Lady Magpie does not like the so called ‘Captivating’ princess nor the attitude of the widow, so I went to the end with The Pirate Poet.
Was great that there was a poet laureate option! Above all else the writing was incredible, this and the cricket ES blew me away.
Yeah this was a lovely story, I had a dim opinion when I saw the title, but then again, same thing happened with Cricket Anyone and Ho Boy was I proved wrong in every way possible. I sadly knew absolutely nobody from previous stories aside from a bit of Fidgiting Writer, so I kinda just went with the Princess as the most valuable (and dangerous to cross) option…until the Widow showed up, who I actually did have interactions with before via Stiff Drink, and who my character relates to a lot better than the rest of them, so I took her instead.
Also, it was so good to have a greater clarity on all the Terrible Deals that were done, buried in that deepest of places. I drank all those memories up, learnt a very interesting thing about the true descendents of an ancient city, and when it came to the final choice, I put that poor thing out of it’s misery directly. It didn’t feel like it wanted to live longer in this drained, butchered state. Nor did I want Priscilla to be transformed into some kind of eldritch bioweapon. And while eating it myself was tempting…not today.
edited by Calliope Rannis on 6/30/2019
Maria took the magnanimous and melancholy option; it’s echoed in my journal if you’d like to check it out: https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Maria%20Russell-Black/16348731
I took the magnanimous option too. I was sorely tempted to consume, but I think the text made it clear that it wanted to depart. A very hard decision: I would love to contain all these memories.
In any case, superb writing, loved the light aspect in the beginning, and the idea of a poetic pox that afflicts you, as much as I loved the poetic delirium at the end.
Loved not getting the Princess with me, too. I might have been tempted but frankly, it was far more humane to take the Widow. Plus she is less likely to torture someone with whatever she discovers in the end.
It was an excellently designed story. Good use of previous qualities, even some of the rare ones. Well written, interesting lore, long, fun use of luck-checks. Easily the best Exceptional Story in my book, and it should be used as an example of everything right to do: Give us new lore, let us learn more about old characters instead of giving us a new roster every time, let us learn more about the deeper lore of FL, let us make several meaningful decisions and ruminate about whether they were the right ones.
The only “criticism” (if you can call it that?) is that the author seems to use a LOT of callbacks to Alexis Kennedy’s style of writing FL, and while it is an excellent and evocative way of writing when it comes to the stranger side of FL, some of the parallels and phrases in this story are directly ripped from other content in SS/Eaten that seem to have very little to do with what is happening. This always feels sort of dissonant to me, maybe especially because Kennedy’s writing is so easily identifiable.
[quote=Askebaske]The only "criticism" (if you can call it that?) is that the author seems to use a LOT of callbacks to Alexis Kennedy’s style of writing FL, and while it is an excellent and evocative way of writing when it comes to the stranger side of FL, some of the parallels and phrases in this story are directly ripped from other content in SS/Eaten that seem to have very little to do with what is happening. This always feels sort of dissonant to me, maybe especially because Kennedy’s writing is so easily identifiable.[/quote]Funny that you should bring this up! On the IRC, I did (only semi-seriously) raise the question whether Chandler Groover was "Alexis Kennedy in disguise because they write FL like AK used to write it."
However, I don’t see this as "dissonant" or "ripping off". I agree that it should be done carefully and not too often, but considering that all three of Chandler’s stories were concerned with very deep FL lore, I think this particular style (if you want to, call it "throwbacks to old-school FL" ;)) fits quite well.
So wait, where was the Poet Laureate option? I’m near the end of the story, and I think I must have missed it.
It’s very close to the end. If you have Poet Laureate, the option is required to progress.
Is it possible you need to have done the Captivating Princess Route for that option? I went with the Widow, and I never saw anything with Poet Laureate as a requirement.
edited by TeaFiend5 on 7/1/2019
Specifically, when speaking with the Heart, you get one of two mandatory options for having or not having PL. This is the text with PL.
Oh, I must just not have seen the requirement for it there, then. Thank you very much!
[quote=phryne]
However, I don’t see this as "dissonant" or "ripping off". I agree that it should be done carefully and not too often, but considering that all three of Chandler’s stories were concerned with very deep FL lore, I think this particular style (if you want to, call it "throwbacks to old-school FL" ;)) fits quite well.[/quote]
I should mention I write "ripped" as in "using the exact same phrase" and not as in "ripping off" in some derogatory sense - I don’t think it is necessarily a malicious thing to do, but there are several lines lifted verbatim from things Alexis Kennedy has written in other contexts. It can feel a bit jarring to read those, even if there are lore reasons why.
I would never write these things without beginning by heaping praise, though, because it genuinely is an amazing and well-written story. And maintaining that ‘throwback’ narrative style does fit the universe amazingly well!
Hey, DID anyone bring the Captivating Princess? I’m curious about the result.
I did. You can look through my journal for the process, epilogue gives you a favour in high places and a bottle of Broken Giant 1882.
This story was magnificent by the way. To count the ways would take too long. Teared up a bit at the little poem on the Mog’s farewell screen.
This was an extremely well done ES. I greatly enjoyed it. I love these that let Caroline use all the traits she has methodically collected, achievements she has accomplished, and ESes previously completed. Oh, and she and I loved seeing the One Eyed Mog again. Excellent work.
I’m quite new to ES, but this was easily one of my favourite pieces of FL writing, period. Though I haven’t finished it–I’ve been lingering over the final choice regarding what to do with the Heart for days. I think of all the things she’s encountered in the Neath, this might be the one Praxidike empathizes with the most, but she’s also definitely something of a death-bringer and I’m having trouble discerning why one is more ‘merciful’ than the other. I’ve seen echos of both the magnanimous/melancholy and steadfast options, but has anyone chosen the death-bringer? I’m thinking not of the rewards but of the narrative consequences, as it were.
Also, curious for anyone who chose it–is the ‘forever changed’ aspect more along the typical lines of SMEN-adjacent choices, or is it more unique to this ES?
It’s a unique quality. I doubt it will ever be relevant mechanically, so what it means for your character is up to you.
I have. Do you want to know anything specific about it?
[quote=Calliope ]
I have. Do you want to know anything specific about it?[/quote]
I guess I was curious as to what made it different from the magnanimous choice–if allowing the heart to die was merciful, what did the element of sacrifice change about it? Not sure if that makes sense!