Discussion: Proculvisus

The Cold Mage Posts : 5869

Here is the topic to discuss the series of short chapters in Proculvisus, the prequel and semi-official mythos of the Farsight/Arcsight/On Rewinding universe/world.

Please, any suggestions or contributions are more than welcome to be made here! Talk away, let's breathe some life back into CM!

Link to {Proculvisus}

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Table of Contents
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[1] - Prologue

[2] - The Meersburg Incident

[3] - Countdown

[4] - Earth Day

[5] - Palácio dos Azulejos

[6] - Blueshift

[7] - Operation Henry

[8] - Devil Mask

[9] - Nexus Sinicus

[10] - Blowout

[11] - Deluge

[12] - Business Interlude

[13] - Medium Gears

[14] - ???

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

"The Meersburg Incident" is a glorious tie-in with Farsight. Though in some ways it ends Sol Felenit's brief arc, it leaves the door open too. The best thing is that it brings Kutznetz and the poor technician to life even just in that brief window, as the missile launch is ordered and executed.

"Countdown" is gritty and decidedly not as glorious, but it wasn't trying to be. I appreciate the look at Preservation's more pure-terrorist beginnings; its forced-relocation tactics by the time of ORe seem positively benign compared to its role as it formed in WWIII: literally razing cities. We can talk about the whole wartime Preservation thing though.

-|W|G|-

The Cold Mage Posts : 5869

I'm glad you have such a positive response!
For "The Meersburg Incident", I wanted to kind of pay homage to what Farsight was... which was a lot of action planned, and some crazy mishaps for its brief life... but, that's what made it so fun!

For "Countdown", I did want to capture the very dark past of On Rewinding, and the terrorist-filled, city-razing atmosphere of the Post-Collapse War... or maybe the Collapse happened after or even during the war! So much to formulate!

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

"The Meersburg Incident" is a reminder of the fun and unpredictability of Farsight, and also a reminder that Farsight isn't really dead!

As we dive into On Rewinding, a lot about Farsight's conclusion still remains unknown, and there's still some action to be had before the Third War.

I have to tell you that the Collapse had to have happened during or after the War. The only thing right before the War was what we seen in Farsight and its trailing edge.

-|W|G|-

Head Librarian & Game Master Posts : 3659

I'm typing this as I read it. I had to double-take the first line of the prologue before I noticed the oxymoron. The "lights" going "dark" is actually a suitably epic image for your Arc Words.

And then, the Meersburg Incident... Arty, well done. That was probably the most eventful occurrence in the old RPG, sadly enough, but your recapturing of it here blew me away. That said, I would have no idea what was going on if you hadn't mentioned the Osprey theft earlier - I don't know what an Osprey is, even if it's obvious now from context that it's a helicopter. I suppose anyone who would both remember the original Farsight and still be around has already read this, so it might not be worth addressing.

The last line of your first chapter hit me like a punch in the gut. Arc Words are hard to get right, sir. Andrew Hussie's are epic and appropriate, but super confusing and hard to keep track of. Doctor Who's Arc Word usage has been abysmal. But it's already clear that you know what you're doing.

Suspense in Countdown is masterful. Wham lines like the pillar impairing his concentration, the rescue team's true purpose, the implication of the Islefolk taking the Preservation's side, the contrast between Dionen's appearance and his potential, the significance of Big Ben, and all wrapped up with a clock pun tied into the title.

Speaking of clock puns, sorry this is in late - it was out of my hands, but I've been 'round forever, so at least I can show my face. XD

As for how Vice Versa would tie in, Preservationism seems to be an anti-civilization movement, likely instigated by a loss of faith in humanity during the atrocities of war. Considering what land they have, I can easily see them being responsible for ending it! Vice Versa, however, is more like the opposite. The Preservation hates humanity and the war it wrought upon itself and its environment, and so it attempts to end the former and succeeded in ending the latter. Vice Versa promotes the future, long-term success of humanity before fleeting prosperity in the moment, glorified destruction as a part of the cycle of rebirth, and started the war so that humanity could rise above it.

And suddenly, I have a very good idea for an RPG character...

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

Another disquieting look into the early days of the Vice Versa/Preservation transition. The question of how things changed becomes more pressing - the ORe-era Preservation is tame compared to the bloody chaos and terrorism in the War, and given that the only prequel story I've been saving is a literal and metaphorical beheading of a certain organization, we're still a long way off from understanding the War's players.

Which reminds me, ORe needs some attention from me too...

About this particular story, Harvey Kecke is a crude tool of the proto-Preservation, a blunt instrument smashing civilization's cages. He's powerful but predictable, with all of the Preservation's hate but much less of its precision and foresight (farsight?). He serves his purpose for a brief time in history, like Morgan Dionen, but Dionen is much more compelling. Either way, I think we can see his time is limited.

-|W|G|-

The Cold Mage Posts : 5869

Well I'm glad you liked it!

The next one takes place in Lisbon, and should be a nice refrain from all the action and death and whatnot.

And that farsight pun though.

Head Librarian & Game Master Posts : 3659

It's a shame Wally has to come and ground the Preservation's theatrics as a passing phase, because they are very good and making their points, and Arty is very good at writing them this way. XD

I can't remember the last time that the destruction of civilization was this classy. Well done, Mr. Foul.

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

"Palácio dos Azulejos" is beautiful, and I don't mean just the palace itself.

All the descriptions of the architecture and art are just my type. The story is really driven by the faded majesty you lay out. And then of course we've got a GOOD OLD MYSTERY on our hands at the end of things.

I can only await more prequely goodness.

-|W|G|-

Head Librarian & Game Master Posts : 3659

Darn, now I want to get Drake all the way over to Mexico City!

I hope these stories continue, Arty - if they're allowed to go on long enough, they might weave a masterful conspiracy. I don't know if you've planned it out and I don't know if you should - just keep doing what you're doing. Smile

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

Of course the latest was interesting, as you never cease to make happen, Arty.

But honestly, I'm confused - Dionen is cited as a "Preservation celebrity", but the Preservation itself is a hidden entity until Vice Versa falls. Is this after that time, or is Dionen not known to be abusing the Preservation's cause by the public? The latter would make sense - he's a rogue, so the Preservation takes him out - but I just wasn't sure by the end of "Operation Henry" entirely what was going on.

(Unrelated to the conversation, I have another submission for Proculvisus in Break's topic. Let me know if it fits or needs revision.)

-|W|G|-

The Cold Mage Posts : 5869

Well I'm glad to have confused you! As Dionen is a rather public figure in an otherwise very concealed organization, he makes a very good target for both actually powerful Preservation leadership (if there is any!) and also for the various nefarious (and not necessarily Nebraskan) agencies who persecute the Preservation with great prejudice.

In this case, two Hebrew-speaking individuals from said agency came with a drone as backup into unfriendly territory (The colonel, Floren, was attending a house party at Dionen's residence in Venezuela; Enrico Fanzetti is a minor character, even more-so than Dionen, but might appear elsewhere for an explanation of his background) due to intel from various sources.... this could be including the Preservation itself, if any of their disgruntled membership felt so inclined. Dionen, although loyal to the cause, really was more of a remnant of flamboyant terrorism that is becoming less and less popular with the Preservation--as they gain more and more influence.

All in all, who tipped the authorities off to Dionen's whereabouts/intentions is left to your interpretation, but the Semitic agents were in fact government funded and clearly trained operatives. Dionen may have only been captured, but it's a fair assumption he won't be living for much longer once he passes by Cape Town.

Hope that helps, let me know if I need to clarify anything further. (and yes, yes, your piece is wonderful again! At the very least, we have some more direct continuity going!)

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

Interesting... It all makes sense now that I know the agents were governmental.

The only question in Dionen's future is, will he be intercepted before Cape Town?

The takedown of Dionen without any support to him by the Preservation does remind me, I need to firm up the timeline. With the size of the death flags Dionen is flying for the world to see, he would be an early one to go, but the Preservation itself doesn't emerge with its own brand of terrorism until a couple of other major events have occurred... More to get on, more to get on.

I hope I can clarify my views on the Preservation's earliest major operations once we're through with the Hong Kong arc.

After I do that, we should see some familiar faces cropping up, as in CLASSIC NPCS.

-|W|G|-

The Cold Mage Posts : 5869

The continuity is beautiful.

I'm glad you're sticking with the Hong Kong arc, and giving me a break from writing. The transitioning between the different characters is very nice, and the suspense is fantastic! A city is wired to explode, a new terrorist group is emerging, and a hunter is being hunter by their prey!

Well done, Wally. I await more eagerly.

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

*spectral-bow*

I'm in your debt for making Proculvisus happen, and only too happy to switch out with you on the writing for maximum updates.

And I'm ~~amazed~~ delighted you like it, as always! I hoped the viewpoint switches wouldn't be too much, but I had to relay them all some way. We do learn more this way, though...

I'll do my best with what comes next.

-|W|G|-

The Cold Mage Posts : 5869

Yey! Fleshing out the ViVe agents, and also, that final scene.

Very nice, Walter. I'm enjoying seeing where this plot will end.

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

Thank you as always.

I hope I'm doing okay in leading up to the end without plot holes. The last chapter will be coming soonish!

I almost forgot to write something about this, though...

Farsight originally was supposed to begin in 2103 C.E. sometime, with all events being from that point forward. I know a lot of it turned out to be mediocre writing on my part, and we have to interpret Farsight loosely, but the relative timeline should be preserved. For instance, say "The Meersburg Incident" is our current benchmark. That means "Earth Day" happens four years later, and means that the Preservation is still underground four years after "The Meersburg Incident".

Also, Proculvisus is technically happening concurrently with Farsight. That means, among other things, that Wiley Proudman seems to have been elected President of the United States in 2100 or thereabouts. If he's reelected in 2104(?), then the United States is dissolved 8 to 16 years after he completes his second term, because I have two US presidents listed after him on the tentative timeline.

If you guys have noticed, there's no time/date on the Hong Kong arc, but there's said to be full war with Vice Versa and major tensions with Otherwise in many countries. Proudman was listed as being elected during peacetime, and if we even loosely accept Farsight's events, then Vice Versa's emergence and takeover of Russia have to happen 6 months to 2 years after the 2100 US election. Vice Versa was never mentioned in the brief period covered by the original Farsight, so that sets a limit on their first appearance. And since the Preservation operated/operates under cover of Vice Versa for the first period of their existence, of course they have to properly appear even later than ViVe.

What that all means for now is that the Hong Kong arc is later than anything except possibly "Palacio", because Vice Versa becomes aware of a terrorist force other than their own. How much later, we'll have to figure out.

I think I might need to rewrite some Farsight events for the sake of Proculvisus's narrative...

-|W|G|-

Head Librarian & Game Master Posts : 3659

Does that mean that Dionen-era Preservation terrorism happened before Hong Kong? I had assumed Hong Kong to be the Preservation's first major enterprise, with the destruction during Countdown and Earth Day taking place after they surpassed Vice Versa, and Dionen's assassination to be the end of their celebrity terrorism, and coinciding with the end of WWIII.

That is, I thought that Dionen emerged to lead the assault against the cities during WWIII, and then the Preservation evolved into its ORe-contemporary form post-war in a sort of counter-revolution, sort of like Napoleon replacing Robespierre. Or maybe the other way around?

The Cold Mage Posts : 5869

My estimates are, the events of Countdown and Operation Henry happened very close together, as it was Dionen's assault of London that made him a target for multiple people.

These both presumably happen after Hong Kong, because Dionen goes public after the Preservation does, in a way.

As for Earth Day and Deluge (which will be up this evening)...
Earth Day is post Farsight, and it's an example of very covert and infantile Preservation terrorism.

Deluge, however, takes place a little whiles before Farsight.

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

Sigh. Guess I wrote this too slowly; I was writing a reply to Spectral when Arty replied. Let's see what I can say here...

I guess you've forgotten, but I've made this point before: the Preservation is not a public endeavor until after "Walker", which I haven't posted yet.

I always assumed Dionen is only quasi-Preservation: publicly he is just a terrorist, assumed to be Vice Versa. I say this because if Dionen rose AFTER the Preservation came into its own, they would have killed him as soon as he did the British Isles job. Same with Earth Day and Kecke's mayhem, I also did not count it as publicly Preservation. It's just not how the Preservation works.

Dionen and Kecke don't typify the Preservation, ever. Mere destruction of civilization isn't their goal; they destroy property along the way, as we see with the Maderanic Tower, but that had another purpose too - I promise I'll explain that in another chapter. Nowhere in "Blueshift", "Devil Mask", "Nexus Sinicus", or "Blowout" is the Preservation mentioned except by the Preservation itself, and then only by a single Hong Kong operative.

With apologies to Steven Gould (I think?), the "evolution" from ViVe to the Preservation was not constant: it was stepwise. Vice Versa was the public destroyer of cities, and the Preservation was a weak undercurrent of an organization. Quite honestly, the Preservation didn't have the strength of ViVe and could never have survived in the open until the War demolished their opponents from the inside or the outside. Again, I've got to explain this by story, so I'm doing my best to explain without spoiling my entire gameplan.

I just ask that you guys please not ask me to explain how the Preservation works, because I'm almost done with the Hong Kong arc and that story is a glorious illustration.

I don't want to sound exasperated here, but I am a little. Dionen and Kecke fit more with ViVe's paradigm; the Preservation was weak until its emergence post-"Walker"; nobody knows about the Preservation during Proudman's first term, 2100-2104; and I'm going to illustrate with my last Hong Kong story, whose name is so foreshadowy that I won't say it yet. I know I'm always like this with my stories and it's (i.e. I'm) annoying, but I have so much material planned out that it's hard to finish it all and logically show my hand, but still try to explain things without spoiling the surprise.

Finally, I want to say what I should've said in the first place. Spectral, you and Irae conceived of ViVe much longer ago than I conceived of the Preservation. Would I have used Vice Versa instead of the Preservation in the present-day of On Rewinding if they had the same mechanics of terrorism? Yes! The fact that I didn't should tell you something about the fundamental differences between the two. If I say too much about it, I'll spoil too much about it, so just let me show you with the next chapter.

-|W|G|-

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

TL;DR for previous post:

The Preservation is too weak to survive on its own when it originally coalesces. Vice Versa is the only strong terrorist group before or during the war. None of the current posts in Proculvisus take place after the War, because the War destroyed not just property and lives but memory, and we can clearly recognize the place names in Proculvisus but not in On Rewinding. (I'll elaborate on this later, when I can.)

Dionen and Kecke privately believe in the Preservation, but publicly would have to be seen as Vice Versa agents. The Preservation doesn't do work like they do and if it existed in public at the same time as them, it would have killed agents like them. Vice Versa did not evolve into the Preservation. The Preservation was not known about before the War, and for most of its first half. It couldn't work publicly, and that includes the events through the Hong Kong arc, where Vice Versa is blamed.

Everything in Proculvisus CURRENTLY is set after Farsight, but at varying times, and is not in chronological order.

I repeat, the Preservation could not coexist with or evolve naturally from Vice Versa. In Proculvisus so far, nobody outside the Preservation has said its name, because nobody KNOWS its name. This is not supposed to be coincidental. We are forgetting about the real war power: Vice Versa.

Brought to you by Walter's QuickWritingAtMidnight. WQWAM: Requested by Arty.

-|W|G|-

Head Librarian & Game Master Posts : 3659

My eyes are growing tired from futile Galidor research, so I must be quick, but let me say that I enjoyed the latest update from Wally!

Most of this story was a nod to Old King Coal, which I appreciated - the Codrexian mythos is a lovely one, even if the references outnumber the source material - but the peripheral elements, namely insight into what Farsight might have been / what Arcsight could be, were far more engaging. It's a shame that I'm not on top of my lore, though, since I momentarily confused Alert's leadership with Otherwise's. Is there an :ashamed: emoticon?

I'll offer to write a tie-in for Coal, but I'll also secretly hope that you'll keep filling in gaps, rather than building on your foundation. I favor depth over breadth with this kind of world-building, and I eagerly await more to soak in.

Head Librarian & Game Master Posts : 3659

My eyes are growing tired from futile Galidor research, so I must be quick, but let me say that I enjoyed the latest update from Wally!

Most of this story was a nod to Old King Coal, which I appreciated - the Codrexian mythos is a lovely one, even if the references outnumber the source material - but the peripheral elements, namely insight into what Farsight might have been / what Arcsight could be, were far more engaging. It's a shame that I'm not on top of my lore, though, since I momentarily confused Alert's leadership with Otherwise's. Is there an :ashamed: emoticon?

I'll offer to write a tie-in for Coal, but I'll also secretly hope that you'll keep filling in gaps, rather than building on your foundation. I favor depth over breadth with this kind of world-building, and I eagerly await more to soak in.

Edit: 12/27/15 update, "Medium Gears."

I have no idea what the last paragraph of this post was originally meant to mean; I really favor breadth over depth and I think I got confused. It's funny that I'm leaving for another of Scoddy's hockey tournaments today, and I posted this while marathoning Galidor at a tournament last year (I regret nothing, Galidor is the bitin' chitin).

My offer to write something for Coal still stands but... I have little of an idea what's going on? Obviously the Guardians (or the equivalent) from MANTLE work for Otherwise and are tied into whatever it is that Geso (always pronounced that with a hard /g/ for some reason) is working on, and it sounds like the Preservation is already active, which leads to some exciting possibilities. I itch to start working on an entirely text-based rendition of Homebrew that ties into the larger Codrexian mythos.

And yet, I still feel resigned to the passenger's seat. If you want me to participate in whatever maelstrom you're stirring up, I'm here, but if you've got a plan and want an audience to leave in suspense, my intuition is that I should keep my hands off.

This story's setting and tone fall more in your style (and Arty's) than mine. My fantasy is more fantastic, my modern-day (or near-future) is neither this intrigue/suspense oriented nor this gradual. My brand of the absurd is far less subtle.

But my names are far less eccentric.

Mysterious Figure Posts : 8336

I assume you're going to get your desired breadth out of these stories.

I'm looking forward to whatever you do for Coal, whenever you feel you can write, but there's no need to feel like a passenger in this story. I'd sort of forgotten what you did or didn't know, so I'll try to refresh your memory.

Recall the company name under which Max Althim, Cassius Shoya, and Ferrax ne Yerros work under: Fieldworks. Headed by one Fabrio Arrhakas, this virtual-reality and modern design startup was bought up by Otherwise when that company expanded its vision and became interested in quality of life and consciousness. Over the years, the senior Arrhakas - Geso (indeed pronounced with hard /g/) - came to see Fieldworks's focus as a bright point for future innovation, and shifted Otherwise's research in general toward materials innovation, electric power generation, and memcomputer technology, all while the pharmaceutical industry withered under governmental development. (I'm not making up "memcomputing", look it up.

) Geso's personal involvement with the Fieldworks plans both give encouragement and put pressure on those who work under that umbrella.

Our familiar MANTLE and Homebrew kids, or at least Oberon and Narija, are family of Fieldworks employees and thus more closely familiar with the power of the company's latest tools. The third Fieldworks employee whom we personally know well, Ferrax ne Yerros, also has a family, but his son is too young to play much with the older kids.

The last bit you might want to know is that the "rainforest" Althim mentions, where Fieldworks is based, isn't tropical but temperate. The headquarters and main facilities are in the metropolitan vicinity of Seattle, WA, US, or Vancouver, BC, Canada - I'm not actually sure exactly.

All of that should be public knowledge, I suppose, but if you want to know "exactly" what Coal's getting himself into, I can PM you.

I don't know the details of what Geso wants, but I can tell you as much as is working knowledge within Fieldworks. Pardon the obscurity in the actual story, but I have the notion of our hypothetical future readers being in just as much suspense.

-|W|G|-