#neath art schools

[geraldofallon]

Artistic Movements of the Neath

Nocturnals | Fashion

“The Nocturnals, radicals who relish the freedom from traditional forms – and moralities – that the darkness of the Neath permits.”

[the-insouciant-scientist]

Ooh for the feast of the rose, may I request Orsinio with Caiomhe? 💚

I was a little tempted to do a more ballroom style dance for this (and I still may at some point if my wrists agree) but the idea of these two doing a partnered Irish step dance was way too good to pass up. <3

[neathyingenue]

Character Timeline: Pilar Rodriguez Luna

Pilar's timeline goes along with Angeline's, which you can read here!

1868:

Pilar is born to a working-class mestizo family (European and Mixtec ancestry) in Oaxaca, Mexico. She is assigned male at birth and raised as a boy.

She’s educated at parochial school, where she does well, known for her lively intellect and predisposition for music, dancing, and sculpture.

1896:

Pilar goes to the capital, Mexico City, to study law, but while she’s there, she makes tons of friends in the theater scene. She especially develops a taste for puppetry, inspired by the tradition of carnival and mask folk art which originated from Black and Indigenous Mexicans. She learns craftsmanship from artisans and develops a small following among both lower and upper classes.

1898:

As she ages, Pilar discovers that she feels uncomfortable with manhood, and she attributes this to her attraction for both men and women. She begins incorporating female impersonation in some of her acts, and she has relationships with both men and women.

1899:

Pilar gets more involved in leftist anarchist circles, specifically with the Partido Liberal Mexicano. At this point, she’s making a living performing, including for the ruling elite, but revolutionary messages and themes creep into her shows.

(At this time, Mexico was in a period called the Porfiriato, a dictatorship under Porfirio Diaz. Upper and upwardly-mobile classes were prosperous thanks to Diaz’s laissez-faire policies attracting US investors. But the working and lower classes suffered, especially many Indigenous people in the Yucatan, who were basically enslaved.)

1900:

After a Partido Liberal uprising that the military crushes, one of Pilar’s performances is a little too obvious in its symbolism—a herd of pigs stampedes a jaguar, causing other jaguars to send the pigs to their bloody demise. The next day, soldiers search Pilar’s apartment, and she’s banned from performing further.

Pilar continues to perform in secret, but one of her clandestine performances is raided, too, and she’s arrested. The experience leaves her shaken. Her comrades begin to fear for her life. They make arrangements for her to flee to the United States.

One of the operatives who knows about Pilar’s sexuality confides in her that he’s heard that since London was swallowed into the earth, its attitudes regarding sex and gender have loosened up. There’s also something about a Moonlit Chessboard where it’s possible to tip the scales of power in ways that you can’t do in the waking world. Pilar’s interest is piqued, and she asks if she could be sent as an agent there.

For the arduous journey to London, Pilar “disguises” herself as a woman. Then she arrives in London and just…doesn’t take the disguise off. The only puppet she has left with her is a small marionette of a woman that, secretly, is what she’s always hoped to look like.

1899 (1901):

Pilar has started Neath HRT and begun to learn English. To pay the bills, she goes back to puppetry, experimenting with all the new materials and figures available in the Neath. She spends time at Wilmot’s End, studies the mirrors, finds Parabola and the Chessboard.

1899 (1902):

Pilar’s puppetry career has taken off more than ever. She’s always pushing the boundaries of what she can do with both practical effects and Silverer-ing. But she is notoriously difficult to pin down for fans and the press, earning her the moniker “the Flighty Puppeteer.” Though she doesn’t have many close friends, she’s happy enough.

Then she hears that one of her lovers back in Mexico has been killed, jump-starting her Nemesis ambition. And in her dreams of the chessboard, there’s one Red Bishop who, it seems, plans all her moves not to further the Red cause in general—but to corner Pilar.

[failbettergames]

“Art must rid itself of tired nostalgia! London needs artwork that reflects not how it was, but how it is now!”

A new artistic school, styling themselves 'the Children of the Glow', has arisen from the dark. Their works are ethereal, glowing with an inner light that is a balm in the Neath's shadowed corners. London's fickle attention is piqued – and where public interest moves, the press must follow! As (temporary) arts correspondent for the London Unexpurgated Gazette, Mr Huffam has charged you with delivering the scoop on this shining clique of creatives. Unravel their politics. Rummage in their art supplies. Untangle, bit by bit, the mystery of their muse: the Luminous Miss Sparks.

You've got a deadline, and column inches to fill. What are you waiting for?

Writing: Katharine Neil Editing and QA: Luke van den Barselaar Art: Erion Makuo

EXCEPTIONAL FRIENDSHIP

In addition to a new, substantial, stand-alone story every month, Exceptional Friends enjoy:

Access to the House of Chimes: an exclusive private member’s club on the Stolen River

Access to Mr Chimes’ Lost & Found, a shop in the Bazaar where you can exchange currency earned through playing Exceptional Stories for exclusive companions and items

Three additional outfit slots

An expanded opportunity deck of ten cards instead of six!

A second candle – twice the actions! 40 at once!

[teary-eyed-tiaras]

Slug boy

Tom's best friend had been acting weird, his speech was slurring, his voice was getting wonky, and his once fun and jokey personality started to disappear more ans more with each new school day. Eventually, despite Edd denying he was sick over and over again, Edd's parents pulled him out of school althogether, claiming he was simply too sick to even attend classes anymore. Feeling very worried for their friend, Matt and Tom decided to pay a Edd a visit to cheer him up, and hopefully find out what the problem was.

Walking through the garden and to the back door, Matt glanced back at Edd's parents, who were busy stomping on what seemed like a never ending supply of pesky gross garden slugs, barely even noticing the boys were there. Matt felt particularly bad for Edd in that moment, since he knew that secretly Edd had always been a little afraid of slugs, ever since Eduardo would try to sneak them in his food or in his backpack as pranks when they were kids. He figured that even if Edd had to stay at home sick all day now, at least he wouldn't have to go outside and see the slugs too much.

Stepping into the den, they found Edd curled up on his living room sofa, wearing a protective face mask and cusping his hands over his mouth. Edd tried to mumble out a panicked "Leab bme ah-lone-uh." but neither Matt nor Tom could hear his desperate plea. They demanded Edd give them some kind of explanation and tell them what was wrong, but quickly regretted it the moment Edd slipped down the face mask. A slimy fat garden slug emerged from Edd's open mouth, having replaced Edd's tongue and mindlessly moving around like some kind of awful parasite.

It oozed slime everywhere, mixing with the terrified boys saliva, at one point even slamming itself onto his eye, leaving a slime trail as it wriggled around. Edd could do little more than scream a "Helmp meeee!" but his words were ignored again, drowned out by his friends screams. Tom and Matt ran as fast and far away as they could, vowing to never go back to Edd's house or even speak about Edd ever again. They only heard about what happened next from Edd's parents, and even then, they tried not to really think about it because it was just too awful.

Appearantly Edd's parents attempted to cut off the slug multiple times, but every time the slug would just grow back even bigger and wrigglier than before. When they were finally at their wits end and out of options, they even attempted to have Edd bathe in salt. He slumped over in the tub, eventually disappearing under neath the salt entirely, and when his parents hoplessly tried to fish him back out, all they found was his disembodied head and his empty pajamas.

His father dropped him out of shock, his mouth forcing itself open as it hit the bathroom floor. The slug emerged once again, dragging itself and Edd's head out the back door. The slug is still there till this day, masquerading as a snail in their backyard, carrying the formerly lively and independent teenage boys head on it's back like a shell. Some even say that if you get too close to it, the shell will open it's eyes, and give you a sad, helpless glare...

This is an eddsworld au for the comic slug girl by junji ito. GO READ IT. IT'S GREAT, THE ART IS AMAZING.

[writ-in-violant]

Vivian Levy

Name/Title: Vivian Levy, the Sharptongued Stormwatcher

Pronouns: They/them

Referred to as: Correspondent, Professor, "you pest", "Vergil" (in specific situations)

Profession: Correspondent (no specialisation yet, leaning Epistolant), Professor at Benthic College.

Closest to: Urchins

Ambition: Hearts' Desire (ongoing)

Associated Stats: Watchful, Persuasive, Artisan of the Red Science, Shapeling Arts

Associated Quirks: Steadfast, Magnanimous, Hedonist

Destiny: Authority

Personality

Vivian is an inquisitive, generally kind person with a sharp tongue for those who they dislike and a love for the esoteric, strange, unlovable, or terrifying. People who meet them when they're in the midst of a revel or causing a scandal often are shocked to learn they are one of the Neath's foremost minds on the Correspondence; their skill as a poet and lyricist is far less surprising. Vivian never breaks their word and often tries to be kind and generous to all around them, but crossing them is a horrible idea. They have an orphanage of sorts in their townhouse, and any threat to them that endangers the children is met with lethal force or worse. Rumors persist of the worst thing they inflict on those who hurt people under Vivian's protection: a recitation of Vivian's nightmares in exquisite, beautifully-written detail. Rare is the assailant who makes it out of that without being driven to the Royal Beth, raving.

Background

Vivian was born in 1871 as the child of a young English nobleman, currently on his "grand tour" of Europe, and an Italian woman he met while traveling. Perhaps sincerely, perhaps not, the nobleman promised that he'd marry his summer sweetheart and take care of her; however, when she -- pregnant and shunned by her family for the out of wedlock child -- made it to England, she was turned away at the family manor by her lover's father. Vivian was born soon after, to a mother struggling to make ends meet in a foreign land.

Vivian's mother didn't survive an outbreak of sickness, and Vivian -- told their whole life that their father was a lord -- did their best to seek him out afterward, only to be ridiculed and laughed off the property as a child, assumed to just be an urchin with delusions of grandeur. They were placed in an orphanage, and remained there for several years, with their oddities (even then, they were a daydreamer, and that combined with their mistrust of all adults to make a child people didn't find 'pleasant') preventing any chance of adoption.

The first major turn in their luck came when their father married another noble lady, who learned of his youthful "transgressions" and the fact that a child had claimed to be his and declared it was his Christian Duty TM to care for said child, as the repercussion for his actions. At her insistence, he sought out the child Vivian and brought them into his house.

Vivian, at the time around nine, was a living reminder of the man's more bohemian past, and he didn't like acknowledging that or them. Primarily, he dealt with this via icy silence and shipping them off to boarding schools to get them out of his hair. There, though, Vivian discovered their talent with poetry and languages -- which still got them ridiculed, some, but provided them with an outlet other than pure rage. When they completed school, doing quite well, they applied to University, which their father agreed to keep funding to keep Vivian well out of his personal sphere.

And then, when Vivian was around seventeen, their stepmother died in childbirth with Vivian's second half-sibling. Vivian was not invited to the funeral, and all funding for their education was immediately cut. Vivian was ripped away from their studies and their poetry and had to make their way on their own, with almost no resources.

Through connections of former professors and their own ingenuity, they eked out a living as a governess or tutor for some years, but deeply resented the way their life was dictated by the whims of the powerful. They had heard tell of a card game in the strange cavern London had fallen into -- one which, if won, allowed one to pick their heart's desire.

In 1894, 25 years old, they descended into the Neath and introduced themself for the first time as Vivian Levy -- an entirely fabricated name, for the person they were determined to become.

Time in the Neath

Here's where I shamelessly invoke the Treachery of Clocks because uhh, while I've been playing this game for six years, I uh. Um. Get forgetful. So while in our real world, Vivian hasn't completed their Ambition yet...they absolutely have in-universe. It probably happened sometime around 1986. I just don't know how it's shaken out yet (although I have some plans). This character sheet will definitely get updated when it does, but like. In 1899 (2), Vivian has completed their Ambition. Just not in 2023.

That said! Vivian descended into the Neath in 1895, which might be the last solidly reliable date they can cite, given that time gets strange in the Neath. Once there, they set about arranging the Marvellous, following their ambitions. However, they also quickly got sidetracked. Firstly, they had a burgeoning career as a writer and poet in Veilgarden that they took great joy in continuing -- as well as several dalliances. The freedom of the Neath, where nobody cared about what Vivian's body was compared to their pronouns, meant Vivian was far more flirtatious and promiscuous than they had been on the surface, and they discovered they quite enjoyed living life to the fullest. Secondly, they began having dreams of thunderstorms; upon leaning into these to the fullest, they grew more and more consumed by the poetry of lightning and thunder, the songs of the wind, and one day looked in the mirror to discover their previously-brown eyes had turned grey. Finally, they learned of the Correspondence, and immediately set about studying it with the fervor of one who had found a vocation.

Vivian's time in the Neath has brought them into contact with many powerful figures and dramatic circumstances. Their infatuation with Storm and study of the Correspondence has led their mental health to be unstable at best, ending with them often in the care of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel; between that and learning of the Manager's past, Vivian imprinted on him as a baby bird and is very fond of the man, who returns it in his own somewhat creepy and nightmare-harvesting way. Listen, man's a gardener of a sort, and Vivian can appreciate his gardens! It just further wrecks their already tenuous sanity. Vivian and the Manager both share the quirk of nightmare-cultivation, and the Manager is pleasantly surprised that Vivian has of their own accord stumbled upon weaponizing their nightmares against those who cross them.

Of the Masters, Vivian interacts most frequently with Wines and Pages. Pages they first met when strong-armed into finding a stolen book; upon hearing the story of the Epigrammatic Irishman and the Wilting Dandy, they hand-copied the Irishman's book to give to Pages, allowing the Dandy to leave with the original. They are fond of Pages, finding its poetry endearingly bad and finding it to be a good discussion partner when it comes to literature, but do their best not to let themself forget that at its core, it is as dangerous as the other Masters, and they're hesitant to call it a friend.

Wines, on the other hand, Vivian has a much more fraught history with and is far fonder of. Their early interactions were somewhat contentious, with Wines making Vivian fund revels and Vivian at one point (in the Empress's Shadow ES) writing a story about a royal having an unrequited crush on Wines and getting hate mail in the correspondence; however, the more time Vivian spent around the Master, the fonder they became of it and the more aware they became of the fact that Wines is uh, not doing well. Vivian is so used to what they term as "love" being overwhelming fear and awe for things larger than themself that I don't think they've clocked that that's their emotion towards Wines yet, but as their writer, they're not fooling me about this one.

A few Exceptional Stories are particularly important to Vivian's plot, mentioned down here: The Gift - Started some of Vivian's wariness around the Royal Family and their fear and mistrust of the Captivating Princess, as well as their firm belief in the necessity of giving people fully informed choices. Many of the themes in it came up again in Reunion, where Vivian befriended Albert Victor and convinced him to remain in London -- but not to side with his aunt.

The 12:15 From Moloch Street - An early interaction Vivian had with Hell, it ended in them freeing the Lily from his contract with Hell and becoming his roommate for a few years, while he got back on his feet. They're still good friends! Vivian also got a tour of hell that wasn't fantastic for their mental health.

The Tempest - The Tempest played out very differently than as written, with Storm cleaving Vivian's own childhood out from them to serve as Slivvy's helper and its new speaker (this is largely because the Tempestuous Urchin's backstory was so uncannily like Vivian's own that I couldn't help myself). During this impromptu soul surgery, Vivian lost all memory before age around 10, and much of the anger they'd carried from a young age with it -- all of it now in the person of Vivi Storm, the younger, unaging ghost of Vivian's past who haunts London's rooftops and serves as minder and mouthpiece for Storm.

[the-ashenstreaked-doctor]

Hello! I was trying to write up a calling card from Jules/The Partial Performer, but I'm not sure what they and Doc might have in common- that being said, this is now an excuse to ask if he has any strong opinions on theatre in general or in the Neath!

Hello! Let’s see.. On the surface, Doc’s experience with theatre was pretty nonexistent. When he was younger, his parents didn’t really bother with the arts much- besides, seeing plays and operas/operettas and ballets was a waste of money (in their eyes) which would be better spent on supplies or saved up for the future. The Doctor never really agreed with them on that front (as he rarely did anyway), but he didn’t control the finances.

The first (and likely only) time he’d ever seen anything in theatre was 1874, during his schooling, when he was invited by some of his higher-class friends to accompany them to Vienna. There, he saw Die Fledermaus’s premiere; he can’t remember much of it musically, nowadays, but he recalls being highly amused by the sheer amount of antics at play in the plot. Sadly, that would be the only thing he’d get to watch in theatre until coming to the Neath- he quickly grew too busy with school, and then life. He just didn’t have the time to see more, nor the immediate need. Not to say he hated theatre! He definitely respected the arts and wished he had more time to watch things! He just.. got busy. Really busy.

In the Neath, however, he quickly grew to find interest in theatre- every so often, he takes a break from work to see some play or symphony. Now that he’s found a footing in high society (and made an acquaintance of a rather affectionate devil…), he frequents the theatre more often than he ever did before.

He even penned his own tragic play for the Empress’ court! Forced to make a 14 act play by the ones who employed him, Doc decided to work around that by making a splitting narrative… A tale of two lovers, torn between the surface and the Neath… The acts are split between both mains, with the Neath lover trying to return to the surface while the Surface lover tries in vain to move on (while still hoping their lover returns…)

[astrxealis]

hi... first day of school got me tired af but it was mostly chill and cool :] silly rambles ig neath the cut yay! one thing left me rlly happy in particular eee

okay. so. i barely talked to anyone but i talked a bit w some classmates, like. one who asked me a question and another who i only met today but we've seen each other around and they're nice aaa BUT OKAY teachers are either boring or strict-ish but one was reaaally cool. asked for preferred name preferred pronouns and a hot take LMFAO ... really fun time. ig you can expect that from an art teacher of sorts <3 but ya dude went by any prns too (like me!!!) but the funny thing is, from the FIRST moment i saw they were a teacher, even so far away, i knew. the radar was there. and i was right. it's amazing tbh lol

[adoracora-elizabeth]

When life interrupts, chapter 7

"Robert, how good to see you!" Robert was greeted by his old school friend John. He packed his bags yesterday, and now he was here in Brussels. He had said goodbye to his mother and Rosamund for an unknown time. They hadn't decided how long he would stay here in Belgium. It all depended on how well things were going. He was counting on weeks.

"How is your apartment? Is it to your liking?" John asked.

Robert started to laugh. "Have you seen the place my mother bought?"

John raised his eyebrows. "To be honest? No, I only know it is in that new skyscraper they build."

"It is enormous, I wouldn't know what to do with all that space. I guess my mother bought it as an investment and will sell on, once I am going back to London."

"Are you going back to London?" John asked surprised.

"One day I will. It is alright to be here for a while, but I miss London already."

"Yeah, I guess you are right. Maybe one day I will move back too, but for now, I have found my place here in Brussels. I booked a boat tour, to see a little of the city already. We should leave in 30 minutes."

"Oh, alright." Robert wasn't expecting to play tourist on his first day here in Brussels. But it would be better to know the city he would be living in for the next weeks. He took his phone out his pocket en looked at his messages screen. Should he text Cora? Resolutely he put the phone back. He promised himself he was going to forget about her!

+++

"This is a beautiful city." Robert said. He was leaning on the railing of the boot. He took his phone out to film his surroundings, he should send it to Rosamund. He was going to invite her over together with Marmaduke. They would love this city. But when he took his phone in his hands, it slipped and he saw it drop. He tried to catch it, but he was to slow. He saw the phone disappear under neath the water. "Oh crikey, that did not just happen."

"What?" John asked, who was turned around.

"Well, I just dropped my phone." Robert said with a sad face.

"No, you didn't."

"I did, and the worst part is, I didn't make a back-up for a long time."

"You haven't sat that up automatically?" John couldn't believe what Robert was saying.

"I forgot to do that. Well, hopefully not a lot is lost. Can we go to a shop to buy a new one, once this tour is done?" Robert felt stupid.

+++

Cora poured herself a cup of coffee. She had had the worst night of sleep. She couldn't sleep at all. She had a feeling something bad had happened. She texted Harold, but everything was alright at home. She rubbed her temples; her headache didn't seem to go away either. She should make an appointment at the physiotherapist, she thought. It would be the first thing she was going to do on Monday, unfortunately, on Saturday they didn't work

She looked down at her phone, hoping there would be a message from Robert. But her screen was empty, No missed calls, no messages. She felt empty inside. Why did she fight with Robert. She hadn't treated him fair, but she didn't know he would be this angry over it. Her phone went dark again, she unlocked it and dialled Robert's number, she was going to be the bigger man and act. She needed to talk to him.

The phone didn't ring, it said directly that this number was out of order. She checked the number, it was definitely Robert's. She tried again, but again there was no connection. So, this was it? Had Robert blocked her number? He was really mad at her.

She got up from the kitchen table and walked over to her office. Yesterday there was a letter delivered from The Royal college of Art, she was scared to open it. What was she going to do if they declined her? She needed a new adventure, the school she was currently working on did not offer her enough. She wanted to work with students who chose art and not the students who were forced to do art.

Cora sat down and took a deep breath opening the letter.

'Dear Miss. Levinson,

Thank you for your application. We are sorry to inform you, that we will not invite you for an interview.

Sincerely,

..........'

She didn't read the rest of the letter. The words, 'we will not invite you' were enough. Cora felt tears in her eyes. She knew she wouldn't be good enough. She just knew, why did she listen to Robert. He had sat her up to fail. She wanted to throw away the letter, when she saw a little note inside the envelope. Curious she took it out.

'We don't have a job for you at our Royal college of art, but you can write to 'Regent's University.' I already send them a notice that you are interested in a job as tutor in art history. And I want to recommend that you take a look at working in The National Gallery, to improve your chances.'

Cora stared at that little note. It was clearly not written on official paper from the university. Should she follow this advice? What if this would be another fail? Or should she take this change. Her resume was already sent to 'Regent's University'.

She got up and got outside, she would go to The National Gallery. Who knows, maybe she could find a job there.

+++

At the entrance she took a deep breath, the last time she was here together with Robert. She had truly enjoyed that day and especially that evening. Robert had taken her to heaven and back. She shook her head, she should stop thinking about him. He was in the past, she needed to go on with her life. She was here to find a job.

[wantedbythemasters]

Doctor Isaac Saffron | The Inquisitive Author

Image from here

Age in 1902 (or the 3rd 1899): 47

Gender: Male (trans), he/him

Height: 5’7

Weight: 165 lbs

Sexuality: Bisexual

Race: Black

Love Interest: Maria, very recently Charles

Factions: Bohemians, Rubberies, maybe Revolutionaries

Open to RP: Yep! 

Open to Shipping: Yep (he’s in an open relationship)

Past Epithets: The Honey Sipping Poet, The Ambitious Detective

Desc:

Isaac primarily works as an author, typically focusing on the possibilities and freedoms of the Neath and sometimes more fantastical topics. He also sometimes does detective work and medical work as needed. He knows some about the shapeling arts thanks to befriending rubberies, and also has a weird connection with his house enabling him to manipulate the ways people can travel to it to hide it from enemies.

He’s usually introverted and prefers to keep to himself, though he has a huge soft spot for kids and anyone he feels he relates to and sometimes this gets him into trouble.

As for political leanings, Isaac leans towards the revolutionaries. However, he has his own concerns about living in the dark, and about the Calendar Council. Still, he thinks the Liberation sounds better than the masters remaining. But he also thinks it might not be likely to happen, and it might be a better idea to focus on more attainable goals.

Appearances:

playing chess with half the pieces - Major character

Tea Time - Brief appearance/mention

Timeline:

1855

Isaac and (redacted) Saffron were born to a minor noble family (specifically to a baronet)

1875

The ‘original’ Isaac was meant to go to Cambridge for medical school, and (redacted) was meant to get married. But the ‘original’ Isaac wanted to run away from high society, and (redacted) wanted to live as a man and attend medical school, so Isaac became Arthur and pursued a new life in the Neath, while (redacted) became Isaac and went to university. They both cut off their parents, and made it seem like their sister (redacted) had actually been murdered.

1879ish

Isaac graduated medical school and began practicing.

1884-1889ish

Though Isaac enjoyed his new life for a time, becoming a somewhat renowned doctor, eventually he tired of this as well, as he still couldn’t fully express himself in some ways. 

He occasionally exchanged letters with his brother, who told him that though the Neath wasn’t perfect, it was a better place for people like them, and encouraged Isaac to join him. When Isaac came to the Neath, he wondered if his brother, now known as Arthur Carrington, would want his identity back. But Arthur was happy with his new life, and at this point, Isaac had spent nearly a decade being Isaac, so it just made sense to stay that way. To the outside world, their sister died in 1875, Isaac went to college on the surface and became a doctor, and Arthur had traveled to the Neath as a poor young man in search of work, and Isaac and Arthur had been childhood friends on the surface.

Upon arriving in the Neath, Isaac was delighted to hear about the Shapeling Arts, and befriended the Rubbery Men, trading amber for procedures to make his physical body look how he wanted it to. 

He’d genuinely liked being a doctor on the surface, but part of him wanted to try something new. So he began establishing himself as an author and poet. He found himself drawn to the Nocturnal movement, since he felt that living in the Neath had brought him freedom. Early in his literary career, he met Maria, a model who was also early in her career. They dated on and off for a while, but had a falling out in 1887, when Arthur’s adoptive dad disappeared due to Mr Fires, and Isaac had wanted to see if there were any good members of the constabulary who could help figure this out. Maria wasn’t a fan of this idea, due to being a criminal, but Isaac went through with it. He met the Last Constable and began to dabble in detective work. They also eventually began to date. Meanwhile, Arthur began to wonder if he ought to become more like Isaac in order to survive and help the revolution, so he had Isaac help him get connected with the University.

1893

Isaac tried to stop the Last Constable from playing a dangerous drinking game with her father, but she refused to listen. He tried to intervene and she got really upset and accused him of not respecting her. She went through with the game and was the one who died, and that still haunts Isaac.

Isaac shifted back to the literary field primarily, though he still took detective and medical work on the side. He also began leaning on his brother (who he’d been drifting away from) more in the absence of the Last Constable. Arthur had finished his degree and was now an engineer who worked for Cotterell & Hathersage, which of course is run by Emilia Hathersage who also happens to be April of the Calendar Council. Emilia and Arthur began to teach Isaac more about the revolution and the Liberation of Night.

1895

Isaac and Maria both started to receive love letters from a devil, and discovered it was the same devil, Charles. This led to Isaac and Maria reconnecting, and eventually, all three of them began dating, but it was still an open relationship. They both ended up moving into Isaac’s townhouse.

Also, Isaac and Arthur turned 40 and decided to celebrate together for once. They still were pretending to not be twins, but they were certainly putting less effort into it as time went on.

And sometime in this, Isaac began letting the revolutionaries use his home as a place for socials and recruitment events from time to time.

[geraldofallon]

Artistic Movements of the Neath

Nocturnals | Writings

“Write of all the terrible glories of the Neath, deep and dark and marvellous.”

[perfectisgeorgette]

Olympics Task: Synchronized Swimming

AU reality where Georgette was not a pageant queen she was a synchronized swimmer.

Hell week was complete. Practice every day after school the whole show. To include side acts, music, lights, and full out.

For a high school production it was treated like it really was the Olympics. A group of girls at a small private school in New York called Valkyrie. The Valks. A synchronized swim team but it was much more than that. It was a whole production. Costume changes and glitter makeup combined with theater lighting and under water speakers. Georgette loved it. Lived for it. As a senior officer of the team this was her final year. Sad but it wasn’t the end. It was only recent that a form of synchronized swimming was added to the Olympics.

As the Monday night the first night of show week was upon the group of girls Georgette and the other officers rallied the team up. Everyone in sparkly swimsuits with dance tights under neath. “Alright girls! This is the first show of the week! We’ve got this! I think Club H2O is the best theme yet! We know the ques and remember…do not open that locker room door if the lights are on…everyone will be able to see us come out.”

With a big group hug all the girls crowded around the locker room door waiting for the house lights to turn off. Flipping the lights off in the locker room they creaked the door open and looked into the pool. Lights were off! It’s show time!

20 girls single file poured from the locker room in silence. Knowing the exact place on the pool deck they needed to be. They practiced this for months. The slight hum of the crowd on the bleachers meant it was a full house. Footloose started to play and the spotlights started to shine on small groups of girls all over the pop deck doing a synchronized dance. Spot light hopping all over it finally hit Georgette group and she raised her hands and did the 2 8 counts perfectly.

Lights out again and all the girls lined up along the back wall decorated in a floor to ceiling banner. Multiple spotlights now showed 20 girls linked diving into the glittering blue pool. Footloose still playing. Like magic the girls performed a perfect chain dive with the crowd cheering.

7 nightly shows and 1 matinee on Friday for the faculty and local Girl Scout troop’s Georgette finished her final season as a Valkyrie on a high.

Ballet legs and underwater lift were not for everyone but they were for her. It was such an art and just so much fun. Most girls would give it up once high school was over but Georgette couldn’t. There was a drive in her plus her mothers influence that kept her seeking more.

Marc Jacobs tote over her shoulder Georgette walked into the large aquatics center just outside the city. Tossing it on the locker room bench she pulled off her tshirt and shorts. Bright pink swimsuit covered in sequins and shiny tan tights underneath she dug in her bag for two things. Red lipstick and got 2 be glued hair gel. A little nervous she tip toed over to the large mirror. Looking at herself she tried to find any flaw she could. Slicking back the blonde hairs with the gel she felt like it was as good as it was going to get. With a kissy face she coated her lips with another coat of red lipstick. Fuck! My hair clip! Georgette ran back to her tote and grabbed the hair piece that matched her suit. With it placed perfectly around her bun she gave herself a final once over. Perfect.

Georgette walked to the edge of the pool. It was her turn. Try outs. This was it. The only chance she had to make this years team.

Pointing her toe and intertwining her fingers above her head she help the pose until the music started playing. The Rose by Bette Midler. As the opening notes range Georgette flowed along the pool deck. Hitting every count perfectly. Reaching the edge of the pool she dove in right as the music began to pick up.

The underwater speakers rang loud with the song of choice. Georgette counted in her head and held her breath until the third count. Raising with pointed toes first her body opened up on the surface of the water into a perfect ballet leg.

The rest of the routine went off flawlessly. Rising to her final trick Georgette spun under the water while bringing her leg around to complete the Efile Tower. Sinking just as the music ended.

Please with herself she could hear her heart beating in her ears. Chest rapidly rising and falling she reached the surface and swam to the wall. Trying to catch her breath. The scores were about to come up on the screen. All she needed was 27.0. The last to perform she knew exactly what she needed to make the team.

Holding her breath as the scores clicked onto the scoreboard high above the pool Georgette started to tread off the wall back towards the middle of the pool. A better view. 9.0…9.0…Georgette held her breath. Holy shit! 10.0!!

28.0!!!!! Georgette screamed with excitement. Throwing her hands up splashing the water around her. She made it! The team!

Georgette quickly swam to the side of the pool and lifted herself out of the water. Within minutes she was running towards the stands looking for her parents. Hugging was never their thing but she felt her mom’s arms warp around her and she practically squealed. “I’m going to the Olympics!”

That’s all she could say. She did it! She made it! Georgette silly little high school hobby…turned Olympian.

[neathyingenue]

It's about time that I did a character intro/backstory dump for my FL OC! Here we gooo

///

Name: Silvia Salcedo (she/they)

Also known as: The Radical Sonneteer

Titles: Citizen, Ms, Comrade

Ambition: Heart's Desire

///

Timeline!

1879

Silvia is born in British Honduras (modern-day Belize, the Yucatec Peninsula) to Roberto Salcedo, a cis British Honduran, and Silas Owens, a trans Welshman.

1880

Moves with Silas and Roberto to western England.

While Silvia is her dads' biological child, the 'official' story is Roberto's daughter by a wife who died.

Silas and Roberto set up a law practice in their country village.

1881-1893ish

Silvia is educated at home. She speaks Spanish and English at home, and learns Welsh and Latin as well.

Somewhere in her childhood, Silvia learns that her dads are a couple and the truth about who she is.

She's taught vaguely that ‘British Empire bad,’ but her dads try as hard as possible to shield her from their colonial trauma.

1893ish-1897

Silvia goes to a girl’s boarding school--one of those progressive, Arts-and-Crafts movement types, probably

Figures out she's a lesbian! Classic girls' school antics!

1897-1900

Silvia attends Oxford (probably as a non-degree-seeking student) and does well.

The ‘Scramble for Africa’ is in the news, which sort of re-radicalizes Silvia and her parents.

Now that they’ve given Silvia a good life and an education, Silas and Roberto decide to get more active in protesting and take more risks with political action.

Silvia also gets politically involved with other students.

She starts hearing rumors about Fallen London, people coming back to life, free love…

1901

In a protest-gone-wrong in Cardiff, a constable kills Silas. The autopsy discovers that Silas is biologically female

Desperate to preserve Silas’s dignity in death, Roberto and Silvia spend all their money and then some to hush it up and give him a funeral.

Burdened by debt, a criminal record, and even more of a desire for independence, Roberto flees back to British Honduras. He begs Silvia to go with him.

Silvia instead moves to London because she’s heard of miraculous things happening there, perhaps even the dead coming back to life!

1899 (the second one)

Silvia arrives in London

Arrested for…yelling at cops probably

Starts Ambition: Heart’s Desire in hopes that she can bring back her dad (although she won't admit it to herself)

Publishes poems. Falls in with Revolutionaries. Tries to call herself “The Revolution’s Sappho” but one publication calls her “The Radical Sonneteer” and that’s what sticks.

Meets Ginny (urchin) and Mothball (urchin's cat), which further ties her to the Neath. Keeps putting off the decision of whether or not she’ll go back to British Honduras instead.

The Starved Invasion happens. Silvia dies. It's a rude awakening, a reminder that she's not on vacation--she is in a dangerous place with dangerous goals.

Now that she’s died, the decision of whether to return was sort of made for her. But she hears about Cider—resolves that she’ll just do that AND the Marvellous, no problem!

Starts to swing wildly between “I can’t have any fun I must WORK” and “We have fun here!” Takes fighting and pickpocketing seriously, then fucks off to Mahogany Hall to do cross-dressing with her cousin Winslow, who's just arrived!

Starts a liaison with Lady [redacted], a socialite. She's terrified that it makes her a class traitor and tries to keep it secret. Their romance is brief but electric, full of many fights and trying to get the other to betray their cause.

Goes on her first serious scientific voyage, which keeps her out of London for a couple of months. When she returns, she's sent to the Tomb-Colonies.

1899 (the third one)

Learns more of the Third City, discovers it was Yucatec Maya--the same Indigenous population that her father is descended from. Realizes that there are still Yucatec Maya people in the Neath, and perhaps instead of seeking home rule on the Surface like Roberto, it would be more valuable to seek the remnants of the Third City in the Neath.

Devotes herself to her studies, learning the language and numerical system of the Yucatec Maya, spending more and more time in her laboratory, and gaining entrance to Parabola.

In this process, Silvia drifts further from her old Revolutionary contacts, and begins to question whether the Liberation of the Night is her priority.

Eventually, as she devotes herself to progressing her Ambition, she loses sight of her other goals. Silvia begins to daydream of what she'd do with her Heart's Desire--all the good she'd do, all the people she'd help.

She has several other flings but falls in love with Caoimhe Coledoc (OC of the-insouciant-scientist). But Silvia is convinced Caoimhe doesn't love her--but maybe she can earn that love if she wins the Marvellous and fixes everything--

[torturingpeople]

hello ^_^

my name is nana! and this is a sideblog specifically for fallen london. here is my main (<- on that note: following + liking from nanitasheart) which is more multifandom / general

i like fallen london. and the first half of the 20th century. so expect to see some (a lot) of that here alongside whumpblr and wip stuff

my dms and asks are always open if u want to talk to me! pls talk to me lets be friends!!!! ^_^

important stuff:

my art commission prices as of 30/12/24 + completed comms

important note: anything i post with potentially triggering content will be warned above a cut, and suggestive content will be tagged as #suggestive, and you are free and welcome to block this tag if you do not want to see this sort of content

main tags: all posts / my ocs / favs / asks / my art / my writing

fallen london tags: ask or tag games + answers / oc rambling / fl liveblogging / kisspocalypse 2 / fake fl screenshots

specific tags: art tips / writing tips / save for later / historical photos / historical clothing - feminine and masculine / paintings / webweaving

original work tags: hilbert's grand hotel + tag

fallen london player characters:

sir edison hollingsworth: the sybaritic laureate an escort working under mr. wines in the parlour of virtue. notorious whore. histrionic personality disorder queen! actively going through a mental breakdown once a week. has major problems with his identity. but we love him. currently in self-exile in a room above a gambling den given to him by @t6fs's the scrimshander. 99% of london thinks he is permanently dead. currently in a relationship with @your-friend-s-santos's scuba intro post + tag + fallen london profile + scuba/edison tag dr. johannes harper: the soothing counsellor the neath's only therapist. dr schlomo doesn't count and he doesn't think dr schlomo counts either. he hates dr schlomo. if he had no consciense he would murder him. divorced dad and it shows /pos. someone get this man out of the neath god forbid he sees any horrors... also @staring-at-my-keyboard's atlas is his found family son that he loves very dearly and dotes on. he also hates @staring-at-my-keyboard's carlo but had some toxic yaoi with him also. it was complicated. currently in a relationship with @staring-at-my-keyboard's agamemnon (i wonder if jean likes harper? /j) tag + fallen london profile + his lamp-cat angioletto dove hartley: the volant hare a mystery! she's a little sprite of a woman who likes to write all of her letters in rhyming couplets. she'll leave you little clues for you to find her because she's all about that mystique. used to live in the same village as @staring-at-my-keyboard's atlas, and they grew up together! she does lead a normal life outside of theivery and robbing the bazaar 77 million times by running a small independent school for witches as she was raised in a family of them :-) intro post + tag + fallen london profile

miss freya tartini: the hallucinating violinist a popular violinist living with schizophrenia who derives her compositions from a demon in her mind named mephistopheles. she is in the world's most abusive, manipulative and toxic relationship with a demon named rosier steinmann (tag) and he is genuinely so horrible to her. she's very sweet though and also very girlfail but she's just a baby so it's ok. she's friends/in a very unbalanced parasocial relationship with @tequila-sunfall's ferdinand who is trying very hard to help her :-) tag + fallen london profile + rosier/freya tag

all of my non-player characters can be found here

fact files + references on each of my ocs can be found here

fallen london aus:

salad spinner au - a semi-canon isekai-style crossover between my wip novella characters and fallen london, mainly @staring-at-my-keyboard's ocs a second nemesis - a second spin on the ambition "nemesis" featuring @your-friend-s-santos's scuba, edison and mr. wines good ending au (?) - a non-canon/theoretical ending for marie, edison and @your-friend-s-santos's scuba modern au - a standard tag for any modern/neon future posts about any of my ocs

my profile picture is by the lovely wonderful amazing incredible @staring-at-my-keyboard i love you so much for drawing him so beautiful <33 /p

my header comes from this post :-)

[peligin-eyed]

Name: Henry Schmidt

Pronouns: He/him

Addressed as: Doctor

Born: 17 September, 1867 in Edinburgh, Scotland

Ambition: Nemesis (completed)

Profession: Doctor

Skills: Watchful, Kataleptic Toxicology, Shapeling Arts

Quirks: Melancholy, Magnanimous, Austere

Allies: Tomb Colonies, Benthic

Romantic Entanglements: In a Philosophically Perfect Partnership

Bio:

Henry was born to a middle class family in Edinburgh in 1867, the eldest of three daughters. He was a quiet and bookish child who failed badly at attempts to fit in with his peers or to behave as one would expect of a young lady. When he decided he wanted to study medicine, he convinced his solicitor father to help him fudge some paperwork in order to be admitted to university under the name Henry so that he would be able to graduate with a proper degree. Attending school as a man made him feel more comfortable than he’d ever felt in his life, so he decided to continue living his life this way from now on.

While at university, he met a charming Swiss student named Erich Keppler. What started as a purely academic partnership grew into something more. They married after graduation. Henry didn’t want to be married in a dress under a name that was no longer his, but they wanted it to be official. They had their own private celebration later with friends.

They moved to Erich’s native Zurich and lived together as “roommates” co-running a medical practice together. For ten years, they were very happy together. It all changed very suddenly one day when Henry came home to find Erich murdered.

After that, Henry sank into a deep depressive spiral. He stopped talking to all of their former friends and locked himself in the house until he started to run out of food. It came to a head when his butler managed to get him out of the house and to the pub. Henry proceeded to get roaring drunk, jump on a table and proclaim his intent to bring Erich back from the dead, go to the graveyard and attempt to dig up Erich’s grave, and flee the authorities all the way to London (where he’d heard some hint Erich’s murderer may have originated).

He was arrested upon arrival. After making it out of New Newgate, he was surprised to find that London had rather more sinkholes than he had been expecting. He’d arrived during the Great Sink of 1899.

After all that wrapped up, he got on with his goal of solving the mystery of Erich’s murder, establishing a half-hearted sort of life in London along the way. He lost himself a little along the way, started seeking out information about things best left alone, but he never completely lost his sense of mercy as a doctor. He couldn’t bring himself to kill rather than save. Eventually (777 knives later…) he learned the story behind Erich’s death. He was furious, he had a hard time wrapping his head around it all, but he also couldn’t resist the opportunity to see what he had dreamed of- the dead brought back to life. There were some unexpected effects and Erich was both the same and a very different person.

They tried for some time to reconcile their differences and reignite their old passion, but it was never the same. In the end, they decided to remain friends as they both slowly came to accept the Neath as their new home. Henry made some new friends, found new kinds of relationships, and discovered new ways to push the boundaries of science.

[rahirah]

Fallen London Character Meme - Augusta Lenore Coldbridge-Wynne

Nicked from here!

🌑- what are their thoughts on the liberation of the night?

When Augusta first heard about it, she thought it was absolutely insane, and actively avoided doing things that might further it.  However, the more she’s learned about the Judgements and the Chain, the less insane it sounds -- and she’s very much in favor of some of the revolutionaries’ more mundane social goals, so... tossing a few luminous beetles their way now and then can’t hurt.  (Besides, compared to what the Admiralty’s doing, the revolutionaries seem pretty tame.)

📑- have they published any academic works?

Scads and scads!

🖕- is there an npc they love to annoy?

She’s not very fond of Slowcake’s Amanuensis, and has been known to toss him out on his ear on occasion.  But she really, really dislikes Mr. Stones.  He’s not precisely safe to annoy, even for someone as reckless as Augusta, but if she runs across any chance to make his life less easy, she’ll take it.

💪- are they very physically strong?

She’s very fit, and strong enough to surprise opponents, though she’s focused more on speed/stamina/flexibility in her training.

🎭: glass or shroud?

Glass, because when she was young and inexperienced, they seemed like the faction with access to Real Magic.  However, she finds the Fingerkings horrifying and repulsive (one of the few things she fears is a loss of mental control) and has many, many, MANY tiger and cat friends and allies.  So for roleplaying purposes, I consider her a double agent for the Shroud, even though I didn’t take that path when playing Wars of Illusions.  (That’s something I really wish you could reset with Fate.)

🍝: are they a good cook?

Pretty decent, but it’s not something she has a passion for.  She considers her railway offerings more in the line of culinary performance art, and is happy enough to pay a good cook for her own household.

🐕: do they spend a lot of time with their pets?

That depends on the pets.  Augusta loves animals and has a sizeable menagerie, to the point that she has to rent a stable (or two!) to accommodate all of them.  Some of her ‘pets’ are actually old friends and valued members of her household, like Scheherazade the Bengal Tigress, Onyx the Parabloan Panther, Lily the Albino Rat, or Gregory Beechwood.  They live with her and Violet, and are more roommates than anything else.  Some, like Shaitain, her Obdurate Stallion, are more traditional pets or working animals, and she loves them dearly.  Some of them, however... creatures like the Bifurcated Owl or the Ocular Toadbeast are more along the line of museum exhibits, and though she makes sure they’re housed and fed and exercised and enriched properly, she doesn’t have much emotional attachment to them, and is, in fact, beginning to consider selling a few of them off. 

🍄: favorite wine?

Morelways for everyday, Broken Giant for special occasions.

🎂: when is their birthday?

July 17th.

😷: how do they handle being sick?

Very poorly.  In the Neath, where death is a mere inconvenience, why should a cold be allowed to be anything more?  She is inclined to ignore illness until it becomes un-ignorable, and then collapse -- that, or slam Tincture of Vigor until it goes away.

📍: where do they live?

On paper, her official residence is a Spire-Emporium in the Bazaar.  However, in practice, she still lives in her townhouse in the Tower of Eyes, and the Spire-Emporium is merely where she and Violet conduct their various businesses.

🌅: artistic school?

Bazaarine, but not at all religious about it.

🛠: are they good with their hands?

Very.

☀️: what do they miss most about the surface?

Real trees, which are vanishingly rare in the Neath.  However, Augusta feels that trees are a small price to pay for gaining the social freedom that the Neath allows her.  While she wouldn’t mind seeing the Surface again should she ever manage to score some Hesperidean Cider, she’s not pining away for it by any means.