Bleeding Heart Medal
The Bleeding Heart medal is a military honour awarded by the Crown of the Lapin Protectorate. It is awarded by The Chief Rabbit, to members of the Lapin Forces or allied forces wounded or killed in action, and to members whose death under honourable circumstances is a result of injury or disease related directly to military service. Unlike the wound medals of many other nations, the Bleeding Heart considers such conditions as PTSD and Critical Magic Drain as battle wounds that are equally worthy of this award.
Criteria
The Bleeding Heart Medal was created by Queen Sable Aradia to recognize any member of the Lapin Forces, soldier of an allied force, or a civilian working for the Lapin Forces, who was killed or wounded under honourable circumstances and as a result of hostile action or perceived hostile action. If not fatal, the wound received must be serious enough to require attention from a medic, and the treatment must have been recorded in the individual's medical file. By definition, this includes any Lapin or allied Tome Knight who has been Undead.Mechanics & Inner Workings
Design
The Bleeding Heart Medal is a brass heart-shaped medal, 37 millimetres (1.5 in) at its widest point topped by a heraldic rabbit with paws forward crowned with three five-pointed stars, symbolizing the Chief Rabbit's role as the fount of honour. The obverse is enameled red and bordered in gold with an eight-pointed gold star on the upper left corner, speckled with diamonds. Dangling from the point is a garnet, shaped like a drop of blood, in a gold setting. On the reverse is the word SACRIFICE in the centre of the heart, with the Royal Cypher of the reigning Lapin Monarch at the point. The recipient's name, along with their rank and service number for those in the military, is inscribed around the medal's edge. This medallion is worn at the left chest, suspended on a 31.8mm wide ribbon coloured with vertical stripes in purposefully sombre dark red (recalling spilled blood), dark pink (symbolizing compassion), and white (representative of both hope and peace). Should an individual already possessing a Bleeding Heart Medal be awarded the medal again for subsequent injuries, they are granted a gold-set teardrop garnet for wear on the ribbon from which the original medal is suspended.History
In the establishment of the Lapin Protectorate, the Mother of Bunnies thought it important to find a way to recognize acts of valour and heroism in the newly minted nation. With a large population of former Canadians, along with a sizeable population of formerly American refugees, she drew upon the traditions of both Canada and the United States in the creation of the Lapin honours system. The Bleeding Heart is inspired by the Canadian Sacrifice Medal and the American Purple Heart.
Notable Recipients
Notable recipients of the Bleeding Heart Medal include:-Dame AttorraRu3
-*BitzerK2, 4
-Blade of Glory4
-Cathwolfie4
-CSM Dennis Reilly4
-Dame Duochanfan3
-**Regent EGryph1, 3, 4
-ESongbird1
-ExiledFae4
-*Feral Foxx1, 4
-*BitzerK2, 4
-Blade of Glory4
-Cathwolfie4
-CSM Dennis Reilly4
-Dame Duochanfan3
-**Regent EGryph1, 3, 4
-ESongbird1
-ExiledFae4
-*Feral Foxx1, 4
-Lord Galakrond2
-*Dame Gwenefre2
-Hallis in Wonderland4
-*Owsla Captain James Woodwright1, 2
-*Prince Jean1, 4
-MCpl Jean W. Tremaine4
-Kiarra the Bard4
-Owsla Commander Kitoypoy1
-*The Mad Batter3, 4
-Princess Monkey Meles4
-*Dame Gwenefre2
-Hallis in Wonderland4
-*Owsla Captain James Woodwright1, 2
-*Prince Jean1, 4
-MCpl Jean W. Tremaine4
-Kiarra the Bard4
-Owsla Commander Kitoypoy1
-*The Mad Batter3, 4
-Princess Monkey Meles4
-OffspringNumber14
-Platinum Firebird4
-**Brocktree Purpleheart1, 2, 4
-*Princess Rowean1, 4
-King RPGDinosaurBob4
-*Panda Polemarch Senna Nightshade1, 4
-Scion Striker3
-Tiffany Vega4
-VeganAtheistCoral4
-*Prince Xantos Meles1, 4
-Platinum Firebird4
-**Brocktree Purpleheart1, 2, 4
-*Princess Rowean1, 4
-King RPGDinosaurBob4
-*Panda Polemarch Senna Nightshade1, 4
-Scion Striker3
-Tiffany Vega4
-VeganAtheistCoral4
-*Prince Xantos Meles1, 4
This article is a work in progress, and may be subject to changes.
This article is part of a series related to streaming the Game of Tomes. For more information, see Streaming Game of Tomes.
Bleeding Heart Medal by Sable Aradia
Bleeding Heart Ribbon by Sable Aradia
Bleeding Heart Ribbon with Cluster by Sable Aradia
Item type
Award
Creation Date
March 1, 2021
Rarity
Rare
Dimensions
37 millimetres (1.5 in) at the widest point of the heart; ribbon 31.8mm wide
Base Price
It is illegal to sell official medals in the Lapin Protectorate, although they may be bequeathed in a will.
Raw materials & Components
The brass for Bleeding Hearts is cast in Guelph, ON, and enameling takes place in Toronto. Garnets are directly sourced from the excavation of The Warren. Gold and diamonds are mined in the Lapin Arctic (primarily Alaska and the Yukon).
Footnotes
- The First Word War
- The Second Word War
- The Battle of the Book
- The Third Word War
Comments
Author's Notes
I thought the idea of a "Bleeding Heart" medal sounded familiar, so I ran an internet search to make sure I wasn't copying anything that didn't already exist. I found a site that is trying to drum up support to get a medal called The Bleeding Heart recognized by the American Congress, for "unseen wounds;" in particular, things like PTSD, Agent Orange poisoning and exposure to the contaminated Lake Lajeune water supply. I personally support this idea. I think the way most nations treat their wounded veterans is appalling, and I believe we need to do better. An acknowledgement of the unseen wounds of war, of which there are many, seems only just to me, which is why such things are specifically included in the creation of this fictional GoTverse medal. My Bleeding Heart medal image altered an image found on another site that was selling these unofficial medals—not the original site that was trying to build the movement—and it was significantly altered so it would have several points of difference. My original design was a red heart with a garnet "blood drop" dangling from the tip. I used this image rather than a number of public domain Purple Heart images as my base simply because it was easier to make the alterations. Other design elements are either sensible for House Lapin (the rabbit head) or borrowed from the IRL Canadian and American medals that inspired this idea.