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dailyadventureprompts · 6 months

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Deity: Heironeous, The Vindicator

Let our hands never falter, sparing evil the sword Let our hearts never waiver, letting weakness take root Let our march never end, lest the task be left undone

Champions, zealots, fools. All these words describe the followers of Heironeous; patron god of those blinded by duty and self righteousness. From the guards who rough up vagrants for the sake of social order, to the patriotic songs sung by soldiers on the way to invade a land they've never seen, to the teacher who’s convinced they can instruct through pain, because sparing the rod really does spoil the child.

It is a terrifying thing after all to be in the wrong, to have no easy answers, to be filled with doubt, and so the Archpaladin and his clergy intercede to provide the fearful populace with direction, with easy answers, and with scapegoats when necessary.

Adventure Hooks:

The party are asked by some troubled parents to look in on the local chapterhouse of the Invincible Vanguard, who took over for the town's royal garrison some years ago. A number of youths, bored of life in their sleepy little town decided to sign up with the Vanguard a few months past and have not been seen since. The Heironeian are cagey to say the least, but through their investigation the party might stumble across the same awful secret the kids did during their initiation, as well as their ultimate fate.

A beast rampages through the countryside, sowing fear, destruction, and rumour wherever it goes. Defeating it is no easy task, but one of the local lords is willing to pay a high price should the party bring him its head as proof. Imagine their surprise when a few days later a group of Heironeian paladins are paraded through the street carrying THEIR trophy aloft, claiming all the credit and with that same lord backing their claims. It seems the party has been part of a cruel PR stunt, however will they make this right?

A series of inexplicable mishaps and borderline disasters that plague a frontier village have come to a head with one of the Vindicator's itinerant preachers convinces the locals that devilry is the source of their woes, pointing the blacksmith's tiefling apprentice. It's up to the party to prevent the kid from getting strung up, and make the villagers see reason before there's an out and out witchhunt on their hands.

Setup: From the outside, with the perspective of history, it’s easy enough to see that there’s something wrong with faith of Heironeous, how their temples and icons venerate violence, whether it be martial glory or the suffering of martyrs that needed to be avenged. How their liturgy teaches the faithful that sympathy to outsiders, questions to authority, even the smallest of doubts are weaknesses to be overcome.

But the Heironeans are the ones fighting off the monsters encroaching on your village when the baron won’t pay for garrisons or adventurers, and it’s their priests who come to hand out food to the hungry and say there’s work the town over building their new fortress, and it’s their inquisitors who stand in the market square telling the crowd that all the awful things that happened these past few years is the fault of sinful, faithless rulers, and if only they could be led by righteous men (and it is always men) and expel the social parasites then truly this realm could be one beloved by the gods.

That’s the grift, the Heironeans seize on a crisis or a fear and offer to put your life on a better track, nevermind that it’s a permanent war footing where you and your family and neighbours are conscripted to roles based on how you’d be most useful, and disagreement amounts to insubordination.

Heironeans say they’re justified of course because evil is always out there, the one true evil, Hextor, the grotesque, six armed lord of bloodshed and suffering who wishes to make slaves or corpses of all the world and the heavens besides. He is jealous of Heironeous you see, his twin brother, who is propheciesed to be the only one who can defeat him. Hextor never rests, always spawning more evil in the world, and anyone could be his follower without even knowing it... all they’d need to do is work to subvert the will of the archpaladin and they’d be abetting the scourge. You don’t want to be an agent of evil do you? Then tithe to the church, enlist in the vanguard, obey your betters, marry early and within your kind and have more children to carry on the fight when you are too week, raise them up right, kneel when you are told, submit. Do all these things and the Vindicator will know you are good, and worth fighting for, and will forgive your mortal failings.

There is a deeper lore, behind even what the faithful or even most of their leaders know: that Heironeous and Hextor are the same being. Sometimes it is the monster wearing the golden hero like a mask, sometimes it is the bright and radiant warrior casting a most wicked shadow, sometimes it is simply that the god of war and slaughter has two faces, fair and foul, both righteous, both tyrannical, both hungering for blood.

The cult of Hextor is a secret order within the faith, membership offered only to those chosen by their god or those that see the worship of the archpaladin for what it really is: Violence for the sake of power, power for the sake of violence. They are secretive, deflecting rumours of their existence onto puppets and figureheads that they manipulate, going so far as to create false-cults to the Scourge to draw the faithful’s attention and ire. Any fault in the church can be blamed on Hextorian infiltration, any opponent that challenges them is but an agent of the Scourge.

Titles: The invincible, the vindicator, the archpaladin / the scourge, the herald of hells

Signs: Oddly serene visions of violence and pain, wounds or blood on the image or relics of martyrs or weapons of champions, prophetic nightmares about the victory of Hextor.

Symbols: A white hand or clapsed around a silver lightning bolt/ a black gauntlet clutched around six red arrows

Inspiration: Cruelty cloaked in the guise of righteousness is not an original concept but after writing about how d&d has weird habit of using a frankly childlike view of morality in order to justify its violence the same way that IRL hategroups do, I wanted to play around with the concept.

Likewise, I felt my campaigns needed a solid “badguy with the aesthetic of goodguy” villain and I was tired of using overzealous followers of the dawnfather or bahamut to fill out the roster. Specifically, rather than bad people in service to an ostensibly good god (who are objectively real in the setting and thus would try to oust the bad apples), I wanted to create an evil god that used the trappings of goodness to dupe average people into doing bad, the same way that has happened over and over again historically in our own world.

I ended up choosing Heironeous for this villain makeover because like a lot of other default d&d deities I find the base form of him painfully one note, he’s the paladin god of paladins and he has hero IN HIS NAME. That said, he has a twin brother Hextor, god of war and tyrants that serves as his dark mirror and there’s thematic meat in that... Merging the two into one god gives us this delicious setup where the theology of Heironeous creates the problem and sells the solution, benefiting no matter who wins in the supposed cosmic power struggle.

Art

#deity #divinity: war #heironeous #hextor #monsters reimagined #villain #villain cleric #Cultists #villain cult #paladin #fighter #Monk #Cleric

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antifainternational · 11 months

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I have a question… at a Pride event there was exactly one (1) bigot who was preaching into a microphone about how queers were possessed by demons and such. My friend saw this and marched up to him and started moaning and swooning and saying *very*explicit gay stuff at everything he said. Soon other people took notice and joined in; a pair of lesbians kissed, a couple of us took the stage to try and get him off it, and many of us yelled in his face. Others quoted the bible in support of gay people, or shouted from the ground. (I thought about singing bohemian rhapsody, but in the end was too shy/was worried no one would join) However, one gay man pleaded for us to stop, and said we were giving him what he wanted: vindication and attention, and making him seem the martyr. So I’m wondering what you think was the better thing to do?

Always confront bigots. Ignoring bigots and hoping they go away concedes space to bigots. It lets them know they can continue and expand on their intimidation and threats unopposed. It lets the people who they target know that they won't be protected or supported in their own community. There are more than 100 years of anti-fascist history that demonstrating that confronting and opposing bigots works; conceding public space to them does not. BONUS LEVEL: if the bigots are recording themselves in the hopes of getting eyeballs on social media, play Taylor Swift songs at HIGH VOLUME to drown them out. YouTube and other platforms will take down anything using her copyrighted music in an instant!

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dragonagecompanions · 8 months

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Could you write Solas' reaction to the Inqusitor killing him after the betrayal, but they stay by his side because they know he fears dying alone, and refuses to leave his side before he has passes away, and telling him that he's forgiven, and the Inky apologizes for not begin able to help him.

Obvious content warning.

It can't end like this, not now. Everything is falling into place, his power is finally returned to him. Everything is in his grasp to restore the world to what it once was, to the glory of Arlathan and the Elvhen. He gave up so much for this chance, for his people, for...

For nothing. Solas can feel the terrible, implacable burn of magebane in his veins, even as the blood weeps from the wound in his back. Fitting, really, after his own proverbial knife, and yet the architect of the Evanuris' downfall never saw this betrayal coming. In his arrogance he heard the request to reopen the eluvians to Val Royeaux as an admission of defeat. Had thought that the removal of both arm and anchor would render his friend helpless in the fight to come.

But too many have underestimated the Inquisitor in the last years. Solas was had no excuse, and yet he turned his back to them. Their cries of pain had masked the running foot steps, the drawing of the blade. It is cold comfort to see that pain in their face still, even as that struggle with one hand to keep his head cushioned on their knees.

"I just...wanted to fix my mistake."

"I know." The sorrowful compassion in their face should be infuriating, something he should spit on and refuse, but somehow the Dread Wolf does not have the strength for it. He is grateful for their warmth and company now, as darkness rims their vision.

"I know, Solas. But you can rest now. I won't leave you alone, not now."

Does his tombstone still stand in the fade, green light making mockery of his greatest fear? He'd thought it would be to stand alone at the end of all things, the world beyond his saving. He had not considered that it would be...like this. Gasping for air that cannot help him now, shivering for the warmth that somehow he cannot grasp. Can he blame them, for rendering onto him what he had planned, inevitably for them?

It hurts less now. They must know, for his friend simply holds him closer. The tears make eyes that have stared unfazed at every challenge somehow more and less shadowed, but knowing that his death is one more burden for them is not the vindication he might have hoped for. This was not what Solas wanted, not what Fen'Harel needed. He is failing his people, abandoning them this one last terrible time and he cannot even...cannot...

"'M s'rr'y..."

"I know. Wisdom is waiting for you, Solas. Go and join her now. Stop running, Dread Wolf, and be at peace."

When he is looking at a world they hope not to see for many years, when the blade finds its place in a still heart (even for a friend, the inquisitor has learned to be cautious), only then does the Herald of Andraste signal for their compatriots. They will bring their friend home, style him as a hero who returned to defeat the Qunari and save the Inquisition.

Ironically, this saves the Inquisition. A united south prepares to face the Qunari, but without the distraction of the Dread Wolf's plans Thedas as it is has a fighting chance. The Inquisition will champion the plight of elves in their martyred friend's name, so that perhaps where the Dread Wolf could not bring superiority Solas might usher in a new era of equality. The agents of Fen' Harel will mourn his loss, curse the Inquisition, but may ultimately join this effort--to surprising success

And perhaps, somewhere far from time and space and sorrow, a young dreamer and the spirit of wisdom who long was his companion, are reunited at last.

-Mod Fereldone

#solas #inquisitor #tw death #tw: murder #dragon age inqusition #trespasser #I feel no shame #i'd scramble Solas like an omelet if I had half a chance

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microchive · 3 months

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the john gaius/jonathan sims parallels are kind of nuts when you think about them. two men, peculiar and relatively isolated and passionate about their respective fields. they are scholars, scientists in nature, but in the face of extinction, they are chosen by Something to carry out the will of that thing, as a savior of humanity or the harbinger of the end. as their friends watch them twist and develop abilities that grow gradually more terrifying, they become both willing and unwilling martyrs to assist the ‘Becoming’ of a man-turned-god.

the difference between them is that jon is meant to be a pawn in the coming of the Extinction, but through his warping and loss of humanity he chooses to sacrifice himself to prevent it from happening. john is chosen to be a messiah, but he is left the last man standing in the name of vindication

#tma #the magnus archives #tma spoilers #tlt #the locked tomb #nona the ninth spoilers #i still can’t stop talking about the parallels. the parallels

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qcomicsy · 8 months

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How does Bruce feel every time he has one of his children with their backs turned from him?

Does he really look at it before he gets back to work? Does he watch as their heavy steps get more and more distance? Does he notice it's always slow enough so he can reach it? Does he decide not to do it anyway?

Does he think he should? Does he have the impulse to grasp them again? To force them to talk to him? Does he feel he's capable does he even know what to say?

Does he get angry? Does he break everything at reach at that damn cave until the sound of trinkets, and gadgets and weapons broken is capable of muffling his own thoughts? Does he feel a sadistic almost self contempt side of himself feeling vindicated? Does he always tought that would happen? Does he even get surprised?

Does he over analyse every thought? Every decision? Every word he threw at them? Does he think about the things he could have done differently? Does he martyrize himself? Does he take the blame? Does he places in another.

"If he had listened?" Or "If I had listened?", "If I did something different...", "If I said–" "If I hadn't said–", "if", "if", "if"...– Does the man who searches to the bottom to every question he ever had has time for "if"?

Does he have time to regret?

Does he just sights. Does he surrender? He feels his shoulders sagging to the feeling. That comfortable satisfaction of breaking something again because you knew you could have made it. Because at this point this disc played so many times you just decided to fast forward the song. So you have that moment of silence. That moment of confirmation where the vinyl stops rolling and you get faced with the unbearable silence that means you have to trade it for another. Or you have to start all the way back. You have to hope you didn't scratch that badly. You have to wonder if your hands deserve to pick it.

Because you have to realize you don't have the delicacy to play things without destroying it. It's what you are. Is what you made yourself to be.

Or maybe he doesn't look at it at all. He doesn't glance. And if he does he takes a moment to acknowledge it. Until he remembers his mind is too busy and his hands are already full. And he has a report to finish and another one to archive with the others until the end of July or the beginning of August. That he has to go to Blackgate to see if his witness will break or if he has to use brutal force. That Gotham has all the time in the world but he doesn't.

That for this type of he doesn't have it at all.

That he's more of a myth than a man at this point.

That his life isn't whatever childish behavior just happened before him.

That he might love his children but not enough to hold them.

So he just get back to work at all.

They'll be back tomorrow.

#thinking about bruce #bruce wayne #holding him in my hands like a type of book I don't have time to decipher it #his character is so frsgmented that all this reactions are possible #bitter bitter man #it isn't perfect but it is done eh #it's okay #🦇🦇🐦🐦#long post

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sleeplesssmoll · 5 months

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Reverse1999 Story Recap Project

I am trying and stitch together an easy to follow plot line since there are a lot of easy to miss details and moving parts in Reverse1999. I'm going to do it in chronological order (3, intro, 1,2,4). I will also include tidbits from other chapters if I think the information is relevant. Naturally, their will be spoilers. Reverse1999 has an amazing story but I won't lie, a lot of things go over my head. If anything looks wrong, pls correct me! I am always open to suggestions. Heck, tell if it looks ugly too. Formatting is my nemesis.

That being said, this section focuses on how Manus Vindicate, the Foundation, and the Storm turned Vertin into the Timekeeper. It is mostly a recap of Ch 3 with added information for clarity's sake. Word count: 3625 ish

Only click Keep Reading if you're ready to be scrolling for a while.

Background information

Arcanists: A race that contains a unique cell colony allowing them to perform arcane skills (magic, divination, alchemy, etc.). They do not follow reasoning like mankind and instead practice Gnosis. There are two defining features of Gnosis:

1. It can't be verified by an independent 3rd party.

2. It’s impossible to comprehend through reasoning.

Because of this, arcanists are labeled as unpredictable and dangerous by humanity. There is a long history of humans associating arcanum with demons, evil, and witches.

The Storm: The Storm is a widespread disaster first observed in 1999. It marked the end of an era and is the catalyst for the main story.

Humans will suffer “Storm Syndrome” as the Storm draws near. The symptoms of Storm Syndrome and the mutations around the Storm depend on the era. However, arcanists are protected from Storm Syndrome thanks to their arcanum. Arcanists are able to perceive the changes in the world brought by the Storm but are not immune to reversal, the true horror of the Storm.

“Raindrops” emerge from the ground and rise into the sky along with everything around them once the Storm arrives. They phase through matter. Time reverses into a previous era while everything caught in the Storm disappears (will explain exceptions later).

St. Pavlov Foundation (The Foundation): A public institution dedicated to the study of arcanum and the indoctrination of arcanists. They seek children with arcane talents from around the world. They say they strive for peace between arcanists and humanity but peace is not the same as equality. The Foundation experiments on young arcanists as they indoctrinate them. All training and scientific provided appliances by St. Pavlov is to overcome the instability of arcane skills in order to ensure the peace and stability of the human world ( Chapter 3-1). In other words, the Foundation is training obedient dogs (hence Pavlolv) to die as martyrs for the sake of humanity. This allows humanity to benefit off of arcanum skills without worry of an uprising from the arcanists kept on the Foundation’s leash.

The Foundation’s buildings are immune to the Storm. Both humans and arcanists are safe within its walls. They conducted many experiments in the search for true Storm Immunity but only one candidate succeeded in obtaining the antibody. Vertin is the only known arcanist with Asymmetric Protein G. She is also one of their most troublesome students.

Manus Vindictae: A terrorist organization that believes in Arcanist Supremacy. They are also recruiting arcanists to fight against humanity and utilize the chaos caused by the Storm to further their agenda. They are the Foundation's biggest enemy and they are still growing. They also know how to manipulate the Storm and can accelerate its arrival. They rewrite history while the world reverses.

Manus Vindictae gives their followers Masks claiming it will keep them safe from the Storm. However, a conversation between two followers in Chapter 2 reveals this is not the full picture. The Mask does not guarantee their safety and only in the “Sanctuary” are they protected from the Storm’s influence. One of the followers then turns into a monster that can no longer be reasoned with while the other flees (we may have more insight into this later).

We can see both factions lie and manipulate their followers.

Vertin's Journey

Vertin is the youngest child to be taken in by the Foundation at just a month old. The story begins when she is 12 years old. She’s a notorious trouble maker and her arcanum abilities have yet to manifest. Despite her lack of arcanum abilities, the Foundation demands the same results from her as the rest of the students.

Sonetto and Vertin are assigned as each other's deskmates in school. Sonetto is at the top of the class, Vertin is at the bottom. While Sonetto spends her days working hard in class, Vertin skips to play outside. She catches frogs and collects pebbles, even if it means sticking her hand through the electric fence to do so in order to experience the outside world.

Sonetto doesn't understand Vertin’s obsession with the outside world but Vertin still tries to share her interests with her. After one of her escapades, Vertin shows Sonetto a frog she caught outside. Hyla Arborea, the foreteller of rain. While Vertin is enthusiastically explaining the frog's traits, Sonetto cuts her off. Sonetto reiterates the Foundations Student Handbook and reminds Vertin they are not supposed to show interest in the outside world. She asks Vertin to stop bringing her things because they are “meaningless”. Vertin’s excitement evaporates. She can’t understand why Sonetto isn’t curious about the outside world like her. The two are on opposite sides, both unbudging in their beliefs. Eventually, Sonetto repeats the instructors’ words to her. “To live is to lose things around them until the day they lose their life to death itself.” Vertin is stunned and the debate ends.

Things continue as usual at the school. One day during an assembly, Vertin steps out of line to see the Principal more clearly because she is moved by his speech. After the Principal takes notice of her and makes her return to the line, he decides to ask her what her thoughts are since she is a unique student who spent most of her life at St. Pavlov. He promises to answer any question she has.

“What is the Storm, Sir?”

And from that point on, everything changes. Vertin is sent to the guardhouse. It’s a damp, cold building where naughty children are left to fend for themselves. There are low level Critters to fight and a few tools for the kids to use as they try to endure until someone comes to retrieve them after they served their time. They are left without food, sometimes for days depending on the severity of their actions.

However, there are “worse punishments than confinement” and Vertin is warned to never bring up the Storm again. The Storm is a taboo subject that is not public information.

The guardhouse is full of Shamir Worms, Critters capable of chewing through most material including metal. At first, Vertin is excited to see the Shamirs up close and in real life. Here we find out she is quite knowledgeable about beasts despite being an awful student. However, her excitement is short-lived when the Shamirs start biting her.

While the professors taught the students basic arcanum skills to deal with these creatures, Vertin has yet to cast a single incantation at this point. In this moment, she expresses her doubts about even being an arcanist in the first place. Vertin is forced to think fast while fighting off the Shamirs and making a safe spot for herself. Thanks to her wit, she manages to escape the room of Shamirs by making them eat the lock on one of the doors.

Vertin meets a boy locked in one of the rooms as she makes her escape. He calls himself The Ring. He can catch anything within the rings he carries, which he shows off by catching one of Vertin's shoelaces. Vertin is impressed, but doesn’t let him out of his room because if he leaves and doesn't come back on time, they’ll both be faced with harsher punishments. However, she offers to bring him back whatever food he'd like since she is going to get some herself. Note, she steals food from the Staff Canteen, not the Second Canteen where the kids get their meals. She’s having what the instructors are having. This detail shows us Vertin is used to performing these types of stunts.

After the tiny rogue returns from her stealth run, she lets The Ring out and the two strike up a conversation. She tells The Ring she brought up the Storm at the school assembly. The Ring finds this hilarious while Vertin is confused as to why they would punish her when they're the ones who said she could ask whatever she wanted. The Ring asks where she heard the word.

Vertin heard the word from her dormitory’s janitor as he was being escorted outside the school and onto a truck. He screamed “The Storm is coming!” Repeatedly as they took him away. Vertin tried to get answers from staff but no one gave her an explanation. She brings up an “Uncle Morris” who said the janitor left the school at the inappropriate time and saw inappropriate things so he needed treatment. (I have a feeling this Uncle Morris might come up later).

In response to this information, The Ring brings up his theory about the school blocking the news feeds. He shows Vertin a stack of papers he stole from the staff office. The pamphlets claim the Storm is a looming danger that the Foundation is trying to cover up. However, the paper does not explain what the Storm is.

At the end of the article there is a line in bold: Welcome to Manus Vindictae.

The children discover a poem printed on the back and are inspired by it.

Meanwhile, the Foundation is trying to counter Manus Vindictae's efforts to expose them. Constantine(politician) is the leader of these efforts and Madam Z (scientist) is her right hand. Time reversion has slashed the Foundation's manpower and resources. Manus Vindictae's pamphlets were airdropped to many places, including the School of Primary Defense of Mankind (SPDM). Manus Vindictae uses aerial creatures called Olitiaus (flying manta ray creatures) to deliver them. Constantine realizes that Manus Vindictae must have a command post nearby and it must be immune to the Storm like the Foundation buildings. Zeno trainees (air force soldiers like Lilya) are recruited to defend the school while defense teams are sent out to scout the location of the base.

Back to Vertin, she and The Ring decide to set up a secret meeting for students who are curious about the outside world. The meeting is held at 9pm under George the Oak, a massive oak tree in the yard. Vertin also gets into a fight with some bullies who try to blackmail her, but she makes it out despite not being able to use arcanum.

That night, many curious classmates arrived at the meeting. Amongst them are Matilda, Mesmer Jr., and Isabella.

Mesmer Jr. is the first one to break the silence. She is from a long line of psychologists in the arcanum world. Because of all the madness and insanity her family had to deal with when working with arcanists, she despises them. This is relevant later.

Mesmser Jr. wants to know if Vertin is trying to start a rebellion. Vertin is shocked because it never crossed her mind. This is a relief to everyone and the kids start to talk. The Ring and Vertin show Manus Vindictae's poem to the students. Vertin says the poem inspired her to explore her curiosity about the outside world as well as her sense of self. She leads the conversation and asks the kids to share their backstories so can piece together what life is like beyond the walls. The Ring records their stories with pencil and paper. After a while, they turn their attention back to the poem. They notice it matches the melody of their school song and decide to sing it. Feeling emboldened by it, they create a plan to sing it at the Parade Ceremony. They want to be heard and they believe that the people who raised them will listen.

Isabella turns to Vertin. “They will understand us, won't they, Vertin? After all, they brought us up and cared for us!”

Vertin hesitates.

She mentions that they might be upset or blame them, but it's worth a try. The kids begin to practice the song in preparation for the Parade Ceremony for the next two weeks.

On the day of the Parade Ceremony, the scene opens up with Sonetto confronting Vertin. Sonetto was on duty yesterday and noticed Vertin wasn't in the dormitory. She advises Vertin to behave because she can tell she's plotting something behind the instructors’ backs. If she doesn't, she'll have to report Vertin. Vertin answers with the softest “Okay” I have ever heard in my life.

The children sing their song with Isabella as the lead. Sonetto is stunned and falters. Finally the Principal realizes what's happening. The children are singing Manus Vindictae's poem.

The Principal orders them to stop. When they don’t, they order Sonetto to stop them. Sonetto freezes. She gets dizzy and her heart races.

Vertin speaks up. She pleads with the Principal to listen to them. She asks for a chance to let them be themselves.

The Principal orders the security to grab Isabella (lead singer). She is taken down by guards and their batons. Hoses and Dumbitter potion are prepared. Dumbitter potion is legalized for crowd control purposes only. It's very bitter, pungent, and can cause temporary vision disorder and speech disorder. High concentrations can lead to paralysis and hallucination. It is outlawed in many cases except for extreme circumstances. For example, singing children.

The children are blasted by Dumbitter potion from the hoses.

Vertin calls out to Isabella.

Isabella gives her a sad smile while being pulled and pushed around by the guards. Vertin orders the kids to protect Isabella. They sing while crying despite the potion. Vertin shouts orders, telling her friends to step back and protect themselves. “Stand in a circle, shorter ones inside!” They continue to resist while protecting one another under Vertin's guidance.

The Principal orders his Safety Supervisor to shoot tear gas above them. Instead, he fired it directly at Vertin and hit her in the leg. Vertin goes down while directing her allies.

Vertin falls into a coma, which isn’t surprising considering her injuries and the Dumbitter potion. Luckily, she made a full recovery and can attend class.

Constantine cannot believe the bullshit she is hearing as Madam Z debriefs her. Vertin catches her interest since she led the children. She remembers Vertin as that kid who stuck her arms outside the front gate to catch a frog during the Storm. Constantine drops this on us.

“She's special. Makes me think of her mother.”

At this moment, there is a divide between the Foundation and the children. After the Parade Ceremony, the kids will have doubts and Manus will not let this opportunity go to waste. Constantine needs Vertin to grow the way she prefers and begins scheming of ways to deal with her.

Back in the classroom, Sonetto hands Vertin the notes she missed. At this point we learn that Sonetto rarely comes and speaks to Vertin first. Sonetto asks how Vertin is feeling. Vertin says it doesn't hurt as much now, it hurt more when the tear gas burned her (She's sort of spaced out here).

Sonetto gets quiet. She admits she found the song beautiful. Vertin says she is happy to hear that, but she's more focused on the kids being locked up in the guardhouse. They were locked away for a week without food. Sonetto mentioned she tried to bring them food but she was turned away by an instructor. She offers to lend them her notes when they return, unaware Vertin already has another plan in the making.

She is planning their great escape.

The new meeting place is the air-raid tunnel under the library.

Matilda attends but says she couldn't find Mesmer Jr, so she came alone. Many students refuse to talk to The Ring after their imprisonment in the guardhouse but those who do show up are committed to the cause. They've seen the Foundation's true colors. Vertin shows off the map and escape routes she'd been working on and the group gets scheming.

Vertin also reveals she has a map of the neighborhood outside with many means of transportation they could use to escape. This map was also provided by a Manus Vindictae airdrop for arcanists who want to join their cause. Recently there were more airdrops with guides, rations, supplies, and articles exposing the Foundation. The Ring was quick enough to snag a pamphlet with his ability before the instructors got to them. Manus will pick them up if they make it out and make it to one of the designated areas. Vertin and the others want to thank Manus Vindictae once they escape.

After the meeting, Matilda calls out to Vertin while crying (she is 2 years younger than Sonetto and might be the youngest member of the class). Immediately concerned, Vertin checks up on her. Matilda can't be a part of the break-away plan. She chose to come to this school, unlike the others. Vertin assures her she won't force Matilda into anything. She does ask Matilda for one favor and that is to inform Mesmer Jr. about the plan. She doesn't want to leave anyone behind.

Matilda thanks Vertin and promises to tell her. She then helps the students fight off the Critters who ambushed them in the tunnel. Matilda won’t be a part of the escape, but she continues to provide support. Later she gives Vertin a special set of earrings that the crew uses to communicate with each other during the break away event.

We find out the reason Matilda couldn't find Mesmer Jr. earlier is because of Constantine. She reveals the truth of the Storm to Mesmer. Constantine also takes the map meant for Mesmer from her locker (they raided it prior). Mesmer panics because now she knows the truth. She doesn't want her friends to be reversed. Constantine promises she won't let that happen. Mesmer leaves her office in tears, thanking her.

Constantine is satisfied. They caught a Manus agent and shut down the Olitiaus post. And now the problem with Vertin is also solved. Madam Z wants to have more people ready to “rescue the lost lambs” on the day of their plan. However, Constantine has other ideas.

She will let the children see the Storm with their own eyes. Madam Z argues but Constantine is her boss. She wants to make an example out of them and use them as a lesson for Vertin. She wants Vertin to know the price of rebellion.

Constantine has been looking forward to her transformation since 1999.

Madam Z is outraged and says she'll never agree to this plan. Constantine says it's because Madam Z doesn't understand politics. Madam Z says she doesn't. She's simply a scientist.

Throughout the story we see Madam Z being the compassionate voice out of the two, always putting the children first and trying to find rational ways to deal with things. Constantine is the opposite and focuses on winning the “game” at the expense of others. However, we see she’s used to winning.

On October 27th, the break-away plan begins. Vertin is the bellwether that leads the rebels. Part of her feels like something is off, as if she is playing against an invisible enemy but she is happy to see everything go so smoothly. Too smoothly. As they get closer to the exit, they begin to hear thunder. Once again, Vertin gets uneasy. Lilya confronts them in one of the the air-raid tunnels. To everyone’s surprise Sonetto appears, (well everyone except Lilya who saw Sonetto trailing them), and offers to help Vertin and the others. Sonetto paralyzes Lilya with a spell, Stono Swift. Vertin is reeling with so many questions but she doesn’t have time to ask. She thanks Sonetto and says goodbye. Sonetto asks Vertin if she will have regrets. Once they leave, they will lose everything. There is no turning back.

Vertin says she won’t. They prepared for everything.

“Seems like you…won’t be needing my notebook anymore.”

The Ring activates the switch closing the door behind the crew. Vertin stands on one side, Sonetto on the other as it slowly comes down. Sonetto says one more thing before it shuts completely.

“It was a pleasure being your deskmate, Vertin.”

The children continue onward. They make it to the last door and open it together. Thunder roars overhead. It starts to rain.

“May the Freedom be with us!”

Vertin watches as clothes fall to the ground.

The children are reversed. Vertin is the only rebel left.

Madam Z appears before her holding a black umbrella. “Do you want to be the Timekeeper?”

Constantine smiles to herself back in her office. “Checkmate.”

Other Important Information

The Foundation tries to revise history to put humanity on a pedestal and labels arcanists as unpredictable liabilities.

The Foundation is rewriting history as they “educate” the children. They twist details to put arcanists in a bad light, blaming their unpredictability and spontaneous behavior. They tell the kids that arcanists are born unstable and pin the blame of many historic low points on arcanists while propping humanity up on a pedestal. This can be seen in Chapter 3-1. I highly recommend looking back in the Atlas. The Foundation might also have a way of messing with their memories which we can see with Matilda in the same section.

Gnosis IRL Definition:

Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge. The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it signifies a spiritual knowledge or insight into humanity's real nature as divine, leading to the deliverance of the divine spark within humanity from the constraints of earthly existence. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosis)

I have no idea when Vertin’s abilities manifested.

I thought they appeared around the time of the break away event but I didn’t see it. We know Vertin can use arcanum later on. She must have awakened in the last 4 years or less if she is 16 when the prologue starts.

#reverse1999 recap #reverse 1999 spoiler #reverse1999 #reverse: 1999 #reverse1999 lore

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sepublic · 2 years

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Imagine Philip. Still alive, against all odds as always, seething. Recuperating, healing; Starting his recovery by eating the little things, insects. Then birds, he hates the cardinals especially... Before moving onto bigger game. People’s pets disappear. Deer are dead. Maybe even a person or two goes missing...

Belos, rebuilding himself, but trapped as a monster; His facade torn apart. Lurking in the shadows, hiding in basements, hiding in a cave like he has as Philip; The horrific cryptid that parents warn their children of at night. He’s become the nightmare, the scary story of witches that his parents told him about.

He sees the newspaper clipping, written by a familiar surname, Hopkins. How does he feel about the speculation? What goes through his mind when he reads the theories of a man who shares his ideals? When Belos realizes he and his brothers were venerated as witch hunter martyrs with statues, what goes through his mind?!

Happiness? That he and Caleb WERE remembered, and honored for their sacrifice?! Does he risk going out to view the statues in-person, touch his face then Caleb’s, remark on the inaccuracies? Does Belos dare find Jacob, or will Hopkins understandably attack him as a monster; Will Jacob die? Will Hunter have to ask him about the Wittebane brothers, Philip and Caleb?!

Will we see Gus relay the memories he saw to Hunter... Who recognizes the Golden Guard sigil, sees his face in that statue, as Luz realizes Philip’s?! Will they have to talk to freaking Jacob for information?! Maybe even Philip himself, for answers, and HIS skewed side of the story.

Is Philip recovering in the same household that he grew up in; Right next door, everyone totally unaware while he spies on them from outside the window as the night monsters he’s heard so much about, capable of sneaking in to torment Hunter!? Who wakes up, wondering if it was a nightmare as his friends tell him Belos is dead, he can’t be alive, but he KNOWS in his bones he’s out there... Maybes goes out to win the fight his father should’ve won. And Vee will believe him, she knows Belos; And might have to help finish him off by draining the magic keeping him on life support. As Belos stole from others, eventually he is stolen from himself.

And does he die, then? In peace, finally at home, satisfied and convinced that he’s remembered as a hero for all time... And there’s nothing our heroes can do to clear the discrepancy at Gravesfield, so in a way Philip gets this dying, comforting victory? This vindication... After wandering his home, terrified of what’s changed, scared of being seen; He sees and recognizes the familiar and can die in something resembling peace. He damn well doesn’t deserve it, but right now all anyone can ask is for Belos to be gone and out of their lives forever.

#the owl house #philip wittebane #emperor belos #Caleb wittebane #jacob hopkins #the owl house hunter #vee noceda #speculation #theory #meta

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whump-me · 1 year

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Martyr Masterpost

He said he’d die for his cause. But death would be easy compared to what awaits him…

Wraith was born for battle, and his calling found him early, when he took up arms against Earth’s invading soldiers. He’s left a trail of blood in his wake, and he has no regrets. He will sacrifice anything to protect the Martian rebellion—and the man he loves.

Isadora, the head of Earth’s brutal security forces on Mars, sacrificed every shred of humanity in her heart long ago. If she can destroy the rebellion, it will be worth the cost.

Now Wraith is handcuffed to a chair in Isadora’s interrogation room, with nothing but his razor-edged wit and his mask of arrogance between him and the annihilation of everything he holds dear.

Isadora plans to strip away every one of his defenses. He represents her chance to vindicate every sacrifice she’s made—because if she breaks him, she ends the rebellion.

But his fraying resistance hides more secrets than she knows. And what he’s holding back has the power to undo her.

---

Martyr is sci-fi interrogation whump (light on the tech, heavy on the war crimes), with a defiant whumpee, a cold female whumper, torture, emotional whump, and devastating personal realizations on both sides. This story is novel-length, and is complete at 30 chapters. Many of the chapters are whumper POV.

The story is best read in order, but if you just want a quick whump fix and don’t necessarily need to understand what’s going on, might I suggest: - Chapter 5 (interrogation, broken fingers) - Chapter 14 (interrogation, forced to watch, non-fatal stabbing) - Chapter 16 (forced to watch, fatal beating, begging) - Chapter 19 (interrogation, forced to watch, hand stabbing) - Chapter 24 (severe beating, out-of-control whumper)

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Rebel Leader Chapter 2: Sweet Victory Chapter 3: An Unexpected Challenge Chapter 4: Up Close and Personal Chapter 5: A Game of Control Chapter 6: Cold Chapter 7: The Temptation of Weakness Chapter 8: A Civil Conversation Chapter 9: True Believers Chapter 10: Playing His Part Chapter 11: Dangerous Respect Chapter 12: Lend Me a Prisoner Chapter 13: Making It Personal Chapter 14: Incentive Chapter 15: The Occasional Luxury Chapter 16: No Reason, No Mercy Chapter 17: Very Sensible Reasons Chapter 18: Now We're Getting Somewhere Chapter 19: The Truth This Time Chapter 20: Taxonomy of Love Chapter 21: There Always Comes A Moment Chapter 22: So Close Chapter 23: Laughter Chapter 24: Floating Chapter 25: Nothing Chapter 26: Gratitude and Dread Chapter 27: Almost Like Starting Over Chapter 28: Not Over Yet Chapter 29: Better Things to Die For Chapter 30: A Good Emptiness

(Here from a reblog? Here’s the most recent version.)

#whump #whump writing #whump story #whump novel #interrogation whump #sci-fi whump #my writing #my writing: Martyr #my writing: masterpost

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bestworstcase · 16 days

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I sometimes wonder if, like a decade from now depending on what happens, if people will come to rewatch the OG RWBY series and give it some proper vindication from the unfairly bad reputation it has, and maybe realize how full of shit a lot of its critics really are.

It sometimes feels like a lot of series just don't really get the appreciation they deserve until years after the fact.

martyr complex

#how many variations of this sentiment do i have to ignore before you ask me something interesting instead

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incorrect-mtg · 4 months

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Flavor Text Highlights - Apocalypse

<- Previous Set | Next Set ->

Cool - Symbiotic Deployment

“You know your orders. I know your hearts. Now the stronghold will know defeat.” —Eladamri

Cool - Goblin Trenches

The ground rose and formed into thousands of tiny warriors. This fight was far from over.

Worldbuilding - Vindicate

“Don’t mourn for me. This is my destiny.” —Gerrard

Emotional - Martyrs' Tomb

Honor the brave who fought, Honor the dead who fell, Honor the world they saved. —Memorial inscription

<- Previous Set | Next Set ->

#magic the gathering #flavor text highlights #apocalypse

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taffywabbit · 2 months

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I generally agree with most of the things you post about, but that recent reblog just really rubs me the wrong way. I think I understand the frustration's the OP got, but I don't know, it sorta comes across to me as "I just WISH people would've came to this realization in THIS SPECIFIC WAY" which is just...unrealistic? I feel as though it's almost a slap in the face to Bushnell himself, who probably knew exactly why he had to do what he did. He knew a lot of people WOULDN'T pay attention unless someone like him did something. An unfortunate reality, but, one that seems to at the very least worked. It is sad that he had to do such a thing, but at the same time I don't think it's in the right place to blame such people for not coming to this realization beforehand. I feel these people are vindicated for having been able to be drawn to whats happening. HOW they were drawn in really shouldn't...matter? I think there are people far more worthy of criticism and scorn than those whose eyes were opened by something closer to home than our own. And I think it's extremely disrespectful to Bushnell's act to look at the reaction of it and complain that it served as a catalyst for some people when they should've been more aware from the get go. Should they have? Yes. Is it realistic to expect the vast majority of the North American populace to be that aware of whats going on? No. Sadly. It isn't. Which is exactly why Bushnell did what he did.

i didn't really take it that way, i read it more as merely regret that it took this long AND such a blatant, violent display of protest for the reality of the situation to finally reach a lot of people (particularly in light of how much western news media outlets have been trying to keep the specifics and severity out of the public eye). i looked at that post not as any sort of disrespect towards Bushnell's sacrifice, but rather a frustration with how numb people often are to seeing faceless numbers and statistics in connection with tragedies these days. most american/canadian/british/etc news media LOVES to focus on "main characters" - people you can easily put a name and face to and plaster all over the headlines for people to discuss - and until there's someone like that to latch onto, folks are conditioned to feel like it's none of their business and those big numbers are merely an ongoing fact they cannot change.

if Aaron Bushnell's public suicide was the tipping point for someone to take more active interest in the Palestinian struggle, and reconsider the distorted/suppressed information they may have been receiving about it, that's undeniably a positive outcome and it would be wrong to assert otherwise. that was the goal, that was what he set out to accomplish. the risk comes from overemphasizing him as an individual martyr in all of this, at the cost of pushing the direct victims of the genocide out of the spotlight. considering (as far as i'm aware) the OP of that post i reblogged IS Palestinian, has personally lost loved ones to Israel's violence, and has been a consistent and invaluable resource over the past few months for educating people about the context and history of Palestine's struggles, i'm inclined to try not to take their post about this in bad faith. it doesn't really feel like my place to police their tone, frankly.

ultimately i can't speak on OP's behalf and i also can't control whether other people take away the same things i did from that post. but my personal belief is that Aaron Bushnell's act was bold and selfless and it's deeply unfortunate that things have reached a point where he felt it was necessary. i just also believe that he didn't do it to make himself the center of attention. i have no doubt that his status as a white american military serviceman is a factor in why many people are finally taking this as a wake-up call when they ignored all the previous ones, but i also think he understood that himself to some extent, and used that position of privilege (as well as the shock factor of defying what many americans expect from a man wearing their flag on his shoulder) to help ensure the message was heard by demographics of people who otherwise might not listen. to treat his sacrifice as a singular unique act, rather than one in a chain of many, and to give it special attention and fanfare when that energy could instead be turned to those who are still in need of it, feels like it runs directly counter to his goals. i think we should acknowledge and appreciate Bushnell's effort to sway more people in Palestine's favor, but not let it derail the greater conversation too much for those of us who are already engaged in this cause and do not need further convincing. he used his position to reach people, and it's our job to continue the momentum and help make sure those people know what their newly altered perspective should lead them to do. mourn the dead and fight like hell for the living, as they say

#ask #chokovit #hopefully i'm not too far off-base with this #again i don't know the thoughts of the person who posted the thing i reblogged but i'm inclined not to tone-police a palestinian about this #and i felt it was important to elevate their perspective amidst the others i was reblogging #but for whatever my own thoughts are worth i can at least make them clear here. hopefully this clears that up one way or another #current events #long post #free palestine

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