This is not a question in the sense of "ought one to Seek," rather a question of opinion; what are your stances on whether or not someone should seek? Do you prefer playing it safe and steering away from such a ruinous path, or do you prefer taking your fate into your own hands however dangerous it may be? There are certainly arguments to be made both for and against either side, and I am curious to hear them and potentially chime in.
Hum…tis a complicated matter. How far does one must go for narrative?
I can only speak of the good Preacher. There are certain secreta that are better know,and shared. Someone must always take risks for the good of the majority. This is,in a sense, what Seekers are: pioneers of a red mistery. So whats if almost everyone knows what this is about? Fate of one is in one hands.
And, as they say in my country:quien por su propio gusto muere,la muerte le sabe a gloria.
I’ve always seen seeking as a metaphor for self-harm and self-destruction. I think I’m gonna write a longer post when my seeker reach the Avid Horizon, but I have to disagree with my colleague Preacher Zara. I don’t see it has a positive thing at all. I am not saying that you shouldn’t experience this storyline, I am saying that at the end of it all, this isn’t about truth, glory or a noble sacrifice. There’s nothing noble about seeking. While Mr. Eaten is horrible, I believe the seeker are equally has monstrous, because they choose (to some extent) to pursue this path. Or at the very least, Mr. Eaten doesn’t force them.
To answer this question, one needs to decide what one wants out of Fallen London as well as what one wants out of Seeking. Do you want to smash the perfect character you may have spent making? Are you eager to find out more about the larger issues of Fallen London? Are you looking to be part of a unique narrative? Do you enjoy horror?
For myself, I would NEVER Seek with my main character; it would feel to me as though I was smashing a work of art for no good reason. But I wanted to experience the Journey, and I wanted to read the storylets and learn at least one ending, so I took an alt I had and sent her down the Seeking Road.
It was a surprisingly good decision. My main character has goals and desires of her own that aren’t really consistent with the Seeking Road. But while I had been making decisions with my alt to distinguish her from my main character, she turned into a person I didn’t much like; shallow, selfish, dilettante-ish, and hypocritical.
To my intense surprise, that changed when she went Seeking. She came to view her search for the Name almost as a religious quest, with the desire to bring a kind of justice to Mr. Eaten as one of her objectives, and that objective gave her a dignity and purpose that she had never before possessed. The more she sacrificed and the more she lost, the more focused and calm she became.
She went through the Gate, and I believe she found meaning there, if not the meaning I might have wanted, or that she may have expected.
Overall, my advice is this. If you are not sure whether you really should Seek, but you’re curious about the content, create an alt for the purpose. If you already have an alt who is somewhat developed, that works better (I don’t think it is worth trying with a character who isn’t yet a Person of Some Importance). But if you have a POSI alt you want to dedicate to Seeking, or are prepared to spend a while growing a character to that level in order to Seek, by all means go for it.
edited by cathyr19355 on 2/21/2020
It’s a very personal choice. I’m told that the point is to choose a main character to Seek rather an alt. This path is made is to be painful and costly, and to wreck someone that you love and care about. Your character has reached their apex; they are alone, with only downward to fall, and only you to push them. In the end, it is your choice.
Or consider…
It’s cheaper than a divorce.
It depends of what you want, and what the meaning of Seeking is for you.
For me, Seeking was an incredible roleplay experience which involved pain, sacrifice, identity and secret knowledge. It was in line with my character, and these topics are of interest to me in real life.
When Seeking, I felt like I was (through my character) immersing myself into an incredibly intense travel, a journey into the complex and obscur labyrinth of a story wrapped up in blood, betrayal and forbidden secrets.
I didn’t want my character to grow stronger or better, I had no interest in stats or the accumulation of titles/items/companions. I wanted to see where that path would lead me, and through what mysterious experiences I would need to pass.
Are you interested in stories about sacrifice and secrets, about experiencing very intense emotions and scenes ? Then Seeking might be a wonderful experience.
Would you rather keep your character playable and hoard lots of items ? Then don’t Seek and make the most of the very interesting stories Fallen London has to offer.
edited by Emain Ablach on 2/19/2020
I think the only way I could ever be convinced to Seek is if I discovered I was terminally ill and only had months to live.
I can’t think of a better send-off for one of my most beloved online personas.
I agree with Catherine in that it depends a lot on your main character. Jolanda would never go seeking - it doesn’t make the world a better place, or her happier, so why pursue it?
Now, if Jolanda’s player wants the story, she can create an alt.
Of course, Ixc is also right: the point is to destroy something you care about. I believe this is the way the story is meant to be experienced. In doing this, you will truly go through Seeking - but would your character want to go through something that horrible, and cause so much pain, or is it you, the player, who wants to get more story out of FL?
In the end, it’s a matter of how closely you identify with your character and how much consistency you want in your rp.
[quote=Jolanda Swan]I agree with Catherine in that it depends a lot on your main character. Jolanda would never go seeking - it doesn’t make the world a better place, or her happier, so why pursue it?
Now, if Jolanda’s player wants the story, she can create an alt.
Of course, Ixc is also right: the point is to destroy something you care about. I believe this is the way the story is meant to be experienced. In doing this, you will truly go through Seeking - but would your character want to go through something that horrible, and cause so much pain, or is it you, the player, who wants to get more story out of FL?
In the end, it’s a matter of how closely you identify with your character and how much consistency you want in your rp.[/quote]
I agree with you on that point, I made a alt account to seek and it does feel abstract and just a matter of mechanics and grinding it out, rather than a matter of sacrifice and torment, but I refuse to send my main account down that path so here we are.
edited by the old man on 2/24/2020
I had been away for a long time, so I had a main that was built up enough and not a huge attachment. Mr. Eaten is a tragic character and I wanted to help him. Whether I helped him more by Seeking than I will when Bag A Legend finishes I suppose I’ll find out–and yes, I did choose BaL for my new account because I still want to help the poor thing.
Regardless of the layers of artificial, gratuitous mystique it’s swathed in, Seeking is still a storyline, and Fallen London is still a game. I want to see some of the best-written content in one of the best-written games ever, so yes, I Seek.
To give a response to you, hwhoosh, I would say that Seeking is different (I would even say fundamentally different) then other storyline by two factors:
- There are some gameplay part that are deliberately unpleasant (by forcing you to wait, by requiring you to make big sacrifice, etc.)
- The endings render your character unplayable if you go that far (you could always abandon, even at the very end)
Asking whether to Seek or not is asking you if you want to have this experience. Creating an alt still leave you with problem 1) and you have to think about 2) (by not committing to certain storyline) For certain people, that might be too much to ask.
Personally, it took me a year and a half.
Best to start early, I say.
Seeking is one of the game’s best storylines - a quest of madness and determination that defies modern convention. There are many stories that have the protagonist strive for greatness, but only a truly macabre piece of art would have the protagonist throw themselves down a well filled with insanity for the sake of knowledge.
I would suggest that people do not go through the Gate yet since Failbetter is finally wrapping up the Ambitions and those are also challenging and awesome, but you only live once and games are meant to be enjoyed REGARDLESS OF THE CONSEQUENCES! We are drawn to the Name like flies to a flytrap because of its forbidden nature, of its devastatingly-terrible allure and a promise that all shall be well. Seeking is a frontier that is explored to only the most dedicated of players, and I feel that everyone should at least try to reach the end of this masochistic journey.
We can toil away for years until we have gained every single achievement and item available, or we can end our characters’ lives with a bang, by gaining a true understanding of the Drowned Man himself and the ramifications of going North. Or we can choose to abandon all of that progress and start anew, it is our choice. Life is about making choices, for better or worse, and the fun of having a self-destruct button at the ready is ingenious.
We welcome one and all that start and finish with Seeking Mr Eaten’s Name, and I hope that whatever you choose, there will be no regrets.
(Ironically enough)
It bugs me to keep hearing how compelling a story is, but not being able to access it. Just knowing that information- canonical information- exists and I can’t get it to or I lose my main- agitates me.
So, alt. 
I have to know.
[quote=Rozlyn Price](Ironically enough)
It bugs me to keep hearing how compelling a story is, but not being able to access it. Just knowing that information- canonical information- exists and I can’t get it to or I lose my main- agitates me.
So, alt. I have to know.[/quote]You can access it with your main and turn back.
Biggest issue will be if you sell your stained soul. But Flint, the 120 Fate story, has an option to cure that.
I seek. I started the storyline a long time ago and it was taken down while I was waiting for the Marsh dreams to begin my search for Arthur’s Candle. I still plan to pursue Seeking on my main but I will be turning back at the last minute, whereas I have a Seeking alt to go through the door. Perhaps that’s a bit cheap but I’ve spent far too much Fate to give up my character. And they’re probably the most in-depth roleplay character I’ve created in a video game, so there’s that.
I think it depends on how you see a story. How you see lore & myths. Do you seek to know or do you seek because you can? I like to know things. I like myths, stories, lore. I have stacks of books of all of that. I’ve helped people write papers. So for me, it was a story to follow. Also, at the time, the game had no more (it seemed) for me to do. It had seemed forgotten. Sea was getting the lore & attention. FL seemed in the past. So, it was a story to follow.
I sought because I could & because it’s a story. Also, because no one would miss me. Everyone I had known really was already gone from FL. So, I decided to go too… just in a much more insane way. No one remembers them. My first character. She did so well, she is as forgotten as the name.
So, it depends on you. Is this a story or are you invested as if it’s a people. I wouldn’t let my current character seek. I like her. I’ve become attached & she, for all her flaws, doesn’t deserve that. She’s like a little figment person. The other was just something in a story.
So, it’s all in a point of view.
[quote=Rozlyn Price](Ironically enough)
It bugs me to keep hearing how compelling a story is, but not being able to access it. Just knowing that information- canonical information- exists and I can’t get it to or I lose my main- agitates me.
So, alt. I have to know.[/quote]
All canon information is available to you somewhere. No one really leaves without a trace. “We request you do not post this content” is just that, a request (& many of us abide by it because the lore is fun & so is mystery). While no one generally outright makes a wiki about it, humans can be right b_____s & requests won’t stop them. Also, if they already gave it all up, it’s like, what are they gonna do, throw you down a well?
Just a thought.
edited by TheLampades on 4/30/2020