Tags: Neathbow, Revenge, Angst, Sad Bat is having a Sad Bat time
Words: 549
Summary: After years of bitter rivalry, Mr Trinkets finally gets the upper hand on Mr Stones. Now it's time to reclaim something from its hoard that is rightfully theirs.
[Hey @mad-voidling, I was your secret swap partner :) I didn't know much about Mr Trinkets before this, but I loved everything I learned about it as part of my research! You never specified what the item was that Stones and Trinkets fought over so I kept it vague as well, but in my head this necklace was the culprit.
I tried to match the topics you wished for as well as I could, hope you enjoy! Written as part of the @fallenlondonficswap.]
Drip, drip, drip.
Mr Trinkets stood over the body of its fellow Master, still-warm blood running down their claws. A lifetime of suffering, wasted time and stolen memories — all ended in the blink of an eye.
The world went completely still.
Drip, drip.
Drip.
…
Silence.
…
Suddenly, a loud clamouring as Trinkets dove for the nearest pile from Stones’ hoard. Digging through it with mindless fervour, looking for the shiniest, prettiest thing. It was theirs, all of it was theirs now, so there was no rush at all, but… It needed a trophy. Something more than just a body, going cold on the stone floor.
A slew of colourful rings, jewelled music boxes and ornamental dessert spoons were being grabbed and haphazardly discarded, forming an ill-fitting halo around the dead Master of the Bazaar. Trinkets did not spare it a second glance as it threw one glittering prize after another over its shoulder, searching for something special, something…
Ah.
There it was.
A necklace, so massive it could have never been worn by a mortal, inlaid with jewels of seven different colours.
Trinkets held it up, awe-struck. Blood-soaked claws were now at their gentlest, their most reverent as they brushed over the stones, one by one.
A black that’s blacker than black. A hunger that can never be satisfied. Aren’t you afraid of what lies beneath?
Never, ever forget again. Paint your eyelids red, paint its jewels r e d. Is it worth it? Blood blooming on the edges of your vision, just so your memories can stay intact?
Feels like home. An azure blanket over the world. It’s wild and cold and furious for some, but for you it’s a comfort. The warmth of a parent’s embrace. Do you miss it still?
An easy sleep. Emerald eyes watching you. How can anyone sleep here? Do they not feel the danger of those eyes? Move on, before they take from you whatever you have left.
Finally, something different. An orange warmth like you’ve never known. Honey-sweet dream dreamed by the Neath. If you no longer have a home, could this be it?
No, no, NO…
It took a fraction of a second for Mr Trinkets to notice the purple glow of this particular stone. A violent screech, followed by claws digging into the metal frame. Flakes of dried blood fell onto the necklace as Trinkets detached the stone and hurled it across the room with a high-pitched scream.
Then, nothingness. A sense of apathy washes over you. What was the point of it all?
…
You find yourself kneeling on carpet, not stone. Mr Stones, likewise, is nowhere to be seen. You blink once, twice, all while attempting to calm your heavy breathing.
The hoard in front of you is rather meager compared to the towers of precious stones your mind had been conjuring up earlier. Even then it’s separated into two piles, with you holding up one of the small treasures — looks like you’ve been busy reorganising. Getting carried away in a fantasy.
You sigh deeply. There is still much to be done. You have to finish sorting through the pile, Idris will want to go to the University later and then… more planning. More preparation.
No matter. One of these days, you will make it pay.
(art done by my beloved partner!! you can find them at magpips on Instagram or magpip on Discord, they have commissions open rn so go follow them and commission them NOW!!)
Name: Idris Nightlocke/Mr. Trinkets
Pronouns: It/They
Species: Curator
Ambition: Heart's Desire (Ending: Power Truth)
Profession: Correspondent
Primary Attributes: Watchful, Bizarre, Artisan of the Red Science
A long time ago, far, far away from the Neath, a child was born to a criminal. Its memories of this time are few and indistinct, but it remembers one thing clearly - the stars. Bright and beautiful, a countless number speckling the dark world beyond the safety of its parent's hold. It was young, it was free, and it was happy.
Then, suddenly and without warning, there was cold. Before there had been an occasional chill, but it was protected by its fur and its parent's embrace. Now the freezing air and the pure white surrounding it was unrelenting, even its parent unable to protect it, them having gone still and the warmth quickly fading from them. Unsure of what else to do, the child wailed. It did not know how long passed before the light came, like its parent but not - large and soft and warm but not the same, could never be the same. It wanted to wail and scream and cry again but its throat was sore and its eyes dry so it remained silent as it was once again taken away.
Mr. Trinkets, though it was not called that then, was raised among the Masters of the Bazaar as their future colleague, though some contributed more to its care than others. There was an air of bitterness surrounding the child as it grew up - it was, after all, a child and not one theirs, but instead taking up the place of what should have been a fully grown Curator. Furthermore, the loss of one of their colleagues was still fresh, and its arrival was a salt in that wound.
None would grow to dislike it more than the Master that Londoners would come to know as Mr. Stones. It started early with Trinkets’ developing desire to collect knick knacks and baubles, the shinier the better. And what was shinier than items encrusted with precious gemstones? Thus their rivalry was born, though then one-sided and petty, for the child was too young to feel the same contempt. But after nearly a millennia its bitterness towards its older colleague grew alongside its size. Though now there was more to it than light thievery - jealousy, discontent, condescension, and unfairness to name a few - at its heart it was still petty, and that pettiness would lead to the breaking point.
The item itself was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to what it would cause. But it lay within the overlap between Stones and Trinkets’ domains, both desired it, and it was the latter who was able to take it first. When next they met they of course argued over this, but as it went on it only got more heated. Out of patience, Trinkets turned to storm off, only to hear quick movement behind them, something pricking their shoulder-
Ego Mortis
Several days later, trapped up high in New Newgate, a newcomer to London would awaken with no memories of themself beyond a faint recollection of a star filled sky. It did not take them long to escape that place, but they left it without a name. It was only some time later that they would decide on it in a flash of inspiration, fueled by the desperation of needing somewhere warm to shelter themself from the lacre covered streets:
Idris Nightlocke.
Canon Exceptional Stories
The Deadly Dapperlings: Happened fairly early on in Idris’ life, they were very early into their Ambition and had only recently started their lab/become a professor. They led their team to victory, but refused to let them become workers under Mr. Iron and have their dreams and passions be crushed
Cricket, Anyone?: Occurred much later, post-Ambition and while they were still actively help construct the railroad. Helped complete the sigil (they don’t have SotC 21 for nothing), learned Mr. Wines’ secret, and kept it for themselves. This is what happens when you entrust a near-stranger with a vital part of your plan
Redoing my pinned post time yippee!! Hello! I’m Void and welcome to my blog! Here’s a few things to know about me
- 18+
- Agender (It/Its)
- AroAce
- Disabled (Autistic + Chronic Pain + other stuff I don’t feel like mentioning)
- Born and raised Catholic (baptized by my own grandfather actually!), currently something akin to agnostic but I still have Thoughts and Feelings about the Bible/Christian mythos so that’s liable to show up around here on occasion
- There will now also be some KCD2/general medieval posting, because knights are cool. to me.
This is my more horror-focused blog alongside being my Fallen London one - it’s likely you’ll see me reblogging spooky stuff. I don’t usually tag things because I’m forgetful but if you want/need me to tag something feel free to dm me or send an anon, I promise I don’t mind in the slightest!
Speaking of Fallen London! I have various FL OCs, but my primary one/the one I have an account for is Idris Nightlocke/Mr. Trinkets! They have their own post here if you want to see their ref sheet (made by my wonderful partner) and learn more about them, and if you want even more info they also have their own tags in #idris nightlocke and #mr trinkets
I have other OCs too but they don’t have associated accounts and I post about them a lot less (anxiety is a bastard haha) but I’m working on doing so more! They are, in no particular order:
- The Cloth-Clad Weaver (She/Her, Tomb-colonist, alive since the Third City and keeps on living out of spite. Runs a small tailoring business in which she does everything by hand, her work being of a high quality despite her very advanced age)
- The Grieving Rebel/Marion Red (He/Him, Human, Urchin turned Revolutionary who was left disabled after the Constables raided the base of his small revolutionary sect and killed all his friend/comrades - him only surviving by sheer luck. Taken in by the Jovial Contrarian and currently works as one of his staffers/employees)
- The Viric-Glazed Assassin/Jessie King (Any/All, Human [Fingerking Possessed], Originally from the Surface before an accident led to them falling into Parabola and becoming a servant of the Fingerkings. Has little to no memories of their past, and due to the influence of their masters is extremely loyal to them)
- The Bejeweled Captain/August Riva (He/Him, Human, Originally from the Surface before his "best friend" (see above) was in an accident, due to a combination of denial + strange dreams he set out for the Neath to try and find them. Has been looking for them for years, but in the meantime has also become a zailor/pirate as he struggled to find any leads)
-The Altered Deviless/Belladona (She/They, Devil, The subject of a red-science experiment, she now grows Exile’s Roses and other hellish flowers from her own body, allowing her own colony of Lamplighter Bees to develop Prisoner’s Honey within London. The procedure has had other effects on their body as well, such as having to maintain their blooms lest their body become overgrown, and draining themself of the honey that builds up within them)
- The Rental Bridegroom/Silken Socialite (They/It, Clothes-Colony, An ambitious being determined to make a name for themself in the Palace despite their species. While it presents itself publicly as the Silken Socialite, behind the scenes it works as the Rental Bridegroom - willing to partake in sham marriages for the young upper crust facing pressure from their families to settle down, but not actually wanting too. While it provides a variety of services, marriage is the primary one, in exchange for money and favors to help further the status of its public persona)
And that’s all of them (for now)! Thank you for taking the time to read all of this - feel free to ask me any questions about them, and enjoy my blog!
Oh man, I got a whole playlist of these and now I gotta pick one? For Idris, The Scab by an Unkindness, and for Trinkets, The Guide to Success by Joe Iconis. As a duo, The Saints I by Dirt Poor Robins
19. Are they emotional or a stone wall?
Trinkets leans more to the emotional side, but before tend to be stone wall-y. In public, anyway. Trinkets is still the more emotional one in private, but they both let loose more, especially when around friends also they’ve both had like. at least two emotional breakdowns before
Do they miss the Surface High Wilderness? What was their life like up there?
Oh yeah, Trinkets misses it so much. Or at least, what it thinks it’s like, and what it represents for it (freedom, others of their kind that might care for them, etc.), but they don’t know much about it from personal experience. It’s feelings about it are similar to my own about the house I lived in until I was three years old - the few memories are vague but good, and it’s something that fills you with an intense nostalgia and longing for it, despite not having been there long in the grand scheme of things
What is their soul like? Does it have any Flaws?
The soul situation with Idris/Trinkets is an interesting one, to say the least. The best way I can think to describe it (them?) is conjoined. They are technically two separate souls, and in theory they could be separated, they are deeply intertwined with each other, even a bit merged together. A fascinating specimen indeed, they would surely by a prized piece in a Devil’s collection if one ever got their hands on them
They are a bit flawed, however. It’s mainly an issue of Idris’ half, but both souls are still Flickering. It was much worse before they won the Marvellous, but even now it still Flickers. After all, though their memories are returned, neither are the same as they were before, and the residual effects of everything still linger
Do they have a particular fighting style/signature weapon?
Neither are particularly fond of being directly involved in combat, but if they must…
Idris prefers to keep things at a distance with their self-made Infernal Sharpshooter’s Rifle replica. It was their first big project after acquiring their lab, and it’s indistinguishable from a genuine one in both design and deadliness. It’s been their loyal companion ever since, and it hasn’t failed them yet
As for Trinkets, well, what’s the point of having claws and being able to speak a language that sets things on fire if you don’t use them?
🌙,🍨,🩰(the last one is by a friend, maybe even dolorea!)
🌙: Offered the opportunity to go to space
Idris would hesitate, their entire existence is in the Neath and they don't want to lose everything they've worked so hard to build up. Definitely depends on the specifics, but they wouldn't be opposed if they could return home, they are curious about what it's like
Trinkets would take the opportunity in a heartbeat, no questions asked. It desperately wants to be in the High Wilderness and it hates this stupid cave it got dragged into, let it out!! There is nothing here it might miss, no, most certainly not, why would you even ask that?
🍨: Free access to an all you can eat buffet, what food are they going for? Do they have a strategy?
I think Idris and Trinkets would actually think quite similarly in this situation. Figure out what they want before getting in line, and preparing a plate(s) accordingly. Trinkets would definitely get snappy if someone took something it wanted and potentially get into a fight about it lol. As for what food, lucky for the two of them they have similar tastes. Fruits are their first priority, followed closely by sweets (if there are chocolate-covered strawberries or anything similar, they are lunging for it lol). Anything with more than a tiny amount of alcohol is a no-go, and they avoid rubbery lumps, genuine or not, like the plague
🩰: Being asked to dance by a friend/crush/stranger (Their friend Dolorea in this case!)
Idris would love to dance with Dolorea!! They aren't big into dancing but they do enjoy it, plus its fun to make all their clothes go spinny (anyone else on the dance floor might want to give them a bit of space though)
Trinkets would huff and puff a bit about it (Masters don't dance, at best they loom ominously from the sidelines), but it would eventually agree, being very dramatic about how it's finally been convinced. Secretly though, it wouldn't have it any other way. Dolorea is its friend after all, so it'll be the one to dance with her, and no one else!
Answering for both Idris and Trinkets cause I can talk about it now!! Yippee!!
3. What is your OC's fatal flaw? Are they aware of this flaw?
For Idris, I'd say it's that they're... I don't think overly trusting is the right word, maybe overly willing to help? If someone needs help they'll be one of the first in line to do so, even if other things make them suspicious of whoever's asking for said help. They remain unaware of this because sometimes people really do just need help!! Besides, they've only been stabbed in the back a few times
Trinkets has the opposite problem, it doesn't like nor trust anyone. It's only 'social' interactions are with the others Masters or when its out getting something for it's collection personally. This problem has grown tenfold due to ~recent events~, and though its aware of this, it doesn't care, seeing its distrust and isolationist behavior as completely justified
8. Would your OC ostensibly be able to get away with murder?
Idris probably, but only if they deem it necessary, and even then only if it's a temporary death. Permanently killing someone is a bit much for them
Trinkets 100% could and would without a doubt
20. Does your OC have a tendency to get jealous? If so, how does this manifest?
Idris doesn't really get jealous, and if they do they tend to just smother it down
Trinkets, on the other hand, gets incredibly jealous. If it's an object or some other thing it can obtain, it will fight to have it for itself. When it comes to the few people it cares about, it manifests more as possessiveness, because how dare someone talk to its person!! They're its!!
24. What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they''d made those decisions?
Hmm, the only thing I can think of that Idris would have had control over was winning or losing the Marvellous. If they had chosen to lose, not much would change since there was an agreement between the other Masters that Stones had to return their memories if they won and/or the Marvellous couldn't be played again. I think in that timeline they would have at least felt more satisfied with the result since it actually accomplished something and wasn't just having what was stolen from them rightfully returned
Another alternate path would be if Trinkets was never taken to the Neath by their parents, for whatever reason. I think it would be much happier living in the High Wilderness, especially because it had control over being able to live there instead of being forced into a life of servitude to pay for its parent's crimes. Idris wouldn't exist in this timeline because there would never have been a need for an entirely new personality to manifest, but I think some of their aspects would still be in Trinkets, especially with it being far less upset at its living situation
