#qntmthry

[cosmoscourge-a]

Tobias Mendelssohn and the Never-Ending Revolution

Arceus is a plague. Much like a disease, we’re engaged in a constant struggle against him, and yet he’s constantly inventing new ways in which to trouble us. This is the nature of the evils of the world--always mutating according to the temper of the times; when one problem is solved, two more spring from the very solution itself. These struggles against Arceus will culminate in a final battle that I’ve been plotting for a while now, although certain other things (such as Renate’s resignation) will have to happen first. But even after the battle is won, the fight will still continue.

Because Arceus isn’t just a dangerous being. He also represents dangerous ideas. And thus, like all tyrants, his ways will still pollute the Earth long after he’s gone; in fact, for some of his followers, his death has only convinced them that he is a martyr. Though he won’t be around to fight on his own side any longer, which will certainly make it easier for humanity to progress, he has more than enough people to carry on the fight for him. There will be those who refuse to give up their terrible Arceus-inspired ways. There will be devoted cultists and their leaders clamoring for his return. There will be evil Teams striving to revive him. All in all, even though our heroes will have their day, they’re still going to have to spend the rest of their lives picking up the pieces. Thus, the Never-Ending Revolution will continue, long after most of my muses are dead and gone. Perhaps their great-grandchildren will truly live in a world without him, as will my muses with extremely long lifespans. But most of my characters will not.

We need look no further than our own world for proof that this is how things are going to be. People have fought against racism and other forms of bigotry for hundreds of years, we’re still dealing with the problem today, and our grandchildren will probably still be dealing with it in one form or another. And though blatant racism still exists like it did in the past, racism has also mutated to be more subtle, more underground, more unconscious. It manifests in things as innocent (yet annoying) as “I’m not a racist but,” to revealing accidents such as writing a “white savior” narrative while not knowing what that is, to things as horrible as alt-right dogwhistles. Support for Arceus and his ideology will likewise mutate, changing to try and make itself more politically correct, attempting to re-mold itself in the language of the times (or, like racism, trying to convince the next generation that the past was better). The revolution that overthrew Arceus was just the beginning. The real revolution will be fought on the battlefields of the mind.

What is Tobias’ role in all this? Well. He certainly didn’t start this fight--that honor goes to Friedrike Skyherald. But as the man who finally exposed Arceus’ curse on Unima to the world, he sees it as his duty to end it. After the six years it takes to complete his Ph.D. on the Protagonist Phenomenon and its influence on regional politics, and after the final battle against Arceus, he sets out into the world to do more “field research.” This is his way of describing that he personally throws himself into as many of the major protagonist-vs-evil-team conflicts as possible--usually as a guide/mentor, but sometimes, if the protagonist is too young or too mentally unfit for their job, he steps in and does their journey for them. And after Arceus is defeated? Most of his time is spent cleaning up after Arceus’ mess. Going after the evil teams that formed around Arceitic ideologies. Or politicians trying to drag their countries back into the dead god’s grasp. The fight is a part of him now. And there’s no going back.

Though Tobias has lost the trust of @idanikou​‘s Ghetsis due to his actions after the Sweet Love Soiree, he manages to earn his found family uncle’s trust back through many years of his journey toward being a better person. As he goes on these journeys with his adoptive brother @qntmthry​ / Colress and his childhood best friend also named Tobias / @drkvoids​, he actually becomes a part of Ghetsis’ court as an ambassador who goes to regions who have been destabilized by evil Teams and corrupt politicians--particularly those who still serve Arceus. I imagine he was chosen because people would see him as a symbol of hope, and see his story as a microcosm of the ultimate struggle between humanity and its tyrannical cosmic oppressor: a stormy and treacherous path beset with setbacks, but one that ultimately leads to resolution and peace.

Tobias retires from his overseas adventures at the age of 45. He becomes more settled in Ghetsis’ court as court composer--finally fulfilling his Mozart-like potential --though he still acts as an ambassador due to what he means to the world. Throughout his life, though, starting from the publication of his Ph.D. all the way to his death, he will still produce a huge and extremely influential body of work based on his travels recording everything he’s learned about evil Teams and why Heroes (protags) are so effective in dealing with them. It’s really the sort of thing he wants to dedicate his life toward, and these are the sort of works that can forever change scholarship and the way people look at the world. And of course, running through all these books is a very anti-Arceus thread: the final word in the fight against the demiurge, even long after he’s retired from revolutionary warfare.

[cosmoscourge-a]

17 and 18 for Tobias and Renate?

What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?

Renate’s favorite toys as a child were the anatomically proportionate dolls that her grandparents bought her. We’ve all heard about how Barbie gives children a negative body image, and I imagine in Dispara, there’d be something similar--but her grandparents would have given her a lecture on that from the very beginning and given her the anatomically accurate dolls. She would have pouted about it at first, saying the more unrealistic dolls were “prettier,” but she grew to love the dolls her grandparents bought her and also the lessons they imparted.

Tobias’ favorite toys as a child were the feelings of his therapists. Other than that, his favorites by far were the video games that I can see him and his adoptive brother Colress / @qntmthry hacking together. I imagine he would have made custom levels for all the games he liked and challenged his brother to them, and Colress would have done the same in return. And of course, just to be a shitlord, Tobias would have programmed in some unbeatable levels simply so he could watch his brother play them over and over again and get increasingly frustrated.

Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?

The answer is the same for both: They would rather see wisdom. 

Both have faced suffering beneath unchecked ambition in different ways, and even Tobias with his -10 WIS can see that ambition is far less desirable. We all know what Tobias went through at the hands of someone with twisted ambitions, and as for Renate? She spent much of her life peacefully protesting Wilhelmine’s regime, and her grandparents taught her to always use things such as power and privilege for good. 

[cosmoscourge-a]

@qntmthry gets a thread repost that’s so overdue

As soon as they’re alone, he has doubts.

Don’t do this. Worst mistake you’ll ever make. No one needs to know what you look like. No one needs to know the truth.

Yet still, he doesn’t leave. Yet still, rooted to his spot, he threads a nervous finger through his wig, almost wanting to rip it off and get it over with. He has to show someone. He has to--before he shows Padmé.

And really, who could he show his scars to? Renate? No, she’d be way too nice, and not even in a sugarcoating way; she’d genuinely think he was still beautiful, no matter what. Viktor and Viktoria? They’ve been friends for the past four years--they’d be biased. Tobias? He’d be biased too, and what’s more, he might make some stupid joke in an attempt to lighten the mood but which would actually make Anakin feel worse. Now, he and Colress had become fast friends for sure, but they had pretty much only just met…Colress would be kind enough to let him gently, but perhaps their bond was not yet so close that he could not be objective.

Perhaps there’s no point in doing this. Part of him ‘knows’ that Colress will be repulsed, so why is he even asking this advice? It’s not that his opinion would even matter, though, according to the oldest and most tired cliché. The one who truly loves you will love you regardless of your looks, and she’s said she’d love him even if he’d been injured just like he was in his past…Well, it had happened, and though he’d healed considerably better than he did before, he still had scars, and he still had no hair. He still does feel somewhat foolish; shouldn’t he trust Padmé’s assurances? But then, if he could not look at himself without shame, who would?

      “There’s something I want to show you,” he says--quietly, too quietly; there must be something wrong. “When I go back home, I want to propose to Padmé. But there’s something I wanted to ask you about first.”