I clearly don't care and the whole thing would come crashing down. Besides that I'd have to compete with dread lichy spacelords and all. I think I'd find maintaining an empire more tedious then cataloging individual hydrogen atoms for exotic mana deviations.

The problem with disdaining the joy of conquest, accruing power by superiority of arms, tactics, luck or whatever the method is that once you get down to it, an awful lot of things are largely meaningless. Sometimes, it's simply the case that only the simple, fleeting pleasures that matter.

Like infiltrating the Flagship of a fleet of space-faring Liches just to sneak into the staff-room and use their coffee-machine. Admittedly, it is a pretty impressive coffee machine.

Also, some random pony music, just to inflate the pony-content a little.

[Thanqol]

Sound advice!

IF (big, big if) I were to get a MLP tat, I'd do something pretty subtle. Like Rarity's hairdo (without Rarity). Hard to recognise as a reference, and it'd still look nice once the reference is no longer relevant to me.

The various cutie marks are low-key and stylish. What they represent can last a lifetime, even if your perspectives change. Can't go wrong with lightning bolts.

[Pokonic]

The various cutie marks are low-key and stylish. What they represent can last a lifetime, even if your perspectives change. Can't go wrong with lightning bolts.

Might want to avoid Twilights if you want to avoid some strange looks, tho.

[Soras Teva Gee]

The various cutie marks are low-key and stylish. What they represent can last a lifetime, even if your perspectives change. Can't go wrong with lightning bolts.

They can also be really quite saucy. (Technically SFW but difficult to explain)

Though yes and that rather demonstrates a point. Cutie marks are symbols over just pictures. Much better for something you are going to take with you literally everywhere.

[Anarion]

(Is behind Aotrs and has been all along, currently with an anvil on top of her. Is yet to notice drawings on her face. This means Derpy is also on board and there is a red X on Aotrs' bridge.)
Owwww...

Wait wait wait. So I teleported Kyouhen like what, maybe 2 decks then? Sign. I need to get back to practicing, I thought the spell was more powerful than that. Oh well. Kyouhen, when you're done licking those chocolate wrappers, we should try to get out of here.

Might want to avoid Twilights if you want to avoid some strange looks, tho.

I guess Twilight's is less recognizable than all the others since butterflies and diamonds and such are normal things outside of ponies. Still though, Twilight's cutie mark is basically a stylized star, so I don't think it's all that weird either.

[Kairaven]

BronyCon has become really big this time, I wonder if I should start making preparations.....

[Dexam]

If I were to ever get a MLP:FiM tattoo (something that's unlikely to happen - I currently have no tattoos, but in the past I had considered getting one or two), I would get something like this:

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I like the design, and the similarity to the Taijitu (yin-yang symbol) appeals to my desire for balance and the cyclical nature of all things.

On the "Pony birthday scenarios" thing - apparently I'm going to the moon with Scootaloo. Scoots and I in low-G? I'm more than okay with this!

Hmmm, and it seems that my little colt gets Big Mac has his crime-fighting side-kick. Win!

[Pokonic]

If I were to ever get a MLP:FiM tattoo (something that's unlikely to happen - I currently have no tattoos, but in the past I had considered getting one or two), I would get something like this:

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I like the design, and the similarity to the Taijitu (yin-yang symbol) appeals to my desire for balance and the cyclical nature of all things.

On the "Pony birthday scenarios" thing - apparently I'm going to the moon with Scootaloo. Scoots and I in low-G? I'm more than okay with this!

Hmmm, and it seems that my little colt gets Big Mac has his crime-fighting side-kick. Win!

To overlap that, somehow have Discord in the inner part of the circle, facing outwords...

Now thats a pic I need to see!

[Soras Teva Gee]

The problem with disdaining the joy of conquest, accruing power by superiority of arms, tactics, luck or whatever the method is that once you get down to it, an awful lot of things are largely meaningless. Sometimes, it's simply the case that only the simple, fleeting pleasures that matter.

Like infiltrating the Flagship of a fleet of space-faring Liches just to sneak into the staff-room and use their coffee-machine. Admittedly, it is a pretty impressive coffee machine.

Exactly I prefer simpler pleasures, empires are not simple. And I can use that coffee machine any time I please. I'm how shall we put it.... reallllly good at transit.

BronyCon has become really big this time, I wonder if I should start making preparations.....

Oookay so they have a location so I guess this means all clear.

And yeah Lauren Faust and John de Lancie in a single venue..... I WILL be there.

[Pokonic]

And yeah Lauren Faust and John de Lancie in a single venue..... I WILL be there.

Someone better bring a camera. For the love of all thats pony, please, get the two to talk in-charecter!