#the violant-scrawling apologist

[the-insouciant-scientist]

A commission for @violant-apologia of a scene from their fic "Toothsome", done for the FL Fans for Gaza event!

"The Apologist gives a full-toothed smile. Or, full-fanged: light glints off a host of golden teeth which fill his jaw like royals crammed into a tram.

"Stones doesn’t lend to just anybody.""

Details and close ups under the cut!

(Also feat. the Aestival-glass pendant from "Rose-Gifts for Mr Stones", because I couldn't resist <3)

[theirrepressibleheiress]

A rough timeline of the Irrepressible Heiress's bullshit

This is very late, maybe a bit more unwieldy than is ideal, and has spoilers for Ambition: Nemesis towards the end! However, here it is at last so there's info about the Heiress out in the world.

The Heiress was born to a minor aristocratic family, and grows up as more or less an average grammar or private school aristocratic surface kid.

They don’t really try or engage too much, are all around unremarkable, but have a few friends, but are very close to their older brother, in a kind of “loose admiration, see each other occasionally and always enjoy catching up” way

The Heiress’s brother was a Prefect and generally kind of the golden child when they were both at school - as the younger sibling going through a lot of the same teachers that expectation definitely weighed on the Heiress - their brother told them not to worry, pointed out their own strengths, etc. Everyone else was definitely much more “why aren’t you as good as your brother”, though not always overtly.

Once their brother leaves school, the Heiress ends up putting him a bit on a pedestal and seeing him much more rarely.

During the Heiress’s last year of schooling, word reaches the surface that their brother died on a business trip to the Neath.

The newly-in-line-to-the-inheritance Heiress does not take this well - they don’t quite stop completely but it’s definitely something everyone around them notices.

The instant the notion of foul play reaches them, they blow all their savings, social capital, everything, to get to the Neath

They fully just jump on the first ship towards Italy - by the time they reach the Cumaean Canal they’re broke.

This gives them what is by all accounts a terrible idea - they make the last leg of the journey by picking fights with zailors until they are detained and (after insisting on being tried in the Neath) brought to New Newgate

After their escape, they spends a bit getting in with criminals, doing petty crime, chasing up little leads, just kind of blindly fucking around, as well as doing a bunch of assorted detective work and not really thinking about the contradictions in those last two.

To be honest they don’t really think a lot about their plans or how they got here - they threw everything away for this and are now desperately trying to justify it and navigate the mess they’ve landed in

This is also around when they start questioning their gender and realising a small part of why the expectation to be their brother always stung.

Around this time, they meet the Violant-Scrawling Apologist (@violant-apologia's character), and fall into an ill-fated relationship

Eventually, this coalesces into getting a university position and curiosity about the Neath’s deeper mysteries and weirdness going on, especially as those tie into the fate of their brother.

As they follow more leads and get further through Nemesis, they become more single-minded, more pro-Revolutionary and very fervently Liberationist.

This, combined with the Apologist doing Seeking and shifting towards White on the Chessboard, is not exactly a recipe for a long-lasting marriage.

Right before divorce, the Heiress ends up heading to the Avid Horizon during the Missing Month part of Nemesis, and sees the Apologist’s ship wrecked on the ice. The Apologist is alive - he’s just turned back from SMEN - but it’s around this point the Heiress realises how far apart the two of them have drifted.

When the Heiress returns to London after all that, the Apologist files divorce proceedings. The process isn’t overtly hostile - there’s no fight over property or similar, but political barbs are exchanged and the two of them realise just how opposed they’ve become.

Soon after, the Heiress fights through the rest of Nemesis, culminating in the resurrection of their brother. Whether deliberate malice on Cups’ part, or just some freak occurrence of the process, he has most of his memories but is left persistently unable to accept that his rescuer is the person he used to call brother.

From there, the Heiress helps get him on his feet in terms of lodgings and explanations about the Neath, but the pair’s interactions are rocky - sometimes they have almost that once-lost closeness, sometimes one will make a reference the other misses. Sometimes, he will pause at the word brother, as though trying to work out if it’s addressed to him.

[violant-apologia]

finally a proper apologist ref! featuring:

the violant-scrawling apologist, in 1899

the infernal apologist, in 1891

mr bricks, in 2023

the apologist's (current) tattoos and scars

and headshots of his parabolan reflection and his noman!

commissioned from the wonderful @waterlogged-detective (yet again thank you, i'm so pleased with the end result!)

[the-ashenstreaked-doctor]

An acnh comm for @violant-apologia of his FL pc, the Violant-Scrawling Apologist! He was a delight to draw, thank you for commissioning me!

[sparingiscaring]

I got my first batch of those doodles done! Hope you guys like em!

Alex Hastings via @thedeafprophet | The Violant-Scrawling Apologist via @violant-apologia

Cards via @a-twisted-tale | Detective Brett Heroux via @thedandy-detective

[gmalaart]

A couple more, here take them!

The Violant-Scrawling Apologist for @violant-apologia

Hiram for @esteemed-excellency

I sketched a few interactions between Cavendish and some other FL OCs! They’re super quick and messy but I had fun with them.

Eddie belongs to @eddie-dearest | Twitch belongs to @capn-twitchery | Alex belongs to @thedeafprophet

Am I bummed that I missed the event where everyone seems to draw each other’s characters? Maybe…

Bonus, Eddie learns about skirt trousers:

[letters-of-fire]

if you're still up for kiss requests... 🎲 for briar and howard?

38 - A kiss while one party is carried

[the-insouciant-scientist]

if you're looking for fursonas for FL OCs, could i request the apologist as a red deer?

Here you go!

[the-insouciant-scientist]

also... the apologist + mr stones 7 for the mistletoe format?

What arest thou doing with thine mouth. Cease. Stop that.

(Nay, wait, continue-)

[the-insouciant-scientist]

the mistletoe kiss between the apologist and mr stones is one of the most wonderful things i have ever received, so... 🎲 for them?

35. A kiss against a wall

[the-insouciant-scientist]

ooo art request of my favourite devil-worshipping canon/canon/oc trio, if you're down:

C1 with 💛 the intrepid deacon, ❤️ the crimson captain and 💙 the apologist?

Here you go!

[the-insouciant-scientist]

i'd love to see a handshake between the apologist and harper! respect between vake-killers. (refs here, and his feast mask here!)

Hunter to Hunter communication <3

[violant-apologia]

🎩 — What would an Exceptional Story featuring this character be about?

Exceptional story for May: In Violant, Inviolable

You grasp the Story by an overlong character introduction – but it sheds it, flopping to the cobbles and fleeing. You toss the squirming, adverb-coated passage and give chase, leaving the Apologist to wrangle the cut text into a sheet of flameproof paper.

A story has been stolen from the skin of the Bazaar – the very oldest of its kind – and the Violant-Scrawling Apologist has enlisted you to see it safely returned. Track a nascent thief across the Zee. Discern the nature of the Treachery of Records. And learn a little Neathy history, while you're at it.

Writing: violant-apologia

Editing: who needs editing anyway firmament certainly didn't have any (i'm joking FBG i love you)

QA: Stacy Fakename

Art: letters-of-fire

[violant-apologia]

credit to @lord-emerson for the concept!

[violant-apologia]

OC SMASH OR PASS

Rules: pretty self explanatory. include physical descriptions or pics, and propaganda. the “other” label can be used for “sexuality misalignment” (ie: oc is femme and you’re gay, vice versa or you aren’t into smashing but a specific thing you wanna do with them like perhaps hug or study them under a microscope idc).

I was tagged by @esteemed-excellency (poll: x) honestly nobody is going to get more smash votes than hiram. it's just not possible (also thank you so much!!!!)

(art by ScribbleSpecters, @sunlessveils, and @letters-of-fire respectively!)

Name: Briar Hathaway, the Violant-Scrawling Apologist Age: 32 Gender: Male(?) Sexuality: Demipansexual (in modern terms)

🪶 Propaganda for:

Believes in the best you! (he will justify your crimes and also have your criminal record removed)

Long hair.

Rich! He will buy you things!!!

Will write poetry about you.

Excellent dancer. (he and hiram should dance sometime)

Will duel you! Or duel someone else for you! Or watch you duel someone else and give you pointers!

Owns a pigeon he will let you pet.

Will wear what you ask him to and be bashful when you compliment him.

🚩 Propaganda against:

Prone to flusterment if come onto.

Will take a while to properly open up to you.

Pretty inexperienced, all things considered.

Teeth occasionally go walkies. (...maybe this could be a pro? i don't want to think about that too hard)

A bit of a sycophant.

He may compliment you so eloquently that it starts a fire.

Hope you're ready for Wrathful Jealousy from a Large Bat!

One Million Stairs at his place. Will not go to your place.

He does not have time for dating if it doesn't contribute to the enternal spycraft war between light and dark (he is on the side of light)

i have completely lost track of who on flumblr has or has not been tagged in one of these so far, so if you see this and haven't been, do a poll! tag me in it too, i want to see!

[violant-apologia]

i was just reading through some of the wedding fic that me and my friends were writing a bit ago, and thought that the way i introduced briar was cute:

The Stolen River reflects the Butterfly's lights as it drifts through London. From above, the Fifth City is bisected by a path of glittering diamonds. "Diamonds?" Mr Stones says, eyes lighting up and its gaze tearing from its work. "I was being metaphorical," says the Violant-Scrawling Apologist, not moving from the workshop's high window. Stones grumbles. "Metaphor," it spits. "Can't sell metaphor." "You most certainly can— I do, all the time!" the Apologist protests. He looks down, watches as the Butterfly creeps along the river. "I really must be off." "Is an insult that Iron was invited and not me," Stones mutters. "And Pages!" "Do you want to go?" the Apologist asks. He throws on his overcoat and heads to the Spire door, while Stones grumpily returns to its work. "Exactly."