Vigor Mortis: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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(Condensing tropes, trimming a couple of others)
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* [[A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read]]: Penta has a hard time not reading her host's mind. Her host is Vita, who often has murderous thoughts. And a ''considerable'' amount of these murderous thoughts are about killing Penta. Vita doesn't consider these thoughts to have much sway on her actions (particularly the ones about killing Penta), but it's not clear how much Penta believes Vita on that. What is clear however is that Vita's thoughts give Penta a great deal of anxiety.
* [[A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read]]: Penta has a hard time not reading her host's mind. Her host is Vita, who often has murderous thoughts. And a ''considerable'' amount of these murderous thoughts are about killing Penta. Vita doesn't consider these thoughts to have much sway on her actions (particularly the ones about killing Penta), but it's not clear how much Penta believes Vita on that. What is clear however is that Vita's thoughts give Penta a great deal of anxiety.
* [[Confessional]]: {{spoiler|Lark}} confesses her sins to Preacher Gregory. Preacher Gregory never actually promises that the information will be kept secret, and he does indeed share at least some of it. He does say that what {{spoiler|Lark}} says won't be held against her (he does hold it against her for a few minutes tops, but he tries to hide it. Dude is only human). The people he divulges the secret to don't hold it against {{spoiler|Lark}} either.
* [[Confessional]]: {{spoiler|Lark}} confesses her sins to Preacher Gregory. Preacher Gregory never actually promises that the information will be kept secret, and he does indeed share at least some of it. He does say that what {{spoiler|Lark}} says won't be held against her (he does hold it against her for a few minutes tops, but he tries to hide it. Dude is only human). The people he divulges the secret to don't hold it against {{spoiler|Lark}} either.
* [[Creepy Child]]: Vita thinks she is 16, but has yet to go through puberty because of malnutrition. She is also a soul eating necromancer, which creeps Rowan out. Rowan is relieved that mind controlling living people is outside Vita's natural talent. Norah doesn't know that Vita is a necromancer and she still finds Vita spooky.
* [[Creepy Child]]: Vita thinks she is 16, but has yet to go through puberty because of malnutrition. She is also a soul eating necromancer, which creeps Rowan out. Rowan is relieved that mind controlling living people is outside Vita's natural talent. Norah doesn't know that Vita is a necromancer, and still finds Vita spooky.
* [[Disposing of a Body]]: Lyn helped Vita get rid of Grig's reanimated corpse.
* [[Disposing of a Body]]: Lyn helped Vita get rid of Grig's reanimated corpse.
* [[Foil]]: Vita and Lark to each other. Both are soul-eaters; Lark does so through eating living flesh (which has some soul in it), while Vita eats the disembodied souls of the dead. Both also start off as hunters of the other's kind (human and monster, respectively). {{spoiler|Vita [[He Who Fights Monsters|grows more monstrous]] and becomes a prisoner of the Templars, while Lark is [[Humanity Ensues|becoming more human]] and training to be a Templar.}}
* [[Foil]]: Vita and Lark
** They both eat souls (Lark does so by eating living flesh which has some soul in it, Vita eats disembodied souls of dead things).
** {{spoiler|Vita is a human that grows more monstrous, while Lark is a monster that grows more human}}
** Vita was mistaken for a child a lot, Lark is comes out of her egg in book 2. Obviously they both get older, that's just how time works.
** Early on Vita is a human that hunts monsters, while Lark is a monster that hunts humans
** Later {{spoiler|Vita is a prisoner of the templars while Lark is training to be a Templar}}.
* [[Green-Eyed Monster]]: {{spoiler|Penny}} was determined to make {{spoiler|Penta}} die in large part because of this:
* [[Green-Eyed Monster]]: {{spoiler|Penny}} was determined to make {{spoiler|Penta}} die in large part because of this:
{{quote|{{spoiler|She takes all my memories, all my experiences, and becomes an actual fucking person instead of an emotionally deficient ''shell''. She robbed me of the ability to pretend I’m a victim of circumstance. She was proof that all my failures are my own.}}}}
{{quote|{{spoiler|She takes all my memories, all my experiences, and becomes an actual fucking person instead of an emotionally deficient ''shell''. She robbed me of the ability to pretend I’m a victim of circumstance. She was proof that all my failures are my own.}}}}
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* [[I Let Gwen Stacy Die]]: Vita largely blames herself for {{spoiler|Angelien}}'s death.
* [[I Let Gwen Stacy Die]]: Vita largely blames herself for {{spoiler|Angelien}}'s death.
* [[Incompatible Orientation]]: Norah says Bently is attracted to Orville and that Orville is straight.
* [[Incompatible Orientation]]: Norah says Bently is attracted to Orville and that Orville is straight.
* [[Inverse Law of Fertility]]: Vita taunts {{spoiler|her prison guard}} over her taunting victim getting pregnant. Said taunting victim was still hoping her period was just late when Vita announced the pregnancy.
* [[Inverse Law of Fertility]]: Vita taunts {{spoiler|her prison guard}} over getting pregnant, while she was still hoping her period was just late.
* [[Justified Criminal]]: Lyn, Vita, and Rowan. Rowan hasn't really done much that is out right illegal except help a necromancer.
* [[Justified Criminal]]: Lyn, Vita, and Rowan. Rowan hasn't really done much that is out right illegal except help a necromancer.
* [[Made a Slave]]: Penelope declares Vita to be her fiancé's slave as a legal maneuver to keep Vita from being executed. Then again, Penelope said that maneuver cost her clout and plans to ''make'' Vita earn it back for her.
* [[Made a Slave]]: Penelope declares Vita to be her fiancé's slave as a legal maneuver to keep Vita from being executed. Then again, Penelope said that maneuver cost her clout and plans to ''make'' Vita earn it back for her.

Revision as of 01:37, 3 December 2021

On the Sky Island of Verdentop, in the city Sky Hope, lives a Street Urchin with no Talent in anything. After an attempt to steal bread goes wrong, she discovers her Talent - Necromancy.

Vigor Mortis was the name of a Quest by Thundamoo. The quest was played here here; while the website has a lot of NSFW stuff, this quest itself is SFW. Unlike the only other quest Thundamoo ran, Vigor Mortis had no dice rolling. The QM has decided to stop running it as a quest and start writing it as a regular story (with some tweaks) here.

Tropes used in Vigor Mortis include:

Maybe having parents wasn't all it was cracked up to be after all.

  • A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read: Penta has a hard time not reading her host's mind. Her host is Vita, who often has murderous thoughts. And a considerable amount of these murderous thoughts are about killing Penta. Vita doesn't consider these thoughts to have much sway on her actions (particularly the ones about killing Penta), but it's not clear how much Penta believes Vita on that. What is clear however is that Vita's thoughts give Penta a great deal of anxiety.
  • Confessional: Lark confesses her sins to Preacher Gregory. Preacher Gregory never actually promises that the information will be kept secret, and he does indeed share at least some of it. He does say that what Lark says won't be held against her (he does hold it against her for a few minutes tops, but he tries to hide it. Dude is only human). The people he divulges the secret to don't hold it against Lark either.
  • Creepy Child: Vita thinks she is 16, but has yet to go through puberty because of malnutrition. She is also a soul eating necromancer, which creeps Rowan out. Rowan is relieved that mind controlling living people is outside Vita's natural talent. Norah doesn't know that Vita is a necromancer, and still finds Vita spooky.
  • Disposing of a Body: Lyn helped Vita get rid of Grig's reanimated corpse.
  • Foil: Vita and Lark to each other. Both are soul-eaters; Lark does so through eating living flesh (which has some soul in it), while Vita eats the disembodied souls of the dead. Both also start off as hunters of the other's kind (human and monster, respectively). Vita grows more monstrous and becomes a prisoner of the Templars, while Lark is becoming more human and training to be a Templar.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Penny was determined to make Penta die in large part because of this:

She takes all my memories, all my experiences, and becomes an actual fucking person instead of an emotionally deficient shell. She robbed me of the ability to pretend I’m a victim of circumstance. She was proof that all my failures are my own.

  • Heel Realization: After Penta learns she is probably a bioweapon, she realizes her conduct definitely fell short of being a decent person. She then apologized to Vita for not being a better Nawra passenger/partner.
  • I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Vita largely blames herself for Angelien's death.
  • Incompatible Orientation: Norah says Bently is attracted to Orville and that Orville is straight.
  • Inverse Law of Fertility: Vita taunts her prison guard over getting pregnant, while she was still hoping her period was just late.
  • Justified Criminal: Lyn, Vita, and Rowan. Rowan hasn't really done much that is out right illegal except help a necromancer.
  • Made a Slave: Penelope declares Vita to be her fiancé's slave as a legal maneuver to keep Vita from being executed. Then again, Penelope said that maneuver cost her clout and plans to make Vita earn it back for her.
  • Necromancy
  • Outlaw Couple: Rowan's activities are legally dubious (aside from harboring a necromancer which the public and law enforcement don't know about), Lyn's activities are definitely illegal.
  • Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Just before Vita killed Seong's Nawra, it asked Vita's non-existent controller if he should refer to Vita as older or younger (since Seong's Nawra was younger, but its host was older by its understanding). Vita's response?

"I wouldn't worry about it."

  • Puppeteer Parasite: Nawras.
  • Rage Breaking Point: Vita taunted her prison guard Vicki. Eventually Vita hits a nerve that gets Vicki to hit her. Vicki then tries to wrap things up again and leave, but before she can wrap things up Vita taunts her again, at which point Vicki gives Vita a beating.
  • Reassigned to Antarctica: Jelisaveta had occasional crippling fits of Sensory Overload that last for about 10 seconds. She kept it a secret to keep her job. One time she had a fit in combat, which not only exposed the secret, but put her entire team in danger. She was then offered a position in the inquisition. She is then made a prison guard in a very remote prison. This wasn't just a punishment, they also thought they were legitimately putting her where her personality and skills would work well. If she didn't indicate she was "positively disposed to a long-term deployment" she probably wouldn't have been made a prison guard.
  • Sky Island: Where the story's setting is located. Another floating island called "Hive Rock" passes over the protagonist's island four times a year and attacks it.
  • Spit Take: Wasn't nice of Rowan to keep spitting on Vita in the chapter The Mistwatcher.
  • Street Urchin: The kids that Rowan and Lyn take care of. Vita counts too.
  • Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Vita discovers she is a natural mage as she is getting beaten to death.
  • Whatevermancy: Going beyond necromancy, the QM is very fond of ending types of magic in 'mancy'. The only type of magic that has showed up that doesn't have that name is chaos magic, which is just shooting raw magic.
  • Your Soul Is Mine: Types two and two B. Vita can rip the souls out of living things. From there she can eat it or use the soul and corpse to create an undead slave. She can also do the same thing if the creature dies before she rips their soul out (in which case the soul is probably floating above the corpse), but in such cases she has to get the soul before the Mistwatcher takes it.