Me

This idea came to me in a vision apologies if somebody else did this already

😭😭😭

It's a flavour of Monster, an energy drink

It's not sold in McDonald's ironically enough 😭

On another note, think of the profit of Picrasma energy drinks (and how much Vertin's liver will suffer 😭)

I am not a fan of the design. To the shredder.

Oh God you have no idea how many empty cans of that would be scattered around the suitcase. Like Lilya's alcohol consumption or Regulus Dr. Pepper (idk how that's actually written) addiction, girl has so many or those in her fridge, under her bed, in her pockets, under her hat.

Oh my God the suitcase has NEVER had such an outage in money because of Vertin's addiction to it.

It gets banned after a while (Madam Z wrote a letter to the distributors to stop making the drink, for Vertin's safety) and Vertin has to go back to eating candy when her almost unlimited amount of Picrasma Candy Energy drinks becomes limited.

And Tooth Fairy has never been filled with so much bottled rage before.

(Vertin did try to get in contact with the company who made them but they couldn't do any other Picrasma Candy Energy drinks because the foundation prohibited it)

End of an era

Regulus Has More Depth than it Seems

Ever since I started playing Reverse 1999, Regulus has been portrayed as Vertin's energetic friend, pirate rocker, maybe with ADHD, and overall fun gal. I didn't pay attention to her much, but after watching her anecdote, I realized that there were many things that I glossed over about her.

During Regulus' anecdote, I saw this line. That means Regulus was old enough to remember her mother's demeanor towards her or what her mother was like.

Regulus is a street kid who was practically raised by Mr. APPle. Broadcasting music illegally in her pirate ship, she has gotten trouble in the side of the law several times.

Although she never went to school, she is very bright (knowing mechanical know-hows in Laplace and doing Math in Apeiron).

It pains me that Regulus can sometimes be reduced to a comedy gag by the fandom. She might be seriously funny and memetic but she is also profoundly devoted to Vertin and a sweetheart. She was the first one Vertin saved in the suitcase after all!

This was brought to my attention when I saw a line during her anecdote. The mayor of Gold Dust (who was part of the Order of Enlightenment) wanted to invite Regulus to a worship for the Sufferer (Arcana) and Regulus expressed contempt for that:

This line means that Regulus knows about Vertin's past! This means that Vertin must have been comfortable enough to open up to her regarding the Breakaway incident that happened during Chapter 3.

She was also first to hug Vertin when she came back and cried bitterly from being separated from her.

When Regulus joined Vertin for the first time, Vertin was worried that she might feel burdened or restricted going with her. Then Regulus says this:

She was sweet in the beginning and she had been a loyal partner to Vertin ever since. I know that for sure since she went to prison multiple times already for her. She never gave up on Vertin and never stopped trying when the Foundation kept her unconcious.

The Timekeeper's Role after the Storm?

At first, Vertin's team is mostly used to exterminate leftover traces of Manus Vindictae. They hunt them down all over the globe.

Vertin still recruits people to both the Foundation and her department along the way. That is one of the Foundation's main goals after all. However, she has all the "unhinged" or "dangerous" arcanists under her care since the Foundation doesn't know what to do with them, but doesn't want them causing trouble.

Then, the Timekeeper Department moves more toward problem solving. They are sent to investigate rumors and situations when the Foundation doesn't want to use their own manpower. They will also deal with Critters and Arcane shenanigans. Because Vertin's Department is so diverse, they also do humanitarian efforts. Druvis can help a poor village with failing crop yields. Lilya can deliver medication and other resources in emergencies. There are arcanists who can track down bad people and also find people who are lost. These are just a few examples but I'm sure there are many more. This also makes the Foundation look great and boosts their reputation.

However, as time goes on the problems Vertin's Department are sent to face become increasingly dangerous for them to handle alone. Things that the Foundation should be using their own people for or at least help with.

It's the same issue as before: the Foundation is afraid Vertin will turn against them. She now has the means to do so. The Foundation may have more people and resources, but Vertin's people have experience, pure power, and unwavering loyalty. Vertin has tried to assure them that she just wants to live in peace, but they are still terrified of the possibility.

So they've started sending Vertin's people on more dangerous and sometimes even unnecessary missions hoping to thin her numbers out. Her arcanists are too dangerous for society anyway. They will die as martyrs. At the same time, The Foundation hopes to make Vertin's people lose faith in their leader. They want to create internal conflicts and want to instill someone more loyal to the Foundation as the head of the Department.

But they can't find anyone who can reign in the Arcanists like Vertin. They've tried bribing and making offers to her people directly but it always blows up in their face.

Vertin's personal connections with her people seem irrational and far too emotional. Her people will follow her into hell but the problem is they keep coming back. The Foundation is forced to acknowledge that they have no control over the situation anymore. This insight causes more tension in the Foundation.

They thought they trapped Vertin, but it turns out their the ones trapped with her. They can't get rid of her or else her people will run loose. They can't replace her because her department won't accept anyone else.

Vertin still does the missions, but demands proper resources. She still leads her people to help others and save arcanists seeking refuge. However, whenever the Foundation gets too pushy or unreasonable during a meeting, all she has to do is place her Suitcase on the table. The unsaid threat is more than enough to shut them up.

Constantine is actually on Vertin's side in all of this. She's tired of all the cowards yapping. As much as she hates to admit it, she's seen Vertin grow into the force she is today. She and Vertin openly argue about things, which makes other people on edge but it's normal for them. They have an understanding: Vertin will help the Foundation, and the Foundation will help her. That's all there is to it but only Constantine seems to get that.

On that note, Vertin is one of Constantine's greatest achievements. Constantine is confident in her abilities and judgement, which in a way translates to an odd form of trust in Vertin. Maybe not in Vertin herself per say, but trust in the way Vertin will act.

Madam Z thinks Vertin has grown on Constantine, but Constantine looked absolutely disgusted by the assumption.

I'll do my crying in the rain.

Vertin and Udimos cuz yes.

Also don't ask why Schneider is a carbuncle (I didn't want to draw a freaking cricket lol).

new idea: chess.com chatfic starring constantine playing chess during workhours and her opponents being the kids from SPDM. its basically like the breakaway incident but no one dies and its really jsut this middle-aged woman lording her wins over a bunch of twelve year olds in chess.com chatlogs

some ac2 x 1999 crossover

i wonder if Vertin sporadically gets bombarded with mind-bogglingly intense, unprompted, long-winded mind chatters. ruminating on and on about "the concept of sanist microaggressions keeps non-consensually clipping my toenails like an overbearing step-mother whenever i try to meaningfully sleep at night"

She does hear voices in her head so I can imagine it lol. The Timekeeper is not ok but she tries to be 🫠

She's also an arcanist so intense thoughts and feelings are right up her alley. 90% trauma, 10% random thoughts and animal fact. "Do penguins have knees" type thoughts. Inner Smoltin lives on.