Fallen London Memories Competition

Fallen London
41

Category: Worst Idea of the Decade
IGN: Eructus

Eructus had never cared much for his soul. His was a life of daring and mischief, of honey-dens and palace backrooms. He seldom entered a church if it wasn’t to pilfer some candles, and he didn’t frequent any man of the cloth from whom he couldn’t squeeze some favours later on. He had dabbled in the soul trade and done many unsavoury things. What was a soul? A pitiful-looking thing in a bottle.

But he had never considered parting with his soul. Not out of any sentimental affectation, mind. It was a matter of property: his soul was his, and he intended for it to stay that way. He wasn’t particularly pleased with the shape of his nose either, but he was not going to have it lopped off. The careless bliss promised by soullessness was as uninteresting to him as the vicar’s preachings.

He knew full well what the Quiet Deviless was after, from the beginning. Both her and a certain Affectionate Devil were vying for his soul, and Eructus let himself be spoilt by their gifts and attentions. It became a playful game of cat and mouse. He played the part, but remained impervious to their charms. They were patient.

Tonight, she finally posed the question, softly. He let out a good-natured laugh. Maybe it was the sherry, maybe her yellow eyes, but he decided he was game for some teasing. Only she wasn’t playing anymore. What did she say? What did she do? What did he agree to?

42

[color=0000FF]Most characterful affectation:[/color]
Kaunis Enkeli (real name unknown) came to the Neath from the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1890 as a spy for Tsar Alexander III, a job she showed little enthusiasm for as she had little liking for the Tsar. She spent more time acquainting herself with the various honey dens and other pleasures of the Neath, as well as working to solve the myriad mysteries to be found below, than she spent sending secrets to Russia. She slowly faded from the Tsar’s view. When she appeared again around 1894, she showed even less enthusiasm to return to her old job when it became clear that Nicholas II would become the next Tsar. After writing numerous works, including a particularly infamous opera, she embarked on several tours as Governor in Port Carnelian and took her zubmarine on scientific voyages before vanishing again. After years of silence, most who knew of her assumed her lost at zee until her recent reappearance in 1898. Today she is once again enmeshing herself in the snares of The Great Game, but this time as a freelancer. After years of honing her writing skills, Kaunis Enkeli uses her position among God’s Editors to further her spycraft by hiding information within. Minor rumors that she is also using her position in the Editors to tweak the noses of the religious have yet to be substantiated.
edited by Kaunisenkeli on 1/16/2020

43

Head Canon: No one has ever had sex with a scarlet stockings lady (at least not when they are working) you might get some kisses, but mostly you get conversations, and another person for your game of bridge. They are just that d__n charming that people pay just to hang with them.
Afffection: Dirae Erinyes is a steampunk frankenstain monster married to snuffer. With a con woman dragged into this to be their adopted daughter. It’s a weird family.
Worst idea: Wondering how many more priests the church were going to send before my plant got full.

44

Worst Idea: Trying to play this game sneaky.

When I first dipped my proverbial toes into FL, I was all set to be some kind of Master Thief, and I made choices that made sense from a Shadowy standpoint; I picked the Unobtrusive Bowler as my benefactor item, I became friends with Urchins (because I figured they’d be into the really good sneaky stealing, not like those artless Criminals going around mugging everyone with no dignity or tact), and when presented the choice for my Ambition, naturally I picked Light Fingers.

And then… I’m not sure when exactly it happened, but the game started throwing Dangerous checks at me, and never really let up. The first time I had to pass a Dangerous check in Spite I didn’t think too much of it; even if you’re sticking to the shadows you’ve got to knock out one person or backstab another. But then there were barroom brawls, more strong-arming marks for their valuables than actual sneak-thievery, trying to keep it subtle by giving the romantic angle a try in Veilgarden… and invariably having to fight off rival suitors. It never let up. And then came the fateful day when what should’ve been a relaxing picnic turned into singlehandedly fighting off a literal army of Rattus Faber that had invaded my then-humble Lodgings. Again, the old days were a blur, but when next the time came to do business with The Docks, and the opportunity to become a Rat-Catcher presented itself, it was as though the game itself was sending me a Sign. I accepted my new career, the shotgun with a scope that serves as my badge of office, and set the ways of soft foot and nimble hand aside, and dedicated myself to the task of dealing with London’s vermin problem.

And London does have quite the vermin problem, and not just limited to sentient, armed rats, either; spiders can be &quotvermin&quot, snakes can be &quotvermin&quot, cats can be &quotvermin&quot, Rubbery Men can be &quotvermin&quot, Clay Men can be very large &quotvermin&quot indeed, Tomb-Colonists can be &quotvermin&quot, JAck of Smiles can be &quotvermin&quot, Knife-And-Candle players can be &quotvermin&quot, Criminals can be &quotvermin&quot, Magicians can be &quotvermin&quot, Devils can be &quotvermin&quot, Seekers can be &quotvermin&quot, various species of bat can be &quotvermin&quot (but you didn’t hear that from me), and don’t get me started on all the &quotvermin&quot that keep trying to drag my zubmarine into the murky depths of the zee, up to and including entire fleets of rival scholars.

Truly, a humble Rat-Catcher’s job is never done. And the beatings will continue until the Neath’s &quotvermin&quot problem is sorted out.

45

Most characterful affectation: So I have this friend (seriously). We started playing Fallen London at roughly the same, got our names through the forums and started exchanging social actions, including sending each other boxed cats. This way I got a Midnight Matriarch, and I was dead set on returning the favour. So I keep sending him boxed cats. According to that other thread, one of 250 boxed cats is a Midnight Matriarch, so 250 boxed cats is what he’ll get. He stopped playing the game though like ten months ago, but if anything this makes it easier to count. I’m nearly at my fifth dozen. Somewhere around the second dozen, I attached a note narrating how he finally comes back home to his lodgings and the entrance is blocked by five feet tall stacks of boxes with cats.
My favourite quirk is Steadfast by the way.

46

So far this one is my favourite!

47

According to my headcanon, Mr Apples/Hearts isn’t a duplicitous trickster posing as two different Masters.

No, poor Mr Apples/Hearts suffers from severe dissociative identity disorder: they are two different identities sharing one body and knowing nothing about it.

48

Worst Idea of the Decade:

It was so long ago, a time of burning curiosity. I was curious about the Tomb Colonist’s most singular feature: their bandages, or more accurately, what lay beneath. Long I thought of how to satisfy my curiosity, until I remembered the affections of a remarkably forward and dashing smuggler. Tomb colonists get lonely after all, and he might have liked to take off his bandages…

Turns out the text never told me anything, and I ended with a stalker to boot.

All in the name of science of course. It may have been a premonition for Ixc’s string of strange marriages down the road.

49

Oh man, for real life impacts? I gotta say…

I started playing this game…what, years ago. I was still in highschool, still a burgeoning young lad with no idea what he wanted to do in life. I played FL mostly as a timewaster, recommended to me after watching Splattercatgamings let’s play of sunless sea. I remember that so well because I believe, truly, this beautifully written game changed my life.

The way you weave in imagery so seamlessly into your writings. ‘Warm, dark, and unobtrusive. Like a stealthy cup of cocoa in a darkened room.’ I am not exaggerating when I say that line in particular inspired me to the power of words. The ability to craft scenes with just a small line of expertly ordered imagery. That’s what I wish to strive for in my writing.

That of course brings me to say, yall inspired me to become a writer.

It’s my dream to one day craft sentences as beautiful as you.

As in the game, I’m just a small timer dreaming of the big score. For now <3

50

Real Life Memory of the Decade

Through Fallen London, I was able to meet my fiancé. The first time we talked, it was around Hallowmas 1892 (2014). I saw Hammond’s post in this forum and I decided to reach out to him. He accepted my calling card and we got to talking. Before we know it, we were talking almost everyday.

He’s also the first person I have ever roleplayed with. As our characters fell in love, so did we in real life. On the Feast of Rose of 1893, he confessed that he fell in love with me (not just in-character). I was already very much in love with him by then, I was so delighted to know that he felt the same way!

In 2016, he flew to my country to visit me, and that was when he proposed to me in-person. We recently celebrated our 5th year anniversary in December. Everytime someone asked either of us how did we meet, we’d always say &quotFallen London&quot! Our love story started from FL, and it still plays a big part in our lives even to this day. It’s where we share our stories and surprised each other with in-game gifts every now and then.

I can’t thank Failbetter and the lovely team behind it enough, who made FL what it is now. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to meet - separated across oceans and continents as we were, with only one thing that we happen to share, which is FL.

I’m so glad that we met through this game. I’m so thankful to have him in my life, and I treasure these past five years that we have been together; the words that we shared, the story that we build together. And I wouldn’t change it for the whole world. :heart:

51

Here is my entry for Best Headcanon of the Decade:

The Boatman doesn’t just play chess with the dead. To the contrary, he will play any game the deceased wishes (though if it requires equipment other than a chess set, the deceased must have that equipment with him or herself).

However, my character has never sought to free herself from the slow boat other than by playing chess. That’s because she likes her odds at chess–the Boatman is really a terrible player.

52

The result: xkcd: Ultimate Game

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[quote=NNNnobody][quote=Catherine Raymond]
The Boatman doesn’t just play chess with the dead. To the contrary, he will play any game the deceased wishes (though if it requires equipment other than a chess set, the deceased must have that equipment with him or herself).
[/quote]
The result: https://xkcd.com/393/[/quote]
The opportunities are limitless :)

54

I still think one of my favourite memories of playing Fallen London was that Feast where the options kept changing until we were left with a fading wash of sunlight. I can understand why some people were unhappy to find out about such a time sensitive event after it happened so such a thing will never happen again but the buzz on the forum and being on-line at the time was amazing.

55

My favorite headcanon is that all the stars who fall outside the judgement clique’s approved spectrum of “Is”, such as the parabox star in parabola or the dawn machine, are called non-binary stars ;-)

56

It was amazing. Because I was only semi-employed, I was on line for that part of that Feast. I remember how amazed I felt about what was happened, and how I wondered what it all meant. And I’m annoyed with myself, now, that I remember so little of the details.

57

It was amazing. Because I was only semi-employed, I was on line for that part of that Feast. I remember how amazed I felt about what was happened, and how I wondered what it all meant. And I’m annoyed with myself, now, that I remember so little of the details.[/quote]
If you’re talking about what I think you are I’m sorry I missed it because I’ve still got that River in a Box running around. It’s what I get for being such an inconsistent player, I guess.

58

It was amazing. Because I was only semi-employed, I was on line for that part of that Feast. I remember how amazed I felt about what was happened, and how I wondered what it all meant. And I’m annoyed with myself, now, that I remember so little of the details.[/quote]
If you’re talking about what I think you are I’m sorry I missed it because I’ve still got that River in a Box running around. It’s what I get for being such an inconsistent player, I guess.[/quote]

No, the River in a Box came after the event Lady Ciel and I were talking about. I don’t recall the exact circumstances but I think the River in a Box was a Christmas present of sorts.

The event Lady Ciel talked about happened during a Feast of the Exceptional Rose (around Valentine’s Day). There were some messages spoken, that all of Fallen London could hear, while the Neath was, briefly, bathed in real sunlight–before the light finally faded. If I didn’t have 10 years of Journal entries, I’d page back (a long ways back) to try to find some of it.
edited by cathyr19355 on 1/26/2020

59

And in my end, that event was probably the most frustrating experience I ever had in FL and I think it was the “last straw” that led to me quitting the game. I ended up coming back when I heard SMEN was finished.

60

[li][color=#0066ff]Real Life Memory of the Decade: How has the Neath had an effect on your Surface life?[/li]

I’ve been taking a break from the Neath for a year and a half. I returned when I saw the email about the 10th birthday of the game and realized I missed this world. I started playing originally in 2013, maybe? Or maybe 2014? I can’t remember for sure.

I was drawn to this game because I read somewhere online that this browser based RP game allowed you to choose a non-gendered character. I thought that was very cool, so I began playing my main character, Myrto, with this in mind.

Not to get too dramatic, but I ended up pausing my game play because I went through a period of depression in real life, which culminated in coming out as non-binary. I had never even considered this for myself when I started playing Fallen London. Instead, it developed partially through the course of allowing myself to play a character with this identity. Fallen London gave me the space to explore this facet of myself.

Thank you to all the writers and designers who work on this fascinating world.