#salt water and coffee diesel and bananas chocolate and fish guts

[noughticalcrossings]

Mama Thames

Inktober day 19. Plump

She sat enthroned on the finest of the executive armchairs. Her hair was braided and threaded with black cotton and tipped with gold, so that it stood above her brow like a crown.

[eruvadhril]

A collection of signare and vestigia as described in the Rivers of London RPG character stat blocks

Peter: " This is where things get complicated. Nightingale’s tick-tock precision is there, but after that, it’s all over the place—music, laughter, the smell of chocolate, images of London—and, blimey, is it loud! So loud, in fact, that it hides what spell he’s cueing up, meaning an adversary can’t make a Magic skill roll to determine what spell he’s about to fling at them. “

Nightingale: “ A clockwork tick, the smell of willow, and a whispering clash like the sound of cymbals—as heavy as a mallet and as sharp and controlled as the point of a needle. “

Guleed: “ The sound of ripping silk whenever she wields her sword. “

Abigail: “ Hasn’t yet solidified, but you definitely get a little bit of Nightingale’s clockwork orrery mixed with whatever has caught Abigail’s interest in the last few months; plus: fox fur, a blast of cold, and something that might be the opening bars of a popular British talent show’s theme tune.”

Michael Cheung: “ Unsurprisingly, seeing as he’s the one teaching Sahra, the sound of ripping silk when he strikes. “

Varvara: “ The bite of cold metal, something yeasty like bread, and the smell of wet dog. “

Asterid Bivalacqua: “ The burning taste of Scotch bonnet peppers and the fragrance of expensive rum on a warm summer’s evening. “

Beverley: “ A sensation like rain, the sound of boys playing football in the distance, the smell of suburban roses and newly washed cars, evening television flickering through net curtains. “

Father Thames: “ The promise of beer and skittles, walking home on a moonlit night, a warm fireside, amorous company. “

Foxglove: “ Nothing anyone’s been able to put their finger on just yet. “

High Fae: “ Sun-dappled leaves, the smell of damp wool, a flash of arrogance and condescension. “

Tyburn: “ The rope, the crowd, and the final drop into oblivion; the smell of cigars, horses, furniture polish, Stilton, and Belgian chocolate. “

Mama Thames: “ Salt water, coffee, diesel, bananas, chocolate, fish guts. “

Molly: “ Nothing that Peter could remember. “

Quiet People: “ A momentary blast of heat, the smell of the pigsty. “

Vampires: “ Not as such, but tactus disvitae—the smell of antilife, a deep bone-numbing cold. “

[multitudeofmuses]

RIVERS OF LONDON SERIES by Ben Aaronovitch

~~ FANCAST ~~

Mama Thames | Genius Loci / Goddess of The River Thames

"

Mama Thames aka Mother Thames is the Goddess of the River Thames. Unlike Father Thames, her power comes from the seas and ports. She holds court East of the Tower of London in a converted warehouse, just short of the Shadwell Basin, in the Wapping area of London.

"

Her appearance is that of a middle-aged, Nigerian woman, impeccably dressed in Austrian lace. She is described as having a generous figure, perfect skin, full, dark lips and cat-shaped eyes. Her hair is braided and she was wearing a head-dress of Portugese beads when Peter Grant first meets her. During the Spring Court she had her hair woven into an elaborate gold birdcage. She has an almost irresistible, arousing supernatural glamour. To Peter Grant it evoked the smell of salt water and coffee, diesel and bananas, chocolate and fish guts. She was originally a Nigerian woman who immigrated to the United Kingdom in 1957 to study nursing. Some time between 1957 and 1966, after being dumped by her fiancé and failing her nursing exams, she decided to commit suicide by jumping into the Thames. While contemplating her suicide on London Bridge the River Thames called to her to exchange her life to become a genius loci. Mama Thames claims to have forgotten her original human name.

SUGGESTED CASTING:

NIKKI AMUKA-BIRD ( 47 years old ) SOPHIE OKONEDO ( 54 years old ) RAKIE AYOLA ( 55 years old ) RITA DOMINIC ( 48 years old ) WUNMI MOSAKU ( 37 years old ) NSE IKPE-ETIM ( 48 years old )

**All actresses cast are nigerian, or of british-nigerian descent.