Years 10 - 19
Year 10, Spring, 10.
Expansions all around. Field, pasture, mine. If the resource cost continues to rise, then the correct response to this is to improve our production. And capacity. Can`t forget capacity.
I`ve spent a week just reminiscing and thinking about how things are back in Equestria. Ten years have passed, after all. On the other hand, how do I even know how long it was in Equestria? I mean, just consider Sunset`s situation. She`s been gone from Equestria for at least ten years, given that she left for human world before Celestia picked me as her personal student. Likely closer to thirty - I haven`t exactly asked around much, but I do vaguely remember hearing that princess had no student for "over ten years" before picking me. Yet, by Sunset`s reconing, only three years have had passed. Who`s to say the same effect is not in the works here?
That does worry me, however. What if I return to Equestria hundreds or thousands or even millions of years after I left? ....I`m scared, but I`m reassuring myself that if nothing else, then Celestia, Luna and/or Cadence will be around to welcome me back, at least.
That is, assuming they`re not thinking I run away of my own volition. Which they might assume, given that I did experiment out of my own volition, even if the end goal of experiment definitely wasn`t the "end up in a different world in a different body with no magic to call upon".
Some times, I`m thinking that maybe I should accept things as they are. Embrace the kitten, so to speak. And other days, I want to claw my skin off just to show I`m still a unicorn on the inside. Heavy thoughts. But, I can not afford sinking into depression. One way or another, I have far too many things ahead to allow myself such decadence.
Year 10, Spring, 64.
There`s been inexplicable surge in resources, and most worryingly, learning. I`ve managed to tutor my kittens in the basics of construction and civil service in just a few days, which opens a plethora of new options ahead of me. I`ve also managed to make significant improvement in our catnip farming by introduction of selection into our process. Only the best catnip is seeded. I mean, I`ve been doing this from the very beginning, but after ten years, the results are so obvious that kittens asked to be taught on how does it work. They`ve also developed a passable rock-chipping technique that produces uniform hoe heads and axe blades. Rock tools seem like a step backwards after spending so much time teaching metalworking, but unfortunately, the smelter will have to wait until we have more kittens to mine the ore and cut the timber.
Still, I am very puzzled as to why the resources have had been surging so significantly. Something odd is going on. Still, I`m taking advantage of this and expanding learning facilities. There`s never too much knowledge.
Year 10, Spring, 79.
Barn expansion today. I`ve decided that now we will start focusing on construction of huts to attract more kittens. We need helping paws all around the place, the more the better, and I am confident that our fields are up to the task of feeding the extended workforce. Just to be certain, though, I will make sure to detail most greenthumbed kittens to assist with farming.
Year 10, Winter, 16.
I`ve spent summer and autumn looking over things, trying to figure out where exactly in the universe am I. For all I know, I may have had been simply moved to another planet. But the observations don`t bode out well. I`ll need to introduce astronomy into the society at some point. My own eyes are just not enough to graph and systematize all those constellations. But there`s ways to go before we get there. I`ve finished teaching engineering to my kittens. Not the entirety of engineering, of course, but rather the concept of engineering. They`ve grasped it splendidly and immediately used the newfound knowledge to construct a good aqueduct to the farm. Now that the crops are stably watered and cows have their troughs full all the time, we`re definitely well-supplied for all times of year.
Year 10, Winter, 40.
Success. Even in the harsh colds as we`re experiencing right now, aqueduct is simply too fast-flowing to ice over. As such, even in those dreadful chills, our crop of catnip is plentiful. Still juuuust a little bit not enough to completely satisfy daily norm, but it`s been very cold. On normal winters, I`m confident that we will continue growing more then we eat, even if not as much of a surplus as in spring. Exciting!
Year 11, Summer, 34.
Something weird is happening to the time. Those resources didn`t just show up. Kittens remember gathering that catnip, cutting that wood, digging that stone. I remember counting all of this, storing all of this, deciding what to build with all of this. But there`s also a disturbing recollection that those days didn`t really happen. I have this annoying feeling in my head, the word bouncing around. Recovered. N recovered days worth of production. Recovered from what? Or whom? Why the production is measured in dayworths?
Year 11, Summer, 36.
I`m not sure what triggers those resource surges, but while I have them, I`ve decided to make good use of them and ordered construction of additional huts and log cabins as far as resources permit. If the universe decides to be weird... I should have panicked, probably. But honestly, after Discord, extra stuff showing up just isn`t that bad.
Year 11, Summer, 56.
Two new kittens today. Lumberjack and miner. Welcome aboard, cats, have some catnip, have some work. More required, if Kittenville is to get off the ground and become a center of the civilized world. I`m somewhat jesting with this, and somewhat not. If I am stuck with kittens... I`m going to be the best god-empress ever. And it does not look like I`m aging in any way, so I`ll be around for a while, I imagine. Neither do other kittens, for that matter, but so far, no one wanted to volunteer themselves as the leader in my stead.
Year 11, Summer, 70.
Today, we`ve fired up smelter again. And while it`s still abominably needy of wood, we can keep up with the demand. Barely, but we can. So the smelting of iron is on. And hopefully, soon the replacement of stone tools with iron ones.
Year 11, Summer, 86.
Another inexplicable resource surge. What should have taken years is amassed in mere days. I`m at my wits end with this. How does this happen? If I knew how to replicate such circumstances... Oh, how useful it could be. Nonetheless, we`ve used the boon for all it was worth. Another hut, and major upgrade to workshop - which was immediately used to replace all the stone tools with freshly forged iron ones. Oh, and apparently learning itself is a resource just like timber or stone - kittens have grasped the notion of writing.
I MUST understand this phenomena. My hunch (which scares me silly, if honest) is that this world is not stable chronomantically. Which means that time itself may be very malleable here. This could be infinitely useful... and this could be a horrifying disaster.
On a side note, I`ve given in and explained to kittens how to process hide into parchments. This appears to be the only way we can procure a writing medium. I failed to locate anything like papyrus plant and my attempts to use catnip wood to create paper were dismal failure. Catnip wood is simply too amorphous - if I attempt to press anything less then a plywood I`ve been relying on as writing medium for now, it becomes crumbly. So parchment remains the only option I have, at least until I can advance kittens enough to have a decent chemistry industry going on. But that kind of project is... well. Centuries, I`m going go hazard a guess. Too much to teach to just do a week-long crash course. Too many precursor know-hows and sciences.
Year 11, Summer, 87.
Another day, another surge. What is going on, I don`t even... Meh. Carpe diem! Since I have enough iron from the surges now, I`ve ordered the construction of lumber mill. With it, we will be able to feed the smelter far more efficiently and produce better logs for construction, as well. Speaking of construction - communal huts are fine, but kittens are starting to clamor for individual lodgings. I`ve given them the plans for a log cabin, that ought to entertain them for a while. And attract more kittens with lodgings, I imagine. Speaking of which, now that kittens are all literate, the names became a thing practically overnight. I`m still agape as to how "hey you" of yesterday suddenly turned insufficient. Though, I guess, I am to blame for it. After all, it was me who insisted they call me Twilight and explained the concept of being named. Now everykitten has a name... Let`s see. Mittens Sand, Amber Sand and Amber Berry are woodcutters. Cassie Clay, Angel Fur and Mittens Dust are farmers. Tami Shadow and yours truly are scholars. Plato Tails and Angel Tails are miners. And Maddie Tails and Oscar Clay are hunters. We`re expecting more kittens to turn up soon, too. On a side note, I`m still unsure about how my kittens are related to each other. Same last name means absolutely nothing, as I`ve learned.
Year 11, Summer, 89.
It seems that the surge had brought on many new questions for my kittens. In particular, the topic of currency had to be broached. So far, our community employed mostly communal management style, resources being shared per need. However, when the question was raised about possible interaction with other communities that surely must exist out there, the topic of trading came up. I admit, I`ve gotten a bit carried away with explaining how barter works and started talking about introducing universal tokens...
Long time short, my kittens are now on lookout for gold, and once they`ll find any, we will be minting us our own coins. Now I finally understand why Celestia once told me that overly inquisitive student is far more troublesome then a lazy one. It`s well worth the additional trouble, of course, but darn.
Year 11, Winter, 28.
WHAT IS GOING ON!?
My kittens just got back from a hunt. They brought a unicorn. A UNICORN!
I`ve made an utter fool of myself trying to talk to it. Turns out the unicorns aren`t sentient. Or at least, sentient enough to talk. Turns out that unicorn is perfectly content to just, well... hang around the village nipping whatever grass is around and farting rainbows. I am NOT KIDDING. It literally farts rainbows.
This world would make Discord cry tears of happiness. How... why, I mean... WHY THIS IS HAPPENING TO ME?!
I know that yelling in written form is not productive, but I`ve already had a hysterical fit in my hut. I`m... better now. Milk helps.
I don`t know what is going on anymore. Not that I knew before, but now I`m really in the dark. Unicorns here. Apparently, they sometimes find hunting kittens and tag along. What do unicorns even want with kittens? What do kittens want with unicorns? Kittens do seem to be perked up by the fact we now have a unicorn. Maybe I should consider a dedicated pasture for it?... If one more shows up, I`m ordering a parcel of land set apart just for them. They`re obviously a good influence on kitten morale, and I want those unicorns where I can see them!
Maybe I can... harvest magic from them... No, no, no, no nonononono! That`s how one ends up like Tirek... But... what if that`s my only way home?
I need to know more. I`m woefully uneducated about this world.
I`m going to push sciences. I can`t do this alone. Kittens seem to be happy enough to help me with this. I can`t imagine why wouldn`t they. Living in a settlement like this is surely better then eking it out on your lonesome in the woods.
Year 11, Winter, 29.
Kittens brought me a lump of gold today. Apparently, there is some to be found in our mine. Finding nuggets like this is pretty rare, but not something unheard of. I`ve recalled what I know of gold mining, and ... Well, after some digging at the pasture (Saltpetre. Kittens were simply THRILLED with necessity to overturn piles of cow dung. Sarcasm here.) and some experiments at the smelter, we`ve discovered a way to recover some gold after smelting pure iron out of the ore. The slag is treated with saltpetre while still molten, and gold will settle down on bottom of the smelting pot. It`s a hassle, but does give us a steady source of gold, which is better then relying on the on-off chance of finding gold nuggets. I explained the concepts of gold panning to kittens, but there are no suitable places to do that in our locale. Maybe once we explore and tame the surroundings a bit more...
For now, I`m mainly concerned with making our way to the sea. It`s not that far, but cutting all the way through to the shore is going to be a chore. It`s about three miles of wood, and I want a graded road leading there. Not sure if fishing is an option, but I want access to sea simply so I could have a better option of exploring the world. Until such time we develop reliable flying machinery, sea remains our best option for exploring the world quickly. Landbound expeditions are far too complicated and resource-hungry to carry out currently, and I do not foresee the situation changing in the near future. This world has much higher concentration of forests then what I`m used to, and without reliable means of navigation, seafaring is actually less likely to get us lost, provided we stick within the view of coast.
Once I get the ironworking to the level of casual use, I`m going to look into constructing a proper observatory and creating some starmaps so I could figure out the reliable navigation schemes by stars. Before that, we`re effectively blind.
Year 11, Winter, 75.
Three new kittens found our settlement today. Amber Scratch, Molly Fur and Meeko Berry. They`ve gravitated, respectively, towards woodcutting, hunting and mining. Cabins are coming along nicely, and I`m sending out hunters fairly regularly now. I need to know if that unicorn was really a freak occurrence, or there is a population of them. To that end, I`ve taught my kittens about the creation and use of bolas and composite bow. It`s amasing, by the way. The combination of wood and iron results in a bow that is far superior to wholly wooden or wholly iron one.
Year 12, Spring, 31.
One smelter is insufficient. We do need a constant influx of iron now, and with the addition of gold smelting, we`ve reached the limits of what single smelter can afford us. So we`re building another furnace. It will further eat into our wood production, of course, but with the lumber mills, we can afford the extra expense.
I`m mulling over a creation of a separate storage building, this one dedicated to industrial goods storage, like lumber and stone. Don`t get me wrong, barns are very important, but they`ve been designed with catnip storage in mind. And while I`ve tried to make sure they have a wood stockade and rock bin space, the capacity is voefully insufficient for our needs. But making a warehouse will require more advanced construction materials...
Year 12, Spring, 45.
Fifteen kittens is plenty to manage, and by the looks of it, this number will only continue to grow. So I`ve created a register. Any further newscomers will be recorded there (And not in my diary, which is wholly insufficient for that because kittens STILL go mew when they see it! What is this diary anyways?... But I digress.) and furthermore, this register will serve as a mean of record-keeping, allowing promotion of kittens. (I don`t KNOW how this works. Promotion was wholly kittens` idea, I have no clue where they even learned that word, or how they expect to be promoted in a communal society. Still, if they want it, they can have it. The idea was fairly sound on parchment, at least, they`re using incremental ranks... Oh my Celestia, incrementation again. Is it fundamental to this universe? So maddening! Does it mean I can be promoted to? What would promotion even DO for me, anyways? What IS promotion, even? They mentioned gold being a necessary part of it, I imagine that promotion would entail a payment of bonus or some such... Right? RIGHT!?)
Year 12, Spring, 56.
Another surge today. I`ve been ready and used the abundant materials to attempt something new. Behold the warehouse! And also the introduction of stone slabs and wooden beams into construction. I imagine I will see those used by kittens far and wide now - further compressing lumber into sizeable rods enabled construction on bigger scale, and using smelters to quickly fuse the assorted stones into a singular slab makes for a superior foundation.
Year 12, Spring, 75.
I have conducted an experiment with large-scale forging today. Under my supervision, kittens were able to create a singular sheet of metal big enough to serve as a hut wall by itself. This will be very useful for more advanced construction. Sadly, pure iron isn`t rigid enough to be used as a primary construction material. I need to introduce kittens to steelmaking. Both for advanced building and for better tools. Steel axes are a must. Hoes, well... Replacing iron with steel will bring negligible benefits with our soft soil, so I`m not considering that a priority. Or a necessity, even. On the other hand, steel axes will hold the edge for much longer and better then iron ones. Thankfully, smelter slag is both hard and plentiful enough to make sharpening a non-issue in term of resources. IN terms of time, however, ugh. We will definitely see an improvement in woodcutting if my kittens won`t be needing to stop after each third tree to resharpen their axes anew.
Almost forgot. I`ve been stockpiling parchment. It will see more use later, once we`re sufficiently advanced to allow significant free time to be whiled away in a commune. Cultures will flourish, mark my words. I will wholeheartedly support any artistic endeavors, because without art there can be no science.
Year 12, Spring, 96.
I`ve been surprised when kittens came by asking for parchment. I`ve been expecting something, but not quite that soon. In any case, I`ve given them what they requested, under auspices that all will be revealed at the summer`s end. I wonder what they`re preparing.
Year 12, Summer, 1.
...A theatre. They built an amphitheatre and read poetry. And sung songs. About "she who enlightened". Which they dutifully recorded to parchment. And gave to me. I`m crying tears of happiness, literally. Sorry about that inkstain.
...
...
I`m going to encourage them to keep up with it. While a good number of poems and songs were dedicated to me, they also addressed their fellow kittens in some others. This will do wonders to their morale and bring the whole community closer. An important thing as we`re going to grow. I know we will. We must.
Also, their performance made me realize one important thing I`ve missed. In my hurry to teach them the practical sciences, I`ve neglected to dedicate some attention to cultural studies. And they will need that. So, I`m going to make a detour from my usual natural sciences and take some time to teach kittens philosophy. They can not be expected to learn why without answering what for first.
Year 12, Summer, 3.
Using the new construction methods and materials, we`ve greatly expanded the barns and thus, raised our capacity caps significantly. Now we can store amounts of lumber and stone significant enough to consider bigger building projects. I`m thinking about observatory, of course, but for the time being, this remains unfeasible. Need more iron.
Year 12, Autumn, 93.
Today, I`ve stumbled upon a new building. Apparently, my kittens have had discovered the joys of commerce. The trading post, as they dubbed it, is... well, that. They`re using gold that we`ve been smelting to mint those little coins, and are actively exchanging goods. I`m... not sure about it, but it seems that in doing so, they`ve achieved some economy of goods that I`ve set aside for public consumption, such as furs and ivory. It makes sense that a kitten knowing how to tailor a good coat would waste less fur then an amateur... But I have an irrational worry that given the incremental nature of this world, building up this tradepost large enough will outright negate the expense of public use goods.
I am well aware this worry is irrational, but... This world is not exactly rational too. The unicorn have had been hanging around for year now. It won`t go away. (Though I obviously didn`t try to chase it away. My kittens clearly like it, if I tried to get rid of it without a good reason to, I`d have a mutiny on my paws! Though it`s not like I want to chase it away either, I`m just curious as to why it is still hanging around. Do unicorns like kittens that much? And if so, why?)
Year 13, Autumn, 1.
After all the shakedowns, a quiet year was just what I needed to get my bearings together. Things have had been proceeding apace, with minutae expansions, mostly to our food-related endeavours. A tradepost recently got extra shelf space to show off all the stuff kitten made for sale. I`ve been hearing rumors of other species out there. Other species that may be open to trade, at that. Unfortunately, no dice so far.
Let`s see what we`ve achieved so far. The aqueduct system have had been greatly expanded and extended to supply pasture and village with fresh water. Fields are properly irrigated too. Library have had been gaining genuine scrolls written by kittens lately, both scientific and recreational. I`ve been flattered and mortified to find a scroll that is essentially a massive rumination on the "divine curves of Enlightener", "the perfect proportion" and "enticing tail". I`m sorely regretful that I haven`t introduced the concept of signature along with the concept of writing. This scroll is apparently also among the most popular for kittens to borrow, and I`ve since found two more copies of it.
Just what I need, my settlers finding me the exemplar of sexuality. I wonder if this is because I am indeed an epithome of allure in feline form, or because I`m trendsetting the standard of sexuality by being "the Enlightener". I am honestly unsure as to what I will do with a culture of kittens who find me... uh. Well. Yes. For that matter, I`m not sure what I am feeling about it. On one paw, I`m embarrassed. On other, I have a certain guilty desire to find out who wrote this and see if the reality can, uh... compare to fantasy.
Oh Celestia what am I writing, I can`t be seriously mulling over fucking cats. UGH. I`m going to get me some warm milk, and then I`m going to go to bed and then I`m most definitely NOT going to dream about participating in a feline orgy. UGH.
Year 13, Autumn, 1 addendum.
Apparently, another surge happened while I was writing this. Improved workshop and lumber mill and added two more cabins. New kittens ahoy. Hoping for farmers this time. We`re not short on food, but what I want is to bring our catnip situation to the point where we`re not running deficit even during harsh winters. Overproduction is much better then underproduction, given that we can easily convert the overhead stock into another highly demanded resource.
Year 13, Autumn, 49.
Tami Fur and Oscar Sand. Both farmers, as I`ve hoped. With this, we`re set to live and eat comfortably throughout the year, regardless of what kind of unfriendly weather is outside. And the converted wood came in handy to expand the library significantly. I need to introduce kittens to books. Parchment scrolls are too inefficient as far as storage goes.
Year 13, Winter, 31.
On this day, kittens (and me) have had finished developing the base tenets of kitten philosophy. It`s been a long and troublesome journey, I admit, and many things made little sense to me when I tried to think of them as a pony, yet were perfectly reasonable and well-considered when I was thinking of them as a cat.
One unavoidable thing, however, was the question of religion. We have agreed (after much arguing and accusations of excessive humbleness) not to deify me, and instead picked the sun as the most suitable object of worship. Admittedly, my explanation as to how solar energy is responsible for just about anything they have, use or eat had easily swayed the opinion.
Well, that, and the unexpected argument that obviously the sun was the object to worship - after all, it casts light, and therefore it makes sense that Enlightener must be related to sun somehow. I`m pessimistic. Religion was never a particularly good opinion, and back in Equestria, I`ve seen what cults can do to perfectly rational beings. My paws are tied on the matter, though, and all I can do is to make sure that their religious practices don`t take some... inadvisable forms. (Please don`t develop kitten sacrifice, please don`t develop kitten sacrifice, please please oh please don`t develop kitten sacrifice! Or any other sacrifice of living beings. I am ethically challenged enough with allowing hunts to go on, I don`t need ritual slaughter on my conscience, oh please just no. Oh stars above, NO, never. NO.)
Year 14, Spring, 56.
Solar eclipse. Very impressive, both for me and kittens. Again, no fear expressed, but plenty curiosity. I`ve noted that kittens are having more and more interest in my scholar endeavours. At first, they were merely humoring my requests for unusual things to be brought in... Now, they are emulating me in most curious ways. They`re experimenting on their own. I think their collective understanding of the world is upgrading itself better with this self-study then what I could impart on my own. They figured out that it`s the moon blocking out the sun. It`s both promising and frightening. Promising, because they will surely reach the heights of science. I`m not even necessary anymore. Helpful, sure, but not necessary. I gave them the impetus, they will never abandon scientific progress now... And that is what frightens me, to be honest.
What if kitten science expands too fast for me to follow? What if I`m just setting myself to be left in the dust as they race into the bright future ahead?... I must not fall back. I must hang on and be on the forefront of kitten science. No matter what. I refuse to be left behind. And I refuse to cheat and hold them back with bogus science, as I`m sometimes mulling about in my darkest days. For good or bad, I am THE ENLIGHTENER. It does not behoove me to hold them back to pamper my vanity.
Year 14, Spring, 76.
I have received a promotion.
I`ve been wary of this day. All of the data pointed towards me being the first kitten in line for promotion, and I was unsure on how it would even go. The truth is stranger then fiction.
They`ve literally fed me gold and bathed me in gold. They took about twenty five ounses of gold and ground it to fine dust, then mixed it into my catnip and into my bathing water. Gold is neutral, so I didn`t expect much trouble from eating it, but...
It soaks into my skin. I`m surprisingly not nervous. Well, nervous, but detached. I`m blaming it on the milk. It`s suspiciously calming. And has golden tint to it as well.
Year 14, Spring, 76 addendum.
I can`t believe it. I have no explanation, but I`ve adsorbed the gold. And my ability had increased acutely. I can see better, my pawscribbling had became pawwriting, and I`m having such a clear head right now. This is incredible. Unfortunately, it`s not possible to just augment yourself to godhood with just gold, as I`ve just verified. One has to accrue experience for it. But once it`s there, once you have an idea of what you need improved and how and why, hoo-boy. This feels great. And according to kittens, it`s supposed to be permanent. Not sure about it, though. If it won`t wear off by tomorrow, I`m going to believe them.
Year 14, Spring, 77.
Incredible. The augmentation by gold is, indeed, permanent. Or at least, long-lasting. I`m definitely not immune to bad moods even now, but overall? I`m GOOOOOOOOOD.
Now my worries about keeping ahead in science seem rather... insubstantial. I`m the first of kittens. Unless I allow myself to wallow in idleness, gold augmentation will ensure I will never be surpassed.
...I just reread what I wrote, and I need to clarify. I`m not afraid of somekitten being better scientist then me. I`m afraid of becoming irrelevant to scientific progress in general. And clearly, it`s not going to happen unless I make it happen. Huge relief.
Year 14, Summer, 13.
We`ve been building new cabins all the while. New kittens are showing up. We`re now twenty strong. I`m trying to be friendly to every newscomer, but I`m predicting that eventually, there will be just too many kittens around to maintain a personal friendship with every single one. As such, I`m going to stop mentioning individual kittens arriving in this diary, at least as far as routine arrival goes.
Year 17, Winter, 65.
I haven`t touched this diary in three and half years. Why? Nothing had happened. I`ve had ample time to look into all those oddities that I`ve mentioned before. Sadly, I`ve learned both much and nothing. Much, as in I`ve learned a great many "what happens if". But none of why. All the time, I`ve been busy developing a good technology for smelting steel, and I believe I`m on the cusp of it. The main problem is heat - wood just does not give enough for steel. Coal is needed. Preparing some charcoal in the furnace is feasible, but if we were able to find a deposit, it would be even better.
The reason why I got the diary out? Another unicorn. As I`ve promised before, I`ve ordered a good meadow fenced out as unicorn pasture and herded the pair there. They immediately began procreating. Ow my eyes. Why, unicorns, why. Oh well, in any case, we will not run out of unicorns in our village, that`s for sure. Might see about expanding the pasture later, if it proves to be too cramped for the growing herd.
I`m... growing numb to them, to be honest. After all those years, I kind of just got used to unicorn being there and me not being unicorn. I`ve even experimented a little with horn shavings. No dice, if there is any harnessable magic to those unicorns, it won`t be an option without removing the entire horn at the least. An option that I`m not willing to consider an option, mind.
Year 17, Winter, 89.
Today, I`ve observed planet parade. It was magnificent. I need to create a telescope. For personal use, if nothing else.
Year 18, Spring, 59.
Exceptionally good observation conditions today. Could see all the planets with naked eye. Astounding. Also, had to expand unicorn pasture. They`re breeding like rabbits! I`m morbidly curious if it`s just the local variety or if all unicorns are that randy and I`ve just missed out on all the shenanigans with my books and learning?
Year 18, Winter, 37.
Finally! After a long struggle and many futile attempts, we have developed a way to produce batches of quality steel. Now I just need to source coal for it, in industrial qualities. And I believe that the best option is to combine production of charcoal in smelters inbetween batches of iron ore and mining the coal. Kittens are telling me they`ve found several promising veins of coal down there, but it will take some careful planning to extract.
Either of those methods will require some careful planning and retooling, of course... But both are crucially important. Without steel, we have no future, quite literally. And the first thing I need to consider is expansion of our storage facilities as far as I can.
Year 19, Spring, 33.
After some quiet and logical days, the surging started again. I took full advantage of this and expanded barn and warehouse as far as our current resources allow in hopes of wild surges topping them up at no expense of time and effort. I mean, things DO happen, so why not put them to good use? If this works, the resource surge will likely enable at least one of the stable coal production methods to be established within days, and not years as I previously feared.
On a side note, it`s been three times already that we`ve expanded the pasture for unicorns, and they`re STILL going strong. Oh Celestia why. I`m beginning to fear unicorn overpopulation. Though, I have to give them their due - they`ve stayed within the pasture so far, no matter how many of them are there.
Year 19, Spring, 90.
Well, it seems that my intention to take advantage of surges have had paid off. Still not enough to kickstart coal production, but we`re getting there quickly. Also, as an interesting sideline, I`ve developed some hunting suits for my kittens. Nothing too elaborate, just some covers to keep them safe. They were quite appreciative, I have to add, as it turns out that wearing that armor allows them to proceed through the forest much more briskly, as they no longer need to fear minor issues like brambles and sharp rocks.
Year 19, Summer, 30.
Expansions, expansions, expansions.
Kittens have had caught on to the surges and are taking advantage of them to expand... well, everything. Amphitheater now has enough space to involve unicorns in the performances... And they had. Workshop now has two wholly separate forges. We`re discussing installation of second sawblade into lumber mill. Things are booming, in short. All thanks to those surges. But I can`t help but wonder if we`re gaining all that for free, or there is some comeuppance for all that down the line?
Year 19, Summer, 50.
Today, we`ve had a meeting at the academy, where the plans on mechanization of our village have had been finalized. Kittens have had been using simple machines for quite a while now, lumber mill being the prime example, so it stands to reason we would advance further with this. One of the inventions I`m really itching to develop is printing press. At long last, I can have books again... Books. Oh, how I miss you. Scrolls are fine and all, but nothing can replace the feeling of a book fresh off the printing press. Mmm...
But I digress. The machinery. I`ll have to construct some kind of steam engine first, to move all this. Big project. I do need to get steel together first, at least. But once we get where I want us to be... sky`s the limit. For now.
Year 19, Summer, 54.
...I`m sorry about the tear stains in advance. Again, tears of happiness. Apparently, somekitten overheard me grumbling about lack of books. So... they made me a book. That`s right. They made a book, just for me. A collection of all the word art that`s been dedicated to me, as it were. I sincerely hope it won`t become the holy book sometime down the line. I know I`ve ascended to godhood back in Equestria, but goshdarn it, I`m not ready to be a goddess! I`m barely adequate as a paragon of civilization, let alone deity.
Year 19, Summer, 63.
Finished forging and installing reinforced saw. Now we can run lumber mill faster. Figuring out the exact cut of teeth was problematic, I wasted four blade prototypes before we collectively figured out the best shape. The expertise of our loggers had proved invaluable, once I figured out how to apply their practical skills to theoretical consideration. Once that was done, the blade was forged in barely a day and proved it`s worth the very next morning. Very convenient, as it eliminates a notorious bottleneck in the wood production. Now the question is if our lumberjacks can fell the trees fast enough to keep the lumber chugging along.
Expanding barn and warehouse became a point of dire necessity, by now. We`re proceeding apace, but we`re still lacking the space. I might have to look into reinforcing the inner structures to make sure we can pile goods higher against the walls, because simply adding new segments to the building is getting both complicated and expensive in lumber. We`re already unable to expand barn further simply because we can not amass enough wood to complete the next expansion.
Year 19, Summer, 70.
Two more books were made today. A book of mathematics, and a book of agriculture. Both are meant as collections of relevant and important information on their selective fields. More to follow soon. Finally. After almost twenty years, I can have library again. I`m so proud of my kittens.
Year 19, Summer, 84.
I was right again. Reinforcing barn with proper beams and slabs had allowed a LOT more space for timber, stone and iron ingots. Reinforcing warehouse is a bigger project, as it will require a whole lot more of construction material, as well as complicated scaffolding, but that is a question for another day. For now, we`re focusing on getting the coal out of the ground.
Year 19, Summer, 91.
I`ve received another promotion today. The amount of gold had increased. I`ve ordered that anyone who is capable of receiving a promotion should receive one as soon as there`s enough gold to do it. The effects promotion has on kitten is nothing short of miraculous, and what`s best of all - they`re permanent. I have no idea how, but promotions permanently increase one`s capacity to work, to think, to perceive. I`ve walked outside tonight, and I could see the color of stars. Not just indistinctly white pinpricks of light, but a distinct color to each and every star up above. That`s how better I am now. And that`s only rank 2. I`m both excited and nervous to think about what happens to one that achieves rank 9. Nirvana?
Year 19, Autumn, 7.
YES! Coal mining is a go! Had to widen the mine and put in some beams to support the main shaft, but now we are getting coal. Now to prepare the smelters for charcoal making, and we`re all set to make some steel. It will be very useful. I can think of so many things to build and invent while having such a durable and flexible material at my disposal.
Also, I`ve got two more manuscripts in the library. A treatise on carpentry and lumbering and an almanac of common animals in our locale. I know it`s too early to call it a library with only five books on hand, but... darn, my library is coming along nicely. Woo-hoo!
Year 19, Autumn, 38.
My collection of books continues to grow. A treatise on plant life, and a collection of kitten fairytales have joined the other books on the shelves. On a less pleasant note, I`ve stumbled upon some interesting notes. It seems that my kittens are again planning some kind of construction. While I`m hoping that it`s something beneficial like tradepost, the noted amounts of gold and stone requisited make me wonder.
Hopefully, they`re not about to construct some kind of palace for me. That would be just embarrassing.
Year 19, Autumn, 80.
More books. I`ve given kittens free reign to write on all kind of topics they desire - but made sure that parchment had a tangible cost to prevent them from creating nonsensical books. So far, so good, althrough I am sadly certain it`s only a matter of time before a book extolling my supreme enticement will be penned.
I`m fine, I`m fine. It`s just... back in Equestria, nopony exactly showed much of an interest in me in, ah... "that way". That is, not to say I was ugly, of course. But plain, yes. It`s not pleasant, but I have to admit that all my life in Equestria, I`ve been plain, even when I got my wings in addition to horn. Plain alicorn princess, hah. What a joke.
So it`s more then a bit.... unusual, I suppose, to have everyone watch me like I`m sex incarnate. I`m fairly certain they do screw around with each other, I`ve even walked in on some couples a few times. But...
Eh. I`m not sure just how to react to all this. Thankfully, no kitten had propositioned me directly, yet. Because I frankly have no idea what should I do if somecat does.
Year 19, Autumn, 99.
A temple. They built a temple.
...Admittedly, it`s a nice temple, and it`s dedicated more to the concept of sun as the source of living energy, rather then any personification or some such... but.
I`m not sure what to think. On one paw, religion is very... ah, delicate subject. It requires precise handling, and even if managed well, the benefits it provides are rather... intangible. On other hand, it is a good way to keep morale up. And the object of worship is not likely to demand kitten sacrifices. I hope.
I will have to keep a very close eye on this. I don`t like the idea of possibly branding some of my kittens as heretics, but if any of them get the bad ideas about what sun wants, I won`t hesitate to expel them from the village.
One good point is that they haven`t appointed anyone to maintain temple as of yet. So far, it`s self-serve kind of worship, and that gives me hope that I`ll be able to give them good direction with this. But I will need to write them a selection of holy texts. I guess the manuscript production had just gained new priority.
Year 19, Winter, 1.
Today, we`ve began making charcoal as well. This will allow us to expand the steel production. The next item on the agenda is steel axes and warehouse reinforcement. Then... Then we`ll start looking into mechanisation in the earnest.
Year 20, Spring, 1.
...Today, an emissary of lizards had shown up in the village. He was perfectly polite and gave me a very positive impression. According to him, they have a society that had achieved much with timber, but had fallen behind with masonry. As such, they`re willing to barter cut timber for quarried stone in bulk. I`m quite impressed with the lizards so far, they`ve been friendly and honest throughout our whole conversation. I believe I will endeavor to occasionally send them shipments of quarried stone even if we don`t need extra wood. Helping out such friendly people is a boon in itself.
With that visit in mind, I have wondered all night if there are other civilizations we can meet and befriend? I must find out! It will be long and hard to amass the necessary amount of supplies to send out an expedition like that, but I am fully committed to it, now that I know there are other civilizations to discover. Whom else shares this world with us, and what do they have for trade? I can`t wait to find out.
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all hail the god empress of kittenkind may her light shine on us and bless us in the purging of the heretics and Xenos scum that infect our world
i.imgur.com/pCxBGCb.jpg
i got somewhere around year 30-40 and i restarted and now i have 80 Paragon and 14.805 Karma
its really make an effect on the game
80%+ on everything :D
dang now I am playing the game too
This is how religions and cults get started IRL...
8069357
Well. Twilight is too educated for that. Besides, the game will eventually descend into unholy tomfuckery with timeline, so... Yeah.
8070175
I was actually thinking of the kittens in her village.
Oh no... What did Twilight do?
8072507
It`s an actual mechanic of the game, there`s a whole branch of late-game science dealing with chronomancy shenanigans.
Not to mention that getting to lategame without resetting timeline a few times is ridiculously hard.
No, Twilight, there won't be any sacrifices. Of kittens.
8073046
How so?
I've gotten to Nuclear Fission so far without any major problems, or any resets.
8103796
Nuclear Fission is barely midgame, that`s how.
There`s space to conquer, and when you`ll see how you have to get unobtainium you`ll weep. And then you`ll have to craft eludium out of it, and you`ll lament. Chronomancy is very late-game stuff, fudging with your income rates by shattering time crystals. By that time, you`ll have alicorns, corruption counter, trade with leviathans and all manners of unholy tomfuckery including your very own Markers.
Besides, Metaphysics upgrade lineup requires paragon points, which you have to earn by... yep, resetting.
8104043
Don't you get Paragon simply by having enough Kittens?
8104091
Not quite. You get one point of paragon for each kitten over 70... After you reset the timeline. Basically, if you reset with 136 kittens, as I did in the first game I played, you get 66 paragon when you restart. Which means you have 66% bonus to productivity for each first line product, like catnip, wood, minerals, culture or faith, and 3% bonus productivity for each item you produce as a first line of conversion, such as iron.
Obviously enough, when you have such a boost from the get-go, getting to the point of heavy industry becomes much easier - but also changes things around a bit. For example, in the fresh playthrough you will likely run a good surplus of iron. Which means that you`ll either spend a lot of time with smelters idling or, more likely, have a big surplus of plates. After resetting with decent paragon amassed, this iron surplus vanishes, because wood and minerals get huge bonuses from paragon, which means you don`t just sit around for years upon years of gametime waiting for basic supplies to pile up to build or convert.
In my first run, I tended to use iron as a throw-away material, because it vastly outpaced coal and I quickly maxed out the buildings that took iron as construction material, so I tended to trade it for catnip a lot with sharks. In my second run after aforementioned reset, however, I`m actually having to watch my iron supply and only make as much plates as I need for my construction. I`ve actually taken to trading tons upon tons of slabs to zebras instead, to bulk up on iron, plates, titanium, blueprints and spice.
8104444
Nope, still not seeing it, I must say.
I'm on the final stretch of building the Chronospheres, and still not weeping and/or rending my garments.
Probably will reset the game for the first time in about a week, with three Chronospheres, Flux Condensator, 70k compendiums and 250 kittens.
8150787
Then you`re more patient then average player. I know getting eludium together was frustrating for me.