Trodgmey
Posts: 164
2/10/2016
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I'm behind on my lore, but the name that jumped to mind for the Old Man was
[spoiler]
Feducci?
"Old Man" is not a bad rough translation of "Presbyter."
[/spoiler]
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Trodgmey -- an otherwise pleasant chap with a peculiar obsession with the first four cities.
http://www.fallenlondon.com/Profile/Trodgmey
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Guest
2/10/2016
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Belatedly recording my thoughts regarding the affair of the Waltz.
I dearly hope that the Waltzing Duke suffered greatly as he stumbled blindly to his death on the surface. Did he think that he had beguiled me with his cultivated charm? Oh, he was such a refined gentleman, so distinguished and well-mannered, but let us not forget that he was faithless to his wife, a lot, and that he blinded her and abandoned her to die when she became an inconvenience. He truly loved her, too, but he feared that the Thief would use his love for her against him: end of wife, end of problem! Heartbroken over it, of course, but he did not regret it, because the Thief would have done worse. Well, maybe so, but did she have a say in the matter? Did he offer her a choice? As far as I'm concerned he was no better than the meanest wife-beating worker from the docks, and quite a lot worse, and he can take his old-world manners and stick them where he'll choke on them.
Not only that, but he did all of this in the course of combating the threat of Anarchy, didn't he? Well, this one's from an anarchist, dukesy. Say hello to the Sun for me when you get to the top.
All in all, a very enjoyable and satisfying evening. 
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Lomias
Posts: 84
2/19/2016
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Interestingly I found my previous comment got 2 thumbs down. Of course people can disagree with me, but I think they could have replied me if they think I am really wrong to say that. Let me make myself clear, I am not saying the text of Waltz is not well-written, but it is a story that player's final decision has no further influence, and it does not reveal much mystery (if it has any), nor does it involve much risk. And these elements, my delicious friends, are the essence of Fallen London (and dark humor, of course). Am I asking for too much? Seriously, I don't think so.
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Lomias
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TheThirdPolice
Posts: 609
2/19/2016
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Dubinee Finnat wrote:
He truly loved her, too, but he feared that the Thief would use his love for her against him: end of wife, end of problem!
To be fair, your relationship does lose some magic after you mistake your wife for a monster and gouge out her eyes. Not that I speak from experience.
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Excessive Corpse & Tender to Irreal Ravens
Lover of Flawed Souls
And with especial pride, Worst Screwup of the Decade!
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MrBurnside
Posts: 188
2/19/2016
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Dubinee Finnat wrote:
I dearly hope that the Waltzing Duke suffered greatly as he stumbled blindly to his death on the surface. Did he think that he had beguiled me with his cultivated charm? Oh, he was such a refined gentleman, so distinguished and well-mannered, but let us not forget that he was faithless to his wife, a lot, and that he blinded her and abandoned her to die when she became an inconvenience. He truly loved her, too, but he feared that the Thief would use his love for her against him: end of wife, end of problem! Heartbroken over it, of course, but he did not regret it, because the Thief would have done worse. Well, maybe so, but did she have a say in the matter? Did he offer her a choice? As far as I'm concerned he was no better than the meanest wife-beating worker from the docks, and quite a lot worse, and he can take his old-world manners and stick them where he'll choke on them.
I prefer to look at the Duke as someone with an Ambition, or maybe being like a seeker. No one unwilling to put out their wife's/husband's eyes in order to stay alive and accomplish their goal has progressed too far down the Ambitions; certainly such things might be expected of a seeker. And after all: he was, potentially at risk of real death.
The Waltzing Duke was not supposed to be in his right mind. He was obsessed, driven, possessed. Of course he was crap as a human being. So, by all accounts, was Bob Fosse.
So is my main. When arriving in the Neath, he was kind, generous and law abiding. He just ripped open someone's skull for blackmail material.
One of the most under-discussed (which is not to say under-appreciated) features of fallen London is the relation of information to wealth. How bits of oblique references can coalesce in the context of each-other and how once information is given in payment the character has no more use for it. It was already leveraged to it's greatest extent. Much of the joy of playing comes from the player echoing the actions of the character in teasing out the nature of the world around them. It's like all the best parts of a Gene Wolfe novel.
[spoiler]To find out that the Duke had a secret that the Thief would bother hunting him for. That the Bazaar wanted back. Oh no. That kind of knowledge, that kind of leverage... It had to be mine.[/spoiler]
It's why I wasn't concerned with the Echo value of the "reward." I got exactly what I wanted out of it.
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Guest
2/20/2016
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MrBurnside wrote:
When arriving in the Neath, he was kind, generous and law abiding. He just ripped open someone's skull for blackmail material.
As I see it, Fallen London is a city where we all have our own fairy tales, you have yours, the duke had his, and I have mine. I am partial to the ones featuring blood, snow, and burning poisons, but to each their own. It may seem from the outside that we are not bound by any rules of behaviour, but it is not so: every fairy tale is its own cage, and its rules are even more unbreakable than natural laws. The worst crime, I think, would be to interfere.
Excellent choice in Gene Wolfe, Mr Burnside. I've been getting Angela Carter. Yours sincerely, signed with my name, Dubinee Finnat (do you see?)
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Kittenpox
Posts: 869
2/25/2016
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Passionario wrote:
OK, I'm freaking out a bit here.
See, Passionario is an avid player of the Great Game (and was one before he descended to the Neath), an enthusiastic fan of Sinning Jenny, a regular visitor at Clathermont's and an old acquaintance of his Amused Lordship. He also spent an entire year in the Cave of the Nadir once (because I took a break from the game and logged off there).
A few days ago, I created a character who is meant to represent his daughter, descending into the Neath to find him.
Then, just this morning, I changed his destiny to the one in which he ends up essentially sightless.
And now that I've met the Waltzing Duke, I know exactly what a Dread Surmise feels like.
...
It's me. It was me all along. And now it's too late.
While I was reading this, a certain song came to mind. It doesn't fit perfectly by any stretch of the imagination, but there are some similarities.
[spoiler] ♫ There was a girl I used to know
She dealt my love a savage blow
I was so young, too blind to see
But anyway that's history
'History never repeats'
I tell myself, before I go to sleep ♫
(or a bit later in the song...)
♫ Deep in the night, it's all so clear
I lie awake with great ideas
Lurking about in no-man's land
I think at last I understand
'History never repeats'
I tell myself, before I go to sleep ♫ [/spoiler]
Edit: turns out if you double-spoilertag (rather than including a / to close the spoiler tag), you can hide your own forum signature. :-p
edited by Kittenpox on 2/25/2016
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Kittenpox
Current [Fabulous Diamond] count: Twenty-Five (of 50). Halfway there! ^_^
Metaphysical Caprice: 11.
-
Currently: Returned to the Neath, and regaining my footing in this place. :-)
NO PLANT BATTLES PLEASE.
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Kittenpox
Posts: 869
2/25/2016
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On the topic of this one, did nobody let her get revenge?
At the moment I've an idea of what happens if you go for the eye(s), and I think I'm inclined to let them have a peaceful resolution. But I'm curious about what happens if you let her use the knife she brought down here.
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Kittenpox
Current [Fabulous Diamond] count: Twenty-Five (of 50). Halfway there! ^_^
Metaphysical Caprice: 11.
-
Currently: Returned to the Neath, and regaining my footing in this place. :-)
NO PLANT BATTLES PLEASE.
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Mordaine Barimen
Posts: 670
2/25/2016
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I know I've seen an echo of allowing her the pleasure of the deed, although it's not what I chose, so I cannot help directly.
--
I'm sorry, but due to policy clarifications, I will no longer be giving detailed mechanics advice on the forums.
If you still need help, try the IRC channel.
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Fairweather
Posts: 86
3/3/2016
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This is has probably been asked somewhere else, admittedly, but not sure what to search for. I missed this story due to a rather difficult and time-consuming February. Is there anyway to start an expired Exceptional Friends' story?
--
P. Fairweather - One time wild child, turned Correspondence obsessive. Just don't ask her what the 'P' stands for.
Aurora Chasseresse - A little rough round the edges, but there's no one you'd want more in a hunting party... or zee shanty sing-a-long
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genesis
Posts: 924
3/3/2016
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Fairweather wrote:
This is has probably been asked somewhere else, admittedly, but not sure what to search for. I missed this story due to a rather difficult and time-consuming February. Is there anyway to start an expired Exceptional Friends' story?
Yes, but only after 3 months (so June for this one) and for 45 Fate
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/mikey_thinkin
Keeping track of incomplete content and loose ends in Fallen London
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Absintheuse
Posts: 348
5/10/2016
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The Waltz that Moved the World is now available for Fate!
The writer behind the tale has also hinted there may be something left uncovered: https://twitter.com/CashDecuir/status/730020138129444864
edited by Absintheuse on 5/10/2016
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
5/10/2016
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@CashDecuir wrote:
(A hint! (And general good advice for life -) Beware your beginnings.)
No idea, but re-reading my journal, I see the Waltz provided an early glimpse of the Stags' hotel of choice.
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Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron.
Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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genesis
Posts: 924
5/10/2016
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Hm. I do wonder what Cash meant.. I thought I had explored it pretty exhaustively.. He could mean that there is a branch that they know *noone* at all had played. Or he could mean that there is a branch that some people had played but not many and its significance wasn't raised on the discussion threads. Or he could mean that it's not so much that there is an unplayed branch but rather that there is an implication that can be pieced together from otherwise easily available branches
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/mikey_thinkin
Keeping track of incomplete content and loose ends in Fallen London
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suinicide
Posts: 2409
5/10/2016
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[spoiler]
One thing that still bothers me is that this whole story was started because the ghost of the wife appeared to his daughter. When have we ever seen a ghost before? (Maybe that was the thief of faces, and this story was it using us to hunt down that piece of the tragedian procedures. In which case, stealing them is the only correct option)
Edit: Also, ghosts on the surface? That is pretty weird.
[/spoiler]
edited by suinicide on 5/10/2016
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime
A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence.
RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
5/10/2016
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I was wondering about that... but there is the Ghostly Presence of the Feast of the Rose. Ghost status: uncertain??
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Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron.
Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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absimiliard
Posts: 759
5/10/2016
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There's also the fail for pretending to be the Phantom of the Opera . . . I mean the Antimacassar. If I recall correctly you fail because the actual phantom terrifies you into spoiling your timing. Been a bit though, so I'm not certain of the words, but I recall going "Huh, I guess ghosts might be real in the Neath."
{edit: because the presence, or lack thereof, of the word 'not' kind of effects the meaning of a sentence.}
edited by absimiliard on 5/10/2016
--
"Because, Parabola!" -- the Curious Captain
Eating nightmares from friends -- and I'm easy to befriend.
Absimiliard: the Black Rose of Wolfstack Docks
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suinicide
Posts: 2409
5/10/2016
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I think that's a bit different. The Ghostly Presence is only a presence, after demi-god tried to possess it. (If I'm interpreting that right). Point is, the author died under strange circumstances that could have allowed that. [spoiler]
The wife had a full appearance at night (Also, coincidentally when the light is weakest). Completely appearing is different than a vague presence. And if it took a demi-god possession to make the vague presence, what would it take for the full appearance to occur? Especially on the surface.
Thinking on it more, I think this might be it. Something neathly occurred on the surface, in violation of the judgements. Humans can't do that without quite a bit of help (in the form of the liberation) And I doubt that would be helping her much. (Unless I'm missing something) (And by it I mean the thief of faces impersonating her mother so it can hunt down the secret. [/spoiler]
edited by suinicide on 5/10/2016
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/sunnytime
A gentleman seeking the liberation of knowledge, with a penchant for violence.
RIP suinicide, stuck in a well. Still has it under control.
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dov
Posts: 2580
5/10/2016
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An occurrence! Your 'Putting the Pieces Together: The ghosts of London' Quality is now 1!
--
 Want a sip of Hesperidean Cider? Send me a request in-game. Here's an_ocelot's guide how.
(Most social actions are welcome. Please no requests to Loiter Suspiciously and no investigations of the Affluent Photographer)
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James Sinclair
Posts: 253
5/11/2016
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So perhaps the 'ghost' that appeared to the daughter on the Surface was the Thief-of-Faces? That would mean the Thief can survive topside (albeit only in the dark).
The sidebar quote about Hesperidean Cider (and also the visions from Lost in Reflections) implies that drinking Cider allows you to survive on the Surface, even after long-term exposure to the Neath. Is the Cider strong enough to allow a Snuffer -- forgive me, a Cousin -- to do the same?
And then there's 'Beware your beginnings'. But beginnings of what, or for whom? For the daughter? The Duke? The player?
--
James Sinclair
Curator of the Sanguine Ribbon Society 🗡
 A fully-fledged rêveur of The Night Circus.
Wines is red
Spices is yellow
But old Jack-of-Smiles
Is a murderous fellow
☠
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