[quote=Reused NPC]One other question:
Throughout all of our playthroughs, has so much as a single person had the public be satisfied? Or is it always "everyone’s a critic"?[/quote]
I think it’s Impossible to please everyone.
A huge edit! That was not my result at all, I actually got a (possibly rare) result of an argument between the two, if you want to check it out: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Lallinka?fromEchoId=12574453
Does arrogance at the end of the story prevent you from donating your cheque?
It does not!
So does it just end with the option to donate your payment or not? I’ve been looking to go back and talk to the princess and haven’t found any thing. Also the ending was eh. It really feels like the composer should have been more involved outside of one or two lines of dialogue from others.
What happens if you stage the real hunt and end the filming with "devils at your wheels" above 4? I assumed it would be nothing good, so I kept shooting them in the face, but now I’m curious about what happens if you don’t.
Nightmares. Lots and lots of nightmares.
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Vavakx%20%20Nonexus?fromEchoId=12560804
edited by suinicide on 9/29/2017
edited by suinicide on 9/29/2017
edited by suinicide on 9/29/2017
edited by suinicide on 9/30/2017
While I understand the writers can’t reasonably expect to cover all the bases, I must admit I am a little disappointed that as both someone who favoured the Glass in the War of Magicians and a freaking GLASSMAN, that I still had to pretend I didn’t know how Pleat does his trick.
As others have touched on, I was quite dissapointed when I realised that I had missed everything between the beginning and the finale of the film, because it wasn’t obvious to me that the option to watch it had changed.
I enjoyed the option to forfeit the 62.5 echoes in this ES, it felt very in-character for me.
Bear in mind… even as a Glassman you’re a researcher into the pathways of mirrors and Parabola. You haven’t cut deals with the Fingerkings, and there’s a great deal to suggest you make efforts to avoid the less pleasant denizens of Parabola.
Even having favored the Glass in Mahogany Hall, you haven’t made any deals with the Fingerkings - you’ve just replicated an illusion you were taught. If anything, your choices in, say, The Court of Cats or Lost in Reflections might have a bit more influence in your ability to call in favors.
Given the Idealistic Illusionist’s reaction, he’s already got a pretty good idea of what’s behind the glass; he’s just been hoping Pleat’s illusions are truly some ingenious bit of stagecraft that he can replicate without any sinister bargains.
But I do agree that I wish our professions and qualities from former stories had some kind of impact on our options in these stories. On this occasion, as others (like, say, The Court of Cats, The Final Curtain, Lost in Reflections, The Attendants, The Manager’s Dream…) I’ve wished my own Glassman status and qualities from older stories could give me some clever options for wrangling mirrors, navigating dreamscapes, and dealing with their metaphysically improbable denizens.
Overall this was an ok story - no great revelations, not particularly long, but with some enjoyable characters and a few fun choices.
What causes me consternation is just how this all fits into The Season of Sceptres. Granted, film media becomes a major propaganda source in the early 20th century, but we don’t really touch on that (even with speaking to Feducci after the film).
The Imposing Impressario is in his own words something of a tyrant, but there’s not much to glean from him besides visionary zeal and that sort of affected braggadocio peculiar to theater people.
The parable of "breaking" another person while pursuing a great design is, quite honestly, one of the moral prices nearly every person in power will encounter, and if they aren’t prepared for it they should look to other vocations. I very much doubt the Injurious Princess has any illusions about that.
Enjoyable as my little foray as an assistant producer was, I took little enough away from it. I failed to shame a vain producer into ethics, failed to convince a budding illusionist to indebt himself to sinister forces in exchange for a mirror trick, failed to rouse the masses to more than being armchair critics, failed to even purchase the gratitude of a cabman with coin. I suppose I succeeded at shooting a few devils as an act of self-preservation, but it’s hardly leadership material, much less empire building or court intrigue. Perhaps if they’d touched a bit more on the Mayor and the Privy Counsellor there’d have been some intrigue to peek into…
edited by Pnakotic on 9/30/2017
Adding my voice to those who enjoyed this story - actually, way more than the previous one. I think I’m biased because I love all things theatrical and behind-the-scenes (like, me personally, not my characters), so even when the story felt linear I didn’t mind reading it.
I agree that I’d’ve liked to see some more of the Composer - while I felt good about my choice at the end, I would have felt better about it with more background. Also I was a little peeved that Feducci didn’t like my movie - real magic tricks and a REAL GREAT HUNT apparently weren’t enough to do it for him?! Well, all right. Also, count me among those who got slammed with nightmares because I didn’t think “four or above” included four, because reading is hard.
I’ve echoed my version of the whole film if anyone’s interested, at Chivioletta.
Bear in mind… even as a Glassman you’re a researcher into the pathways of mirrors and Parabola. You haven’t cut deals with the Fingerkings, and there’s a great deal to suggest you make efforts to avoid the less pleasant denizens of Parabola.
Even having favored the Glass in Mahogany Hall, you haven’t made any deals with the Fingerkings - you’ve just replicated an illusion you were taught. If anything, your choices in, say, The Court of Cats or Lost in Reflections might have a bit more influence in your ability to call in favors.
Given the Idealistic Illusionist’s reaction, he’s already got a pretty good idea of what’s behind the glass; he’s just been hoping Pleat’s illusions are truly some ingenious bit of stagecraft that he can replicate without any sinister bargains.
But I do agree that I wish our professions and qualities from former stories had some kind of impact on our options in these stories. On this occasion, as others (like, say, The Court of Cats, The Final Curtain, Lost in Reflections, The Attendants, The Manager’s Dream…) I’ve wished my own Glassman status and qualities from older stories could give me some clever options for wrangling mirrors, navigating dreamscapes, and dealing with their metaphysically improbable denizens.[/quote]
Oh, I never meant to imply that I have made deals with the fingerkings, simply that I’m AWARE of Parabola, and have a very good idea how the "illusion" is done.
Greetings all, I seem to be having difficulty locating the story content. I went through the intro, meeting the director and believe there was a note at the end that the story line would continue though opportunity. But nothing has show up. Am I missing a step?
Much obliged…
Direwolf
The only time I remember it not being a universal storylet, was a one time option in the forgotten quarter.
Some of the parts need to be done in the right location, I think Ladybones Road?
I’ve finally played this, and unfortunately I really didn’t like this one.
The story didn’t work for me. At all. The writing itself was fine, but the story had two fatal problems:
1. A complete disconnect from the FL setting and atmosphere
Suppose a new story is about how a hansom driver tells you about this new invention called a "cellphone" and sends you on a quest to find a great app for it. This might lead to a decent story, in a different world and setting. There is no place in FL for this. Likewise, in a world which is set in a gothic and mystic 1895 London which has been semi cut off from the world for 30 years, there’s no place for such technology as depicted here.
What’s shown in the story is decades ahead of the FL setting - not only in terms of technology, but socially. Sure, in the real world the first films came out at around this time period, but that is nowhere close to the level of cinematic sophistication shown here (camera movements, special effects, etc.). Also, the public does not react as if these "moving pictures" are a new marvel. They just seem excited that a film crew is filming in their home town, which suggests an already thriving film industry people are familiar with.
Despite mirrored illusions and filming the hunt of devils, there was nothing "Fallen London" in this story. It could have been told anywhere, and would have been better in a world set in the 1920s somewhere.
2. Boring
Throughout the entire story I found not one thing of interest. No character and no plot point seemed to matter at all. The one part where I thought the story might take an interesting turn (Parabola influence?) was just hinted and then dropped.
Why does the Filmmaker depend on me to decide if to film an illusion her way or the Magician’s way? She is the filmmaker. It’s her decision by definition! My character is just the new hired-help which no one knows (this should have been an argument between the Magician and the cameraman, with the Filmmaker leaving the decision to us).
Why would I care specifically about this story about Don Juan? Is there symbolic relevance to my character? To the FL setting? (to contrast, see how beautifully a previous ES wove references to a classic work in Hojotoho! - another story by the same writer, who is in my top 3 ES list)
I’ve watched the whole film (couldn’t care to do anything else, like hush others) just waiting for this thing to be finally over. The end result was just a repetition of previous scenes. What was the added value of being told the I now see the scene shot at the square and can briefly see myself in the background. I was there. I’ve played this scene already. What new perspective was added?
Conclusion: Worst ES by far for me (I’ve played them all since they were released). This should never have been included in this world.
edited by dov on 10/2/2017
Both techniques developed in the 1890s and 1900s, actually. At this point in our own timeline, such early film pioneers as Georges Méliès were mere months away from beginning to devise some of these same techniques. Many were, like Méliès, French - the Filmmaker’s nationality is not a coincidence.
She’s just the director. A mere supervisor. The producer is the one in charge, and you are his agent. You decide where his money gets spent.
Both techniques developed in the 1890s and 1900s, actually. At this point in our own timeline, such early film pioneers as Georges Méliès were mere months away from beginning to devise some of these same techniques. Many were, like Méliès, French - the Filmmaker’s nationality is not a coincidence.[/quote]
For me, it’s too cutting edge, and the story presents this as standard. It’s immersion breaking to rationalize this as "there’s some possible way in which this could exist in this time period". This is supposed to be 1895 in a setting semi-isolated from the rest of the world for 30 years. Compare this story’s film with "A Train Arriving to a Station". Compare this story’s public reaction - no astonishment to the actual existence of moving pictures, just excitement to take part in the production and see a show.
But even if all was indeed possible at that time period, I still think this is the wrong thing to show in this game/setting. It clashes with the rest of the FL aesthetics, bluntly adding modern things (heavily associated with the 20th century) to this mystical place. Advanced science in the Neath so far was things like the Correspondence, Red Science, etc. This is diminishing the fantastical elements of the settings.
She’s just the director. A mere supervisor. The producer is the one in charge, and you are his agent. You decide where his money gets spent.[/quote]
Indeed, she’s the director. You’re the unknown person who the producer hired to "help" (somehow) just because you "showed up". How does this trump the director’s decision how to direct the scene? The producer hired you to "help", but he hired her to direct.
I really agree with that last point. Usually these stories work in our character’s involvement in the plot a lot more organically than this one did. All my character did was wander by and get in the way of the camera, and now he’s the one making all the important decisions? And when you ask why, the producer just says "oh, because you showed up."
What.
I’m sure LOTS of people would met that criterion, including all of the people on his actual STAFF. Speaking of which, doesn’t he already have assistants who can do that sort of thing, who are probably more trustworthy and understanding of the business than some weirdo they found on the street? It just makes the producer look really lazy and stupid.
And that could work if that’s the kind of guy they portrayed him as…weird, wacky, and prone to acts of whimsy. But he’s portrayed as being very competent, controlling, and as someone who cares a great deal how this movie turns out so…why does he make such a hugely weird decision?
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the rest of the story, but this one aspect of it seemed really strange.
edited by Kukapetal on 10/2/2017