May
31st
2015
What should happen? · 1:45pm May 31st, 2015
And here is an instance of when YOU, the reader, gets to determine the outcome.
1. What should be done with the Bloodmage adults?
2. What should happen to the foals who have parents who are among the imprisoned Bloodmages?
3. What should happen to the foals who were orphaned during the raid?
4. What should be done with the dead bodies and the cavern?
I have created this blog about the topic. Please submit your ides there. The idea with the most Likes will be the one I use. If you do not post an idea or a vote do not be upset with the outcome.
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Truthseeker · 647 views
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1/ The adults...Commence "re-education" and "anti-propaganda"...If one have too many signs show that he/she can't be saved then execute quickly and efficiently...The method...Hmmm...I'm not sure if you can pull an Auric Fulcrum (a character from a fimfic who have full UNDERSTANDING and can make others truely UNDERSTAND...Might cost some sanity if it is too much) here. (Understanding does not equal Knowledge)
2/ Commence "re-education" and "anti-propaganda" (If old enough...as in not an infant and of still too little to perceive the world around them as sharply). If the parents are later executed then adoption.
3/ Same as above and put up for adoption...
4/ Burn them all with fire. But, search and keep all the important intels first.
Yes, I know I'm a bit cold for excuting those who cannot be saved but it will bring a lot less trouble then when they try to escape and or plan some sort of revenge plans.
1: Exile worst criminals. Make rest of Bloodmages live in different towns/cities/communities under supervision and rehab.
2: Keep them with their parents.
3: Adoption.
4: Bury corpses and search cavern for anything interesting.
1: Use the victim to aggressor memory swap spell, then imprison the worst, exile the ones that knew what was going on, and (as RFA said) "Make the rest of them live in different towns/cities/communities under supervision and rehab"
2: Keep them with their parents.
3: Adoption.
4: Bury corpses and search cavern for anything interesting.
1) Geas? Too extreme a punishment, and they get martyred, too soft and the Bloodmages end up thinking that can get away with it. But then they also need to have a Changeling paired off with each mage/family.
2) Keep them with their family. Tear the family apart and you end up with a whole lot of resentment in young hearts. Too much resentment and the kids grow up wanting to punish someone.
3) Humansville. Period. The humans, ponies, and any other peaceful beings, that settle there, would be the most suited to raise younglings that had been 'misplaced' because their 'real' parents were douchebags. And don't keep the secret from them about where they actually came from.
4) Ceremonial Cremation. They need to be put to rest, and their blood needs to be 'cleansed' from the earth. As far as the cavern goes, once any and all information and valuables have been seized, have to D-dogs either clean the place up, and give it to them or collapse it.
1. Expose them to the rest of Equestria and make an example out of them. While performing blood magic, they harmed others and it will deter others from joining the Bloodmage club. Blood Magic was banned from Equestria for a purpose and it should be in everyone's head why this was done. Open and public trials and bombard them with the memories of all they've wronged and are still alive. All. Of. Them.
Afterwards the blood mages are to undergo re-education to live without blood magic again. However, due to the fact that a prohibition only causes organized crime, Blood Magic needs to be taught to the most faithful followers of the guard, magic school and so on. It must be licensed, monitored and controlled.
A complete ban had caused a shady brotherhood to grow like a cancer. if you have the possibility to learn blood magic legally with a shitload of deprivations like only being able to defend others due to a geas and for the sake of good or something, and this becomes a well respected department of the Guard, then illegal elements should find it quite harder to find recruits for their purposes because the best users of blood magic have been recruited by the guard.
2. Why do you ask? We want justice, not injustice. Any foal belonging to a living parent stays with said parent, yet under supervision. If they start to teach blood magic, there goes their right of custody and the foals are taken away.
3. Go for adoption with the preference towards those who knew their parents. If it's a pony from the bloodmage group, see point two.
4. Bury them of course. Just because they did bad things doesn't mean we have to lack deference. As for the cavern: Search it, empty it and then detonate it. No more room for them to hide.
1. Any of the practicing bloodmages who have taken lives should probably have the victim/killer spell done on them using the memories of their captive unicorns. That same spell may also be useful to convince the adults civilian bloodmages, just make the unicorn instead an average citizen so they can see unicorns are not as they have been described. Exile would probably be a bad idea unless the guard want to try and follow them to another potential safe house when either they head their or someone comes to find them. Permanent imprisonment or community service among the changelings whom they can't use their magic against perhaps would be the best course for those who can't be convinced.
2. Breaking up a family unit would probably just lead to resentment from both parents and children of a certain age, so removing children from parents would probably be a counter productive idea. It would just make the bloodmages feel justified in their views. Just make it clear to the parents that keeping them together is a privileged not a right and depending on their behavior it could be revoked. thereby if the guard are forced to take the children it was due to their actions.
3. Probably not a good idea to use the usual method, hate to think what adoptive parents would think if given full disclosure that this is a bloodmage child, maybe give them to the changelings to raise, for the older children if gives them a parent they can't use any potential blood magic knowledge they may have on, and the changelings if they are loved parents get a source of love. Plus it would prove to them their parents view of what a changeling is was wrong, so what else may be incorrect. You could even use Amber eyes friendship with Rifin as a starting point and have this be a means for her to get friends her own age, though the fact she's a unicorn may make it hard.
4. Determine who they are, if they have family in Equestria who want the body for burial give it to them, otherwise I say give them a decent burial (have Starburst ID them so families know if member dead or perhaps escaped in the confusion). Many were misguided more than anything and if they want the bloodmages to be proven that their viewpoint is wrong they have to show they will treat even the dead with respect. The cave however after being examined should either a) be turned into a testament that this is the wrong path for bloodmages or b) be collapsed in on itself so the sins here can be forgotten to give a fresh start to the survivors and keep it from being reused. c) do B but erect a plaque along with the graves stating 'here lie a collection of the misguided, we remember them here in hopes that others will see the light making them the last to fall" or something like that, a sort of message to any bloodmages that may come back to that place to see what happened so the Grand Magus can't use it as a example of hate
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We have quite a number of possible ideas and most of them are very similar. Remember it is the one with the most Likes and Thumbs Up that will be the one used. There will be another updat on Monday morning and that is the deadline for the idea to be used. Thus far the one with the most Likes is the idea posted by ViktornovaMK2.
1. I'd say kill them, because there's no other practical way to render them harmless, but redemption is a huge central theme in this story. I don't expect that to change now. In fact, I'd be disappointed if it did. I thought Beacon and the other murderer guards should have had their heads chopped off, and sent to the humans as a peace offering, way back. Since then, Beacon has been a huge help in preserving peace between the humans and kavim. So I'll reluctantly say take execution off the table. That said, they still need to look for ways to render these guys harmless.
Ponies claim they have the perfect penalty for murder, that assures no repeat offenders. Time for them to prove it. Do the memory transplant thing to all the adults, and let them see who the real villains are. Save the worst memories for the worst offenders.
Would it be possible to deplete the thaumaturgic energy in the bloodmages' blood by putting them on a carefully controlled diet? Or would that cause serious health complications? Something seriously needs to be done to keep them from weaponizing their own bodily fluids, ever again.
Remove their tongues, if nothing else works? Blood magic seems to have a verbal component to it.
The changelings are few in number, recovering from starvation, and they're mostly still civilians. Pressing them all into guard duty and making them watch the bloodmages would neither be fair nor practical.
2. Crazy cultists make unfit parents. Put the all the children in foster care, or find them adoptive families.
Yes, breaking up families will breed resentment. That's unavoidable. The bloodmages' whole way of life is built around resentment and contempt towards everyone who isn't part of their secret society.
Getting the kids away from that is their best shot at a normal life.
Maybe the parents can earn their children back a few months/years down the line.
3. Ponies already have an adoption system in place. Maybe the system hasn't had to deal with this kind if volume before, but it seems scaleable.
4. Turn the whole place, and everything in it into a molten crater. The research that went on there was too unethical to be useable. The bloodmages seem like the types who are paranoid enough to booby trap their homes and workplaces. The CWG have live prisoners they can get information from, even if they have to read their minds.
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Why not the one with the best arguments?
I've been pondering #1 for quite a bit now so here goes.
1. Remember that collar Luna gave Chris? Have enchantments tweaked to dampen or nullify blood magic but not attributes like earth pony or pegasus'. Spread them out all over New Humansville amongst the single members of the Wellfair guardians. Banishment is NOT an option. Death should be reserved solely for the Grand Magus but only after he is repudiated and denounced by former bloodmages.(I'd also NOT allow Luna to do ANY form of dream walking!).
2. New Humansville under the scrutiny of the changelings.
3. Adoption, open to all both near and far. Limit the knowledge of previous upbringing.
4. Scour for Intel. Cremate bodies. Implode cave.
3112902 Sorry bro. I'll stand by my statement. I like one in particuler, but I said it would be the one with the most votes and I stand by what I say (or I do my best to anyway).
3113217 Some of those doesn't work very well...Unless you have some sort of super power for that world.
3113902 What plans ever goes off without a hitch? It's how they handle the hiccups that matter.
3113967 But, plans with too obvious hiccups that are not sorted out immediately are the ones that fail first.
3113979 Oh, I'm quite sure the hiccups will be hammered out well before anything is implemented.
3113985 Stop! Hammer time!
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1. All the adults must be tried and investigated to find out which ones did it knowing the truth and those that were lied to, or hell use mind magic. As for their final punishment the ones that were ignorant will have enough punishment when they discover the truth. As for the fuck bags that knew perhaps use mind magic to make them see the truth of how horrible their actions were and then with that knowledge have them care for the foals they imprisoned since birth.
2. Uh... have them taken care of by the Blood mages that were ignorant perhaps? Not too sure on that one.
3. The orphaned foals... Equestria has that adoption system but I don't think splitting them up is a good idea. The foals (how old are they?) likely have friends among the other foals that can help them through whats happening or have a common understanding. I foresee maybe a few officers adopting a few foals like Darryl. Or perhaps have them live in either New Humansville or with that Good Bloodmage group that came forth.
4. No matter who died we are all equal in death and everyone needs a chance to mourn their dead. How will the bloodmages be able to trust the Princesses and see the error of their ways if they won't even let them bury their dead? Perhaps this could be the first step that seeds doubts into those who were ignorant and those who were cruel and knowing due to the grudges they had. Before any action is taken they should be allowed to mourn their dead.
The hardest decision is what to do with the foals. They may face other harships than just losing their parents. Hatred could extend onto them for their parents a sort of, "All Blood Mages are evil." deal. Care must be taken to explain what happened, why it happened, who was or wasn't at fault and steps must be taken so that auch atrocities fade to history.
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No, you do realize that will not stop the cycle of hate right? Kill the ones that 'cannot' be rehabilitated? What do you think that will do to the foals who have parents among those who will be executed? Your last memories of them being executed by the princesses and the lies they filled your head with? That will only continue the cycle.
Went back and edited mine, for clarification.
I was typing on a phone before, so I kept it short.
Not everyone can write entire novels from their phone.
I tried to be the most ruthlessly practical in my suggestions.
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I strongly disagree. To forget the past is to be doomed to repeat it. We cannot learn from our mistakes unless we remember them. Yes, the events which led up to the events herein must be carefully scrutinized and studied, I wholeheartedly agree with you there. I also agree that putting blame on those who were truly responsible should be a high priority.
To all my readers, I will attempt to post the next chapter tomorrow before 2:00 p.m. E.S.T. so get your votes in before then please.
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Fade from history was too strong... more like from memory? It's hard to explain. What I meant to address was how do you prevent the descendants from both sides from holding a grudge? Or hell people who weren't even part of it and heard second hand?
Normal Ponies. whom have lived normal lives and were taught of the cruelty of the Blood Mages and how they were nearly wiped out. They also know of a task force that exists today to apprehend and subdue said Blood Mages. Now imagine they hear of what happened in New Humansville and what has been happening to defensless foals. There will be fear, mistrust, anger and doubt. Even with the knowledge that some or most of the Blood Mages may have been ignorant of the cruely that was happening they will passively separate themselves from ponies that were descendant of these Blood Mages. It doesn't have to be open scorn, something as simple as a parent telling their child not to talk to them or adults not hiring them and not associating with people who do associate with them. So you've got Blood Mages being discriminated against, how do you force normal ponies to give them the same chance and opportunity? Boons? Grants? Force the normal ponies to interact with them?
Well thats just on the normal pony side but the same applies to the Blood Mages. Rethinking my words on how the orphans should be handled perhaps they shouldn't let only Blood Mages adopt them. Let anyone or something. If you just keep them separated as Blood Mage and Non-Blood Mage then they will never get over what happened. I don't want history forgotten but I don't want people taking sides on said history. So how do you deal with the discrimination?
I actually posted mine before catching up on chapter 70. After finding out the bloodmages have been using their own children as lab animals, if those children were born with horns, keeping the families together for sentimental reasons would be insane.
3116369 Do not be so quick to judge sir. There may be things that you do not yet understand.
I will admit looking back on my own entry that perhaps I was unwise as others have pointed out to foist the foals on the changelings, but at the same time peoples thoughts that the people of New Humansville should be the ones adopting these foals doesn't work much better, we already had arguments as to why any of the humans adopting would probably not be a good idea when the human baby was up for adoption, the town is still not ready for that yet. It would take alot of bending over backwards to make this feasible, plus you have to take into consideration where ever these ponies end up their is a good chance un-captured bloodmage relatives may attack in a bid to free or silence them. That paints a bid target on the town.
3116375 I withdraw my previous statement. I overlooked something big.
I was convinced that the bloodmages compartmentalization of information was too perfect to be believable. I thought the only way the civilian bloodmages could maintain ignorance of what their neighbors, the full-fledged blood mages, were doing was if they were deliberately turning a blind eye. In my mind that made them all complicit.
Then I remembered they use magic to simply force members to keep their secrets. It's leak-proof, in a way no Earth government could be.
The whole society would still need a certain amount of willful ignorance to function, but that's perfectly believable.
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