Lighting technology in Equestria?

[Shyriath]

Recently, I had the idea that a character who was a lamplighter might be an interesting app. In human history, these were the people who went around lighting the gas and oil lamps that served as street lights prior to kerosene and electric lights. I asked around in chat what kind of lighting was available in Equestria, because if there weren't appropriate kinds around there wouldn't be much of a point in having a lamplighter; and one of the board staff who was there (I don't remember exactly who, might have been Dio) indicated that there was a mixture of kinds, including gas or oil, electric, and magical, and I proceeded with the app with that in mind.

However, in the canon thread in News & Updates, I saw the following:

Wood stoves VS gas stoves--first could be acceptable, but not the second. Wood stoves preceded gas stoves. Also, we've seen trees in Equestria, so obviously there's wood, but we've seen nothing to suggest that things like natural gas and oil even exists. Here's a tip: If you would like to try to use something modern in your RP Application, try seeing where it originated and use something more basic.

...which suggests that oil and gas lamps would not be appropriate (much less electric, but I'm not worried about that). For streetlighting, that suggests a heavy reliance on magical lamps and/or lots and lots of candles.

So, I suppose I'm asking for a firmer guideline here about what kinds of lighting technology are permitted and present. In defense of oil lamps, at least, I would point out that ponies would almost certainly have access to some kind of lighting oil, if for no other reason that the vegetable-based oils used in cooking can be, and in human history indeed have been, also used in oil lamps; olive oil, for example, was the main lamp fuel around the Mediterranean. (See also Wikipedia.)

While magic/candles only would probably not kill the app, it would require a rewriting. Flickerlight's relationship with, and talent with, fire is an important part of her personality, and whether or not she gets to make use of that talent in her job is going to have an impact.

[flutterscotch]

My character Glow is a lamplighter of sorts. She lights lamps in Ponyville with specially trained fireflies.

One of Pony Sage's characters is a pyromancer, and pole-mounted braziers containing oil-soaked cloths that would requite magic to light would fit into the mythology of Equestria nicely.

You could also have a botanist pony who's developed a way to make glowing fungi give off a bright, useful light.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Although my outdoor pony's guide got rejected, the part about glowbugs might be useful. I did some research of fireflies, lightning bugs and those sorts of creatures and found out that most of them in their adult stage feed off of decaying plant matter, pollen and dew. Restocking their supply of food and water and cleaning out their lamps could be a potential side job, even if there are also lamps that use oil or something magical.

[flutterscotch]

hi hi

Although my outdoor pony's guide got rejected, the part about glowbugs might be useful. I did some research of fireflies, lightning bugs and those sorts of creatures and found out that most of them in their adult stage feed off of decaying plant matter, pollen and dew. Restocking their supply of food and water and cleaning out their lamps could be a potential side job, even if there are also lamps that use oil or something magical.

That's exactly what Glow does as a job, as well as sheltering and caring for their larva. And believe you me she is not a pony who ENJOYS wrangling slugs.

She doesn't raise any insects similar to photuris, though. Because they're jerkfaces. One of the characters in a book I've been working on since 1997 is a photuris.

[Loopy Legend]

Maybe I could take this lighting idea little further and state this.

How about (specially in Canterlot castle) we have diamond reflected lights, we get diamonds into lamps and use magic to make them shine and reflect. This could be a great idea for special events of just around elite areas of Canterlot, like the castle, magic school and such.

[Skye]

I'm pretty sure in at least one episode, I've seen oil lamps. Oil lamps can come from a number of sources, as said, and they're very natural. They would also be consistent with the apparent technology at the time.

[Mojo]

I think the Ponyville Dam from the "Mare Do Well" episode is solid PROOF of the existance of electricity in Equestria.

NSFW:

(Sorry for the less than wholesome message of this pic, but this is the only online pic of the dam I could find)

The electrodes coming from the base building of the dam settle the question. This IS a hydroelectric dam.

Electricity must exist in Equestria,

[flutterscotch]

I don't see any wires going anywhere from that plant. Nor have we seen any wires anywhere else.

[Manestream]

Remember, its not about what we can or cannot find in the show to prove indefinetly one way or another- its about the attitude and style that best serves as consistent for the RP.

[Mojo]

I don't see any wires going anywhere from that plant. Nor have we seen any wires anywhere else.

All the wiring could be underground.

There's lots of underground wiring in many cities here in the United States.

I'm NOT trying to make a big deal out of this, but to me, it is conceivable that electricity does exist in Equestria, howbeit in a stage like in late 19th or early 20th Century America/Europe when it was used mainly for lighting and small appliances.

[Shyriath]

I'll stick to oil lamps, then, as far as technology goes. I don't really need anything more advanced than that, so long as there's something she can use fire on.

It also occurred to me that I haven't been putting much creativity into the magic possibilities there. Perhaps, for example, there could be some kind of lamp containing a magical fire, call it faeriefire or something, that didn't need traditional fuel itself, but would have to be... regenerated, say, with physical fire to remain lit.

Maybe I could take this lighting idea little further and state this.

How about (specially in Canterlot castle) we have diamond reflected lights, we get diamonds into lamps and use magic to make them shine and reflect. This could be a great idea for special events of just around elite areas of Canterlot, like the castle, magic school and such.

Oooh. Sparkly. And of course you could use other gems as well, for a more colored look.

[Centauri]

I'll stick to oil lamps, then, as far as technology goes. I don't really need anything more advanced than that, so long as there's something she can use fire on.

It also occurred to me that I haven't been putting much creativity into the magic possibilities there. Perhaps, for example, there could be some kind of lamp containing a magical fire, call it faeriefire or something, that didn't need traditional fuel itself, but would have to be... regenerated, say, with physical fire to remain lit.

Oooh. Sparkly. And of course you could use other gems as well, for a more colored look.

Pinkie's parties just got awesome with that idea. It's reasonable for Equestria to be lit by magic, on the grounds that there's at least one unicorn in every village I've heard about. In the others, the vegetable oil idea would still be reasonable to light streets.

All the wiring could be underground.

There's lots of underground wiring in many cities here in the United States.

I'm NOT trying to make a big deal out of this, but to me, it is conceivable that electricity does exist in Equestria, howbeit in a stage like in late 19th or early 20th Century America/Europe when it was used mainly for lighting and small appliances.

In the late 19C, it probably would only have been extremely upper-class people who would have access to electricity for lighting. Small appliances could be defined as irons and not much else, or so I've heard.

[Ashton]

I don't see any wires going anywhere from that plant. Nor have we seen any wires anywhere else.

Just for sake of argument they could also operate on Nichola Tessla's Free Energy Principal, which involves wireless broadcast of electricity. (Though I'm still siding with Magic in terms of lighting, equestria seems to be in more-or-less middle-ages technology wise, minus the indoor plumbing and seemingly modern ovens O_o)