#clay men

[polekands]

I had the chance to be a GM for the Fallen London ttrpg launch-party-event and now I am mildly obsessed with the Londoners, that were the pre-generated PCs :)

So now it's time for my Fallen London art dump!

starting with: "of course the tiny rat with a crusty scalpel should do the intimidation"

aand my take on all 5 PCs to choose from during the event :)

as well as a bonus art-piece of me making the decision to never dismiss my finsihed tutorial-storylet of dubiously shrewd rat in the browser game, just because I don't want the rat to leave anymore

so yeah - big thank you to @failbettergames for providing me with 15 years of the most delicious lore and worldbuilding to now catch up on :D

[thevioletscout]

Another Fallen London lore question because I'm either not paying attention or I haven't found confirmation in the game yet.

What are the symbols on the claymen's foreheads? Are those correspondence or something else? Is this connected to a specific culture or religion and I'm about to look like a real asshole for not recognizing it?

I mainly want to ask before I wildly misinterpret and make a mistake in artwork.

[geraldofallon]

Fallen London Species: Clay Men

[world-of-advice]

[tomb-colonist]

Are Clay Men gendered or is this something that happens to them when they are born / become unfinished

I remember reading somewhere (I last played Sunless Sea a long time ago) that the Pirate Poet had chosen to become / present as a woman after her awakening

Given that they do not reproduce sexually it makes sense that they wouldn’t have sexual organs, but some of the Clay Man characters in Exceptional Stories look to have male secondary sexual characteristics -- or this could be my cultural bias leading me to assume people’s genders when there aren’t necessarily any, what do I know

I just think it’s interesting that in becoming more (self) defined they are separated from the perceived state of purity that is moral ignorance, much like in the tale of Genesis where disobedience leads to self-awareness and expulsion from an initial perfect state

[thevioletscout]

Coal and Diamond (Bluebeard's Bride style writing)

WARNING: Racism, violence against women, misogyny, victim blaming, and slut shaming

Please refer to this post for more context

------------------------------------------------------

The room beckons. You enter, and the door closes behind you.

You walk down Hollow Street, the haven of honey dens. The few people you see here pay you no mind as they hurry to join the rest of those in the sweetest of dreams.

Fierce Mint: Are we truly alone out here?

Hard as Stone: No Jack waiting to pop out, right?

You're alone. For now.

Ursa Major: Is he already inside?

Cracks in the Surface: Do we think this is about what those cats told us?

Fierce Mint: I don't see why it would be. What does it matter if he has taken up with someone else?

Diamond Heart: Yet I'm not sure what else he would call upon us so urgently for...

Ursa Major: May I Take Stock?

Of course, what will you ask?

Ursa Major: What does this place demand of Fae?

The sudden slam of a door catches your attention, and you look to watch a couple stumble out of the honey den, laughing at something you're unaware of. The woman's cheeks and nose are dusted in rosy color, and the man holds her close with a smile on his face.

Ursa Major: I'm not sure what that means.

Well, you don't get to linger on it. For you hear a familiar voice calling your name.

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: Fae!

Fae: Colin-?

You turn around, watching as the Jewel Thief slows to a stop, his breath heavy from exertion.

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: Good, you came. I... I need to talk to you.

Fae: Is everything alright? You're not being chased by a constable, are you?

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: What-? No, no, of course not. But, I need to apologize...

Fae: For... What?

Cracks in the Surface: I was right?

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: I've been seeing this other woman, to get access to her wealth. She's-

Fae: An heiress? I already know, and you don't have to explain yourself or apologize, I'm not upset.

The thief is notably taken aback.

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: You're... You're not?

At first it's shock, then it becomes disbelief. It seems he doesn't quite trust what you say.

Fae: No, of course not you dolt! We had not set such bounds on our relationship. I know my place, and it does not matter to me who else you see or when you move on from my company.

He's still surprised, but he lets out a laugh of relief.

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: Thank goodness, I feared I had done something to hurt you.

Fae: Everything's fine, you don't need to worry.

Cracks in the Surface: Wait, Mint don't-

Fae: Besides, I was seeing others as well.

Your words cut through the Jewel Thief, and he looks to you with widened eyes.

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: What did you say...?

Diamond Heart: Oh now you've done it.

Fierce Mint: It's fine, we'll laugh about this.

Fae: I've mostly been seeing some of the devils I work for. They have little use for my soul, but they say I make entertaining company. I'm not quite sure what they got out of taking me on dates, but-

Before you can finish, the Jewel Thief grabs you by the shoulders.

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: You- You HARLOT!

He screams in your face, shaking you as he backs you towards the wall.

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: Were you playing with me this whole time?! Did you have fun laughing at my expense?! You made me think of you, and now you tell me it never mattered?!

Cracks in the Surface: Get him off us!

Hard as Stone: Fight back!

Ursa Major: No, stay calm-!

Fierce Mint: I Dirty Myself With Violence!

Rolling Carnality

Modifier (0)

4 + 5 = 9

HIT

You rolled a 9, so you have two choices. Does your vulnerability open you up to trauma, or does your carelessness leave you in a bad spot?

Fierce Mint: I don't like the sound of a worse spot than this, so I'll take the trauma.

Very well, I'll explain how you do so. First though, do you disable him, silence him, or mutilate him?

Fierce Mint: Hold on, that's not my goal. I just want him to get off me.

I'm afraid that's not one of your choices. Now what will it be?

Fierce Mint: I suppose... Mutilate then.

In a blind panic, you throw your first forward. The Jewel Thief lets you go, staggering back as he covers his face with his hands.

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: God-! You bitch, you broke my nose!

Fae: You were the one who grabbed me so suddenly! If you had thought a little more, that wouldn't have happened!

Cracks in the Surface: We should leave, before it gets worse.

Fae: I think we're done here.

As you turn to leave, you hear the Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief laughing behind you.

The Honey-Sipping Jewel Thief: You know what, I'm happy you're such a heartless tramp. If you were even a fraction of what you made me think you were, I might have ended up just like that comtessa!

Fierce Mint: I... I freeze in my tracks.

And you mark one trauma.

Ursa Major: Hard as Stone, you're to blame for this!

Hard as Stone: Me?! I didn't have the ring! Fierce Mint did!

Ursa Major: No, but you encouraged her to resort to brutality!

Hard as Stone: He attacked us! We needed to defend ourselves!

Ursa Major: HE CAN'T HURT US. HE'S FLESH, WE'RE NOT. Take the trauma as I will for failing to prevent this.

The Bear: When a Sister provokes trauma, you can step in and punish the Sister who truly deserves it. Tell the guilty sister to mark the trauma instead, and mark one trauma for yourself as well, as your failure to prevent this is self evident.

Fierce Mint: I... I'd like to propose a truth.

Go on then.

Fierce Mint: No matter how agreeable we present ourselves, how compatible we may seem, humans like him will never truly see us as an equal. I did the exact same thing he did to me, and it wounded his pride that a mere clay person could be unfaithful to him. We still have the diamond he gave us, will that suffice as a token of disloyalty?

It does. You clutch it in your palm as you finally march forward, away from Hollow Street. You can hear him yell something in the distance, but you can't make it out. You can only tell that the anger has left his voice. Everyone, take a trauma.

Cracks in the Surface: What a shame... I quite liked him.

Diamond Heart: We were never going to be good enough for him, so its best to forget it.

[thevioletscout]

why don’t we simply add more clay to the fae. homegrown inches

This is what Fae looks like when we add more clay to her.

[thevioletscout]

Oh god I almost forgot this exchange with @anannoyanceofjackofsmiles in a call yesterday

*we were talking about Fae and Heart's Desire stuff*

Me: So the awkward thing with Fae is that according to my research, clay men are among the species that if they die they don't come back.

Jack: Oh yeah, I knew that. (for fate-locked story reasons)

Me: Yeah. So that's a bit troublesome, because part of Heart's Desire requires you to die so you can talk to the boatman.

Jack: OH.

Me: Yeah. For that, there's two like quick ways to die. You can either look in the mirror at Mrs. Plenty's carnival. Or, you can ask Virginia to kill you. WHICH SHE IS MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO-

Jack: Hot.

Me: Pf- So my idea is that Fae- who has no idea if this will work either- has Virginia take out her diamond heart, and then like put it back in after an hour.

Jack:

Hot.

Me:

I MEAN- NOT WRONG.

Important note, apparently this section might actually be completely optional, so I might not have to worry about it. But it would still be cool if I could work it in since I'll probably do it anyway for completionist's sake.