by Sanctity Mon Jan 21, 2013 1:46 pmSo, you're probably wondering what this is. It's very simple, official. This is the repository for any information you've gathered that isn't currently worthy of any of the main reports for further use at a later date, when/if it becomes relevant. The vast majority of pieces included in here are requisitioned personnel files, diary notes, but the occasional non-blacklisted un-sanctioned news source is placed here, which means no access to those without the correct clearance.
For your convenience, a sample piece of news, cropped from the last quarterly report from the “Freeport Freepost” which is widely considered the least biased news outlet in the world. Please use this format, or a similar format, to present further articles.
Source – Freeport Freepost
Title (If applicable) – State of Affairs; 2277 Q3
Well, it has been a wonderful year hasn’t it. That sound you can hear is my classic biting sarcasm, just nipping at you, or maybe barking if you’re lucky enough to be able to hear the audio recording of this. Perhaps my sarcasm is undeserved though, nothing particularly terrible has happened these past few months, there’s been some of the occasional posturing and stirrings in the usual places, but you’ve read enough of that in the normal papers I’m sure. So, what I’m going to write here is an expose on the state of Equestria, land of the free, home of the brave and [Censored by the M.O.I].
Don’t worry dear audience, that was a joke. The M.o.I never has and never will control our hooves down here in Freeport.
So, since the end of The War That Never Was, what’s happened? Well, with the threat of megaspell annihilation decreased, surely the overbearing, over complex and generally militant ministries would step down and make way for a more passive governance, right? Wrong. The Ministries won’t, or can’t be shut down. They became far too integral to the very function of Equestria as a country, with the various arms trickling into every aspect of the socio-economic machine, pulling them out would rip out the very foundation of the state. Even the death of all six of the ministry mares wasn’t enough to halt them. So, the Ministries are still around, and still growing.
Nowadays, there are very few opportunities for the freedom, friendship and choice that they supposedly fought on the side of. It’s almost ironic to see how the very cost of deterring a war that could have ended up destroying pony kind cost them exactly what they fought for. You are born into a family, you get a job, you work at that job, you retire, you die. Rinse and repeat for 5 generations and your back where you started. The concept of the self-made mare, the equestrian dream incarnate, is now so rare as to be practically mythical. Of course, that’s not what the famous Ministry of Image would have you believe. They like to use it as a carrot to lead along the workers in the factories, offices and fields run by the Ministry of Technology, promising them that one day they’ll make just the right decision, or come up with a brilliant new invention. Most ponies end up taking that idea to their graves.
I suppose there are some upsides to living there though. Crime, in the traditional sense that we have here, is almost non-existent. A large police force, almost total surveillance and a general sense of social cohesion means that more often than not, “crime” is something used to justify hauling someone away and letting them rot in a room for a few years, or as a smokescreen for other activities. (Boy, it sure was convenient that the political dissident/foreigner who we distrust/guy who spilt my cofee got stabbed on the street after being mugged)
Of course, that’s not to say there isn’t anything left that’s untoward. Plenty of organisations have sprung up through a mixture of corruption and subterfuge that specialise in the shadowy areas of life, offering more adventurous people a taste of the high life, through chems unlicensed by MoM, or other, baser methods. Of course, this sort of thing comes at a cost to the participant, but the various Ministries turn a blind eye, as it has a habit of killing off the more adventurous soul who might start a rebellion, or mess up the paperwork. Besides, it keeps a fair few of their officials pockets lined [EDIT- If I find any of you feathering your nests with so much as one bent bit, I’ll set MAw on your flank so fast you won’t even know it.]
So, that’s the modern Equestria, a wonderful place for you and your family, where Diamond Dogs, Zebra, Griffon and Pony alike work together for the good of those around them!
Signing off, see you in the winter,
-Bitter Pill
(Okay, so now you’ve sat through that, here’s the skinny. You’re free to write about your characters life in this “peaceful” Equestria, talk about their exploits, hopes, dreams, jobs and vices and all that jazz. If you want to know more about any of this, mail me and I’ll answer your questions as best I can! Just make sure you post In Universe, so try and frame it as an employee report, or a diary/autobiography, or something of the like!)
For your convenience, a sample piece of news, cropped from the last quarterly report from the “Freeport Freepost” which is widely considered the least biased news outlet in the world. Please use this format, or a similar format, to present further articles.
Source – Freeport Freepost
Title (If applicable) – State of Affairs; 2277 Q3
Well, it has been a wonderful year hasn’t it. That sound you can hear is my classic biting sarcasm, just nipping at you, or maybe barking if you’re lucky enough to be able to hear the audio recording of this. Perhaps my sarcasm is undeserved though, nothing particularly terrible has happened these past few months, there’s been some of the occasional posturing and stirrings in the usual places, but you’ve read enough of that in the normal papers I’m sure. So, what I’m going to write here is an expose on the state of Equestria, land of the free, home of the brave and [Censored by the M.O.I].
Don’t worry dear audience, that was a joke. The M.o.I never has and never will control our hooves down here in Freeport.
So, since the end of The War That Never Was, what’s happened? Well, with the threat of megaspell annihilation decreased, surely the overbearing, over complex and generally militant ministries would step down and make way for a more passive governance, right? Wrong. The Ministries won’t, or can’t be shut down. They became far too integral to the very function of Equestria as a country, with the various arms trickling into every aspect of the socio-economic machine, pulling them out would rip out the very foundation of the state. Even the death of all six of the ministry mares wasn’t enough to halt them. So, the Ministries are still around, and still growing.
Nowadays, there are very few opportunities for the freedom, friendship and choice that they supposedly fought on the side of. It’s almost ironic to see how the very cost of deterring a war that could have ended up destroying pony kind cost them exactly what they fought for. You are born into a family, you get a job, you work at that job, you retire, you die. Rinse and repeat for 5 generations and your back where you started. The concept of the self-made mare, the equestrian dream incarnate, is now so rare as to be practically mythical. Of course, that’s not what the famous Ministry of Image would have you believe. They like to use it as a carrot to lead along the workers in the factories, offices and fields run by the Ministry of Technology, promising them that one day they’ll make just the right decision, or come up with a brilliant new invention. Most ponies end up taking that idea to their graves.
I suppose there are some upsides to living there though. Crime, in the traditional sense that we have here, is almost non-existent. A large police force, almost total surveillance and a general sense of social cohesion means that more often than not, “crime” is something used to justify hauling someone away and letting them rot in a room for a few years, or as a smokescreen for other activities. (Boy, it sure was convenient that the political dissident/foreigner who we distrust/guy who spilt my cofee got stabbed on the street after being mugged)
Of course, that’s not to say there isn’t anything left that’s untoward. Plenty of organisations have sprung up through a mixture of corruption and subterfuge that specialise in the shadowy areas of life, offering more adventurous people a taste of the high life, through chems unlicensed by MoM, or other, baser methods. Of course, this sort of thing comes at a cost to the participant, but the various Ministries turn a blind eye, as it has a habit of killing off the more adventurous soul who might start a rebellion, or mess up the paperwork. Besides, it keeps a fair few of their officials pockets lined [EDIT- If I find any of you feathering your nests with so much as one bent bit, I’ll set MAw on your flank so fast you won’t even know it.]
So, that’s the modern Equestria, a wonderful place for you and your family, where Diamond Dogs, Zebra, Griffon and Pony alike work together for the good of those around them!
Signing off, see you in the winter,
-Bitter Pill
(Okay, so now you’ve sat through that, here’s the skinny. You’re free to write about your characters life in this “peaceful” Equestria, talk about their exploits, hopes, dreams, jobs and vices and all that jazz. If you want to know more about any of this, mail me and I’ll answer your questions as best I can! Just make sure you post In Universe, so try and frame it as an employee report, or a diary/autobiography, or something of the like!)
