#the merry gentleman

[jane-d-ankh-veos]

Inspired by Failbetter's background during yesterday's stream:

Couldn't be me, of course. I always choose to share these dangerous ventures with someone more experienced:

(and I will again whenever possible ❤️)

[staring-at-my-keyboard]

This is a bit old but I still really like how it turned out... @thedeafprophet's Manager design occupies a Lot of my brain space (it's canon to me), along with this quote by @house-of-mirrors in their amazing fic Cupbearer, so I simply had to put them together.

[the-masterless-press]

His month!

[thevioletscout]

He smiles broadly.

He also chucks you under the chin, which is a little over-familiar, but, well. His buttons are so very shiny. It's difficult to quarrel with a man of such shiny buttons. "Thank you," he says. "I do hope you'll continue to enjoy your stay."

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

Me: I am not that easy! Clearly shady character: *holds my PC's chin* Me: ... Damnit.

So yeah because Light Fingers plot stuff, Emery had to enter the state of some confusion and was crazy for a good while. She probably would have been able to go home sooner if I hadn't decided to be polite and thank the manager instead of complaining like the game was telegraphing me to do. Next thing I know he's tilting Emery's head up and I swoon. Then I knew I had to stop working on my writing and immortalize this moment while it was still fresh in my mind.

Now of course I'm aware The Manager is kinda spoken for, so nothing's going to come of this. Emery just had a little moment that did something for him. Also since Emery's doing Light Fingers, these characters likely won't have any meaningful interactions going forward. I do have another account with another character who's going to do Heart's Desire though, so I'll probably be able to learn more about him through her.

Thank you to werefeathers and igordumbra for answering some questions I had about The Manager so I could depict him better. I also used stock photos and figurosity as reference for the poses.

[tvntheatre]

That detestable Syren and mf Robin Banks. oh, and the merry gentleman is there too. I fucking guess

[encisthings]

[the-perspicacious-mercenary]

Chrys, slowly but surely losing es mind:

The Manager of the Royal Bethlehem doing his customary 'you need help' stalking routine:

Chrys: *Makes dead-on eye contact, turns around, and jumps directly into the Nightmares.* No.

[mrs-starkgaryen]

Favourite Shakespeare's Comedies

After my other poll, I am going to be specific. There shall be a battle of the favourites!!

For-

Two Gentleman of Verona (comment 🐕)

Winter's Tale (comment ⌛️)

For the love of Shakespeare, please reblog for a better analysis

[geraldofallon]

Fallen London’s True Identities

Gilgamesh as The Manager of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel

[poll-party]

SEMI FINALS - Poll 2/2

[jane-d-ankh-veos]

On all of this: my assumption is that he sees Londoners as naive little children rather than something so objectifying (after all, he has a deep insight into others’ fears/minds/dreams and therefore individualities, which would make it hard to perceive them not as persons). It was my first impression from "Tracking down the Manager" where his manners are condescending not in a cold but in a fatherly way:

(And that’s exactly where his interaction with MotR characters came to my fanfiction from, yes):

What’s important, he distances himself from everyone. Even this overfamiliarity seems artificial; a shield, a mask. Talking as if to himself, being cryptic, etc. (as you’ve noted) – it’s all this. In my opinion, it has several reasons: his adaptation to loneliness is definitely one of these, but also perhaps he is reluctant (even afraid) to grow attached to anyone. Because they may break his heart just like his lover... or they may exploit his weaknesses and wishes just like the Masters... or he may lose them just like his people (or any friends he might have had in other fallen cities, all doomed and dead, again and again).

In contrast, he becomes unexpectedly sincere and serious (and very vulnerable) at times:

Always keeping this mask on gets unbearable and true feelings break through. He needs someone to listen to him and see his real self; maybe he just doesn’t believe anymore that anyone actually will.

As for talking in riddles, likewise he can be absolutely straightforward, and this moment reveals that he can use incomprehensibility to conceal truths that are too painful:

Perhaps the best sum of his behaviour is this journal: whimsical, cryptic, deliberately resisting us – but when we finally peek inside we find out it’s because its secrets are too personal and sensitive:

[thegreatyin]

y'know, it probably feels weird for the scoundrel to admit, but they feel surprisingly comforted to be back on their ship for a change. they finally have control of the situation, they're finally around people they (vaguely) trust, they- wait a minute hold on what was that line

oh

oh no

oh no the horrors just keep getting worse and worse for them

[theramblingvoid]

Sometimes I wonder how an item in Fallen London can be Nightmares reducing, and then I put on noise cancelling headphones irl and Understand.

[viric-dreams]

Do your characters have an in-game nemesis?

[tvntheatre]

So, here have we, an entire page of insanity (and mostly nightmares.)!

I don't know how the fuck I want to draw the confounded The Merry Gentleman. Help he's invading my pages.