Guess it’s up to me to say it: I’d hit that. :p
I like to think I’m an open-minded person who can and will respect other people due to their personalities and actions rather than their physical features. (I may not always act like it…but I like to think I do!) Anyway, I’m seriously not bothered by the picture. I understand why humans would consider Rubbery Men hideous. On the flip side, it’s not as if Rubbery Men would or should consider us attractive. Erm, this isn’t to say that there’s a mutual disgust.
I also think squid are cute creatures. I wonder, were people from late 19th century England not as familiar with squid like we are today? I suppose your first meeting with one could be shocking and disturbing since they’re so unlike the other aquatic creatures a layman would know.
I think it’s a combination. For some of those doing the stoning, though, I think they’re just relieved they’re not the ones being stoned. If you don’t join in, you might end up presenting yourself as an outcast. You don’t want to look like an outcast in front of a mob with stones, do ya? Sometimes, it feels safer to conform with others…even if it’s in hatred.
I haven’t read much of the advanced Rubbery Men content like Flute Street yet, but from where I’m currently standing, I view the Rubbery Men as people that have largely been ostracized and belittled by society due to their physical natures. As story elements, I see the Rubbery Men as part H.P. Lovecraft tribute, part H.P. Lovecraft satire, part social statement on discrimination, and part fun for those gamers who enjoy cultural study (regardless that it’s fictional and largely done in Flute Street). I look forward to further interactions with my favorite betentacled chums!
About xenophobia, the Fallen Londoners only arrived during the past couple decades; they seem to be the ones most likely to be mistrusted by the Neath’s other denizens who have lived there far longer. Goodness, aren’t we the alien foreigners? It reminds me of the sidebar snippet:
"Why do they call it the Elder Country?
That vast continent to the South with a glowing mountain at its heart - where the Presbyter has ruled for a thousand years - is older by far than any of London’s civilisations. Which is embarrassing."
Hiii, neighbor. Try not to fling any of your Wax-Wind my way, thanks!
"What is the Wax-Wind?
On rare days, an impossible tempest sweeps out of the Elder Continent: a wild wind carrying the scent of boiling honey and a storm of molten wax. Ships that fall prey to the Wax-Wind float like filthy icebergs in the Unterzee, their crews confined in wax, mouths fixed in endless screams."
Oh, darn, too late. Better grab some towels.
