The Reckoners' Greatest Victory

[Kobold King]

...was right after Steelheart. Not in Firefight. Not in Calamity. Right after Steelheart, exemplified in Mitosis.

 

Mitosis spoilers follow. Also a barely structured rant that few will be interested in.

 

 

The people of Newcago are the oppressed peasant class to end all oppressed peasant classes. They labor day in and day out in factories making goods for their Epic overlords. A lot of them live underground in a place called the catacombs.

 

THE CATACOMBS. However badly your neighborhood sucks, remember that you don't live in a place people call the steel catacombs.

 

So yeah. Aside from the Morlocks that live short brutal lives in the steel sparkin' catacombs, the people on the surface have to live in fear of a random Epic stopping by and murdering them for the crime of being noticed. Or having their building being noticed if Steelheart decides to make a random example out of them. The ones on the surface might as well live underground because the sky is pitch black 24/7. They don't even see stars besides the big bloody bullet hole in the sky that is Calamity.

 

There are a few living in a privileged upper class, that isn't very privileged when it comes to a slontze like Fortuity picking out his victims. A prince among cattle is still classed as cattle.

 

Everyone in this city lives a squalid existence against a black sky and cold grey surroundings. There is no green in their lives. There is no sun. There is only the Epic behind you and the Epic in front of you, and your entire existence is trying not to be noticed between them. These are people who walk with their heads down because looking up gets you killed and there's nothing to look up to anyway.

 

Bottom line? You'd have to fly out of the universe, hit the Cosmere, and head to Scadrial to find another group of people as downtrodden as these poor unfortunate slontzes.

 

But then the Reckoners kill Steelheart. Suddenly the entire class hierarchy of this city comes crashing down around these blokes. Everything changes overnight--oh, and that phrase makes sense for the first time in most of the children's lives. The immortal was slain before them. The insurmountable was made achievable.

 

They see the sun for the first time in a decade. They see their tyrants cast down low and forced to leave town. They see the brutal totalitarian enforcement division turned into a peacekeeping division. They see life as they've never seen it before.

 

Then comes Mitosis. An Epic like any other. A man--sorry, men who cannot be killed. And he comes in making demands, threatening to start slaughtering them like so many Epics like him have done before. And the Reckoners, for all they've been able to accomplish, can't stop him.

 

But what can the Reckoners do? Tell the Newcagoans how to stop him for themselves.

 

Which they do.

 

By singing.

 

They line up by the steel river and sing the worst song in the history of songs, all across the city, melting a High Epic in his glory.

 

The goal of the Reckoners was never just to kill Epics. It was to teach the common people to kill Epics. To be willing to kill Epics the moment the opportunity presents itself. Mitosis demonstrates that they succeeded, with the most unlikely, downtrodden bunch of common people you could possibly imagine.

 

Firefight and Calamity are just icing on the cake. It's Mitosis that proves that the Reckoners could actually win. It's Mitosis that makes for the uplifting epilogue to their mission.

 

It's Mitosis that showcases the Reckoner organization's greatest victory.

 

 

Sorry for the rant. Someone dissed Mitosis and I felt the urge to vent.

 

Edited February 27, 2016 by Kobold King

[Darkness Ascendant]

...was right after Steelheart. Not in Firefight. Not in Calamity. Right after Steelheart, exemplified in Mitosis.

 

Mitosis spoilers follow. Also a barely structured rant that few will be interested in.

 

 

The people of Newcago are the oppressed peasant class to end all oppressed peasant classes. They labor day in and day out in factories making goods for their Epic overlords. A lot of them live underground in a place called the catacombs.

 

THE CATACOMBS. However badly your neighborhood sucks, remember that you don't live in a place people call the steel catacombs.

 

So yeah. Aside from the Morlocks that live short brutal lives in the steel sparkin' catacombs, the people on the surface have to live in fear of a random Epic stopping by and murdering them for the crime of being noticed. Or having their building being noticed if Steelheart decides to make a random example out of them. The ones on the surface might as well live underground because the sky is pitch black 24/7. They don't even see stars besides the big bloody bullet hole in the sky that is Calamity.

 

There are a few living in a privileged upper class, that isn't very privileged when it comes to a slontze like Fortuity picking out his victims. A prince among cattle is still classed as cattle.

 

Everyone in this city lives a squalid existence against a black sky and cold grey surroundings. There is no green in their lives. There is no sun. There is only the Epic behind you and the Epic in front of you, and your entire existence is trying not to be noticed between them. These are people who walk with their heads down because looking up gets you killed and there's nothing to look up to anyway.

 

Bottom line? You'd have to fly out of the universe, hit the Cosmere, and head to Scadrial to find another group of people as downtrodden as these poor unfortunate slontzes.

 

But then the Reckoners kill Steelheart. Suddenly the entire class hierarchy of this city comes crashing down around these blokes. Everything changes overnight--oh, and that phrase makes sense for the first time in most of the children's lives. The immortal was slain before them. The insurmountable was made achievable.

 

They see the sun for the first time in a decade. They see their tyrants cast down low and forced to leave town. They see the brutal totalitarian enforcement division turned into a peacekeeping division. They see life as they've never seen it before.

 

Then comes Mitosis. An Epic like any other. A man--sorry, men who cannot be killed. And he comes in making demands, threatening to start slaughtering them like so many Epics like him have done before. And the Reckoners, for all they've been able to accomplish, can't stop him.

 

But what can the Reckoners do? Tell the Newcagoans how to stop him for themselves.

 

Which they do.

 

By singing.

 

They line up by the steel river and sing the worst song in the history of songs, all across the city, melting a High Epic in his glory.

 

The goal of the Reckoners was never just to kill Epics. It was to teach the common people to kill Epics. To be willing to kill Epics the moment the opportunity presents itself. Mitosis demonstrates that they succeeded, with the most unlikely, downtrodden bunch of common people you could possibly imagine.

 

Firefight and Calamity are just icing on the cake. It's Mitosis that proves that the Reckoners could actually win. It's Mitosis that makes for the uplifting epilogue to their mission.

 

It's Mitosis that showcases the Reckoner organization's greatest victory.

 

 

Sorry for the rant. Someone dissed Mitosis and I felt the urge to vent.

That was quite the rant. In one way, Mitosis could be thanked for truly unifying the people. 

Upvotes for you

[Sunbird]

I have always felt this way about Mitosis too. Thank you for your very eloquent rant that put my feelings into words.

[Young Bard]

I hadn't thought of it that way, but I agree with you, now I think about it.

Edited February 28, 2016 by The Young Bard

[Patrick Star]

This made my heart flutter like an inbred pidgeon, and for that, I thank you.

[The Sovereign]

Kobold, you're not going to like this...

 
While I think your point is not only valid, I think it is correct. The events of Mitosis did indeed seem to be the greatest achievement of the Reckoners (well except perhaps {MAJOR CALAMITY SPOILER}

Making Calamity Leave

). And I do think that Mitosis has an important place in the lore of the Reckonersverse, I just didn't think Mitosis was that good of a novella. At its base, I found it rather boring. The only enjoyment I got out of the entire thing was Abraham's reaction to a Chicago Dog.

[Stormgate]

By dividing himself, he united the people.

I wonder if Sanderson realizes the poetry.

[Kobold King]

Kobold, you're not going to like this...

 

While I think your point is not only valid, I think it is correct. The events of Mitosis did indeed seem to be the greatest achievement of the Reckoners (well except perhaps {MAJOR CALAMITY SPOILER}

Making Calamity Leave

). And I do think that Mitosis has an important place in the lore of the Reckonersverse, I just didn't think Mitosis was that good of a novella. At its base, I found it rather boring. The only enjoyment I got out of the entire thing was Abraham's reaction to a Chicago Dog.

 

 

Making Calamity leave, while a massive achievement, would be meaningless in a world where normal people fear standing up to Epics. There are always going to be Epics who are total slontzes. Obliteration proved that. Even if they're not forced to be evil, many of them will be.

 

A world where the common people wait in terror for superpowered heroes to save them is better than a world with no heroes at all, but a world where the common people have the knowledge, willingness, and ability to face Epics on their own terms is even more important to fight for. I feel Mitosis perfectly demonstrates the Reckoners planting the seed for such a world.

 

 

Of course I happened to adore Mitosis from the first page to the last, so I'm a touch biased.

[The Sovereign]

A world where the common people wait in terror for superpowered heroes to save them is better than a world with no heroes at all, but a world where the common people have the knowledge, willingness, and ability to face Epics on their own terms is even more important to fight for. I feel Mitosis perfectly demonstrates the Reckoners planting the seed for such a world.

 

With this specifically, you and I agree completely. As I said, I think Mitosis has an important role in the Reckonersverse lore and this is why.

 

Regarding, adoring it from the first page to the last, well, you can't win 'em all.

 

That'll likely be the only Pony post I ever make but, I think I can do it this once in your honor.

[Brightness Enna]

... Wow. You're a wonderful writer, Kobold. Seriously - you expressed your opinions in a very concise, emotional way that made your bias (which was part of the argument in the first place) obvious.

 

I am now a Mitosis fan. I never really liked it before, as I considered it a random filler thing, but this really shows it in a new light. Well done. Upvote for you!!

[Stormgate]

I don't know what Kobold does for a living, but if it involves writing in any way, I either want to be in the front row with popcorn or hiding in a bunker with ribeye steaks, popcorn, and a lot of cameras.