#thedeafprophet

[vintagecandy]

Art of Josephine for @thedeafprophet

Commission info / Etsy

[capn-twitchery]

something something flondon characters yoga class

aka how would twitch's limbs manage to fit in any pose-

GDHDVXVDK 😭 it would be chaos. their legs are going Everywhere

twitch is flinging their leg up to do the three legged dog & taking out 2 guys behind them

[bizarrebazaar13]

I have been thinkin. lately. about the possibility of May and The King ever reconciling, at least partialy. and i know we both have it as an eventuality in our various timelines. but im still stuck on the how, if ever. [beyond being potentially spurred on by jealousy akdkfkkgkh] so i have come to seek your thoughts and insight into the matter further.

before we go any further it is imperative you know that I am answering this posed like that onion “businessman does his work laying in bed like schoolgirl” article. ok proceed.

I think for this to work at all, the King has to initiate. we know the Manager has been wanting this for a long time now, and we know the King has rejected the idea. the Manager asking for the millionth time isn’t going to change the King’s mind. it has to come from the King himself.

I also think that at the moment, they both want very different things from that reconciliation. May wants everything forgiven in one grand gesture, something you can see in any interaction with him where the King is brought up. his grand gesture of choice as of FL is turning himself into a city; he wants to do one big thing that finally proves he’s good enough for the King to take him back.

the King, though, is understandably over grand gestures of love like that. it has to be gradual. healing from what he went through won’t be instant or easy, and while that’s probably part of why he’s been avoiding it, he does recognize that. we cannot simply sit and stare at our wounds forever, and we also cannot expect them to go away overnight!

and getting more speculative, the Manager strikes me as someone who wants their relationship to move beyond the first city. he wants to show the King what he’s built and what he’s become, wants to visit Polythreme, etc. he approaches the tragedy of the fall of the first city more like “so that happened. what do we do now?” whereas the King is more stuck on the fact that it shouldn’t have happened at all. Polythreme architecture is all in the style of the first city, the King wears first city clothes, he’s recreating the past as much as possible. the King wants things to go back to the way they were before he even was sick.

so for a true reconciliation to happen, May needs to realize that one singular event can’t undo all of their pain, and the King needs to accept that things will never go back to how they used to be. and again, the King has to be the one to initiate. there would need to be some sort of catalyst for the King to start thinking about moving on, and for it to really be effective, it would probably have to come from a clay man. they are the people closest to the King in every sense of the word.

maybe the story of the clay highwayman sticks with the King for a while. and maybe one day, a clay man brings it up, and it makes the King furious, but it also makes him think. not enough to regret what he did to the clay highwayman, but enough to wonder if he did the right thing. slowly, he starts loosening his control over the clay men. he’s still their king, but maybe he doesn’t need control what they think and feel, you know?

eventually, when the Manager arrives at the gates of Polythreme, expecting to find them barred, they’re open. no one greets him there. he doesn’t even see the King at all. but he’s no longer cut off completely.

basically: it has to come from the King. I love the idea of the clay highwayman’s story being the thing that starts this process. and it’s going to be very slow. and painful. but I do really think that they could make it work. they knew each other best once, perhaps they still do. the wounds are always going to be there, but maybe we don’t need to let them bleed anymore.

[neathyingenue]

First batch of mini OC portraits are here--3 down, 3 to go! I did these in gouache on tinted paper (though josie's glasses are colored pencil haha)

From left to right:

The Marked Examinant August Shaw belongs to @zeebreezin

The Laconic Captain Samuel Weatherbee belongs to @house-of-mirrors

The Percipient Scientist Josephine Ashwood belongs to @thedeafprophet

I adore each of your blorbos, thank you for letting me at 'em!

[the-dye-stained-socialite]

Number 10 for Marigold :3c <- Guy who totally doesnt know how it ends and def isnt writing anything related to it 2 for Elias becase i always love to hear about the process... and 7!

10: What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?

ohhhhh marigold ;) Their main arc is going to be them slowly coming to shake off the Princess' abuse. That they've lived through so many tragedies, and unfortunatly they must live through another. Finally finding a real bright spot in their life and feeling the warmth it emminates, and the stolen joy they get from it, and realizing their other bright spot is cold and dim in comparision, and that while neither light can sustain them forever, they must make a choice about which light they want to feed, which light they want to die with. When we first meet Marigold they are fully under her thumb, actively enjoying her torturing them without consent. Over time... well. for a long few year they're still unable to find fault in her, but in those last few months, they turn more towards "damning with faint praise". Eventually, they'll leave, but they'll never be fully rid of her influence, and they'll bear the marks of her abuse for the rest of their days, from their tattoos, to the loss of their vision and memories, to the ways they flinch when a voice is raised near them. Marigold's ending is bittersweet.

2: How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

OH GOSH OKAY UH so Elias started as a vampire character with their partner, @the-insouciant-scientist's mad scientist! that is. about the only resemblance dfjvkdsjbdkvbk they were originally turn of the century edwardians, or just getting into the roaring 20s? we played around with the time period somewhat. this was back in, i believe, 2019, long before i got into TMA and heard how brits Actually pronounce 'Elias'. Elias' whole thing was they were a vampire who had turned recently, but not too recently. like a few months ago, so they're kinda used to it but also still working out a lot of the kinks ;P then i had my accident, and whenever i became a (basically) full-time wheelchair user, so did elias after that, Rye got into TMA and heard The Ad, and we decided to put our funny little victorians in the game!!! this was also whenever i started playing with elias' gender and presentation and made them very femme (as i was figuring out my own stuff) the first year/year and a half Elias was mostly a name and incredibly loose concept, i was just exploring things i thought were fun and cool! it's only within the past two and a half years that i would say elias has become Elias Leroux, chemist, dubious royal, Gonfaloniere, and sweetheart of half the city!!! once i transferred from the reddit side of the fandom to the tumblr side, and got over my anti fears, accepted that i like gothic horror, gothic romance, and gothic tropes, they really kind of bloomed into what they are now!!! my early concepts for them were a lot fluffier and sweeter which... is nice, but not so much my thing all the time, ya know? i wanted elias to go through difficult horrors and make choices from fear and i really wanted to do stuff with blood and giant monsterous bats (especially after heavily playing sskies and seeing the chiropterous hoarder <3) and that's what i've been focusing on mostly!!! a lot of it what honestly kicked off when i went "hey, i wonder what the consequences of this would be" for abandoning light fingers, and also there was a huge turning point for elias becoming their own character whenever i played the Swan Bride ES and they became gonfaloniere, and i got the chance to dive into toxins and- so... about 3 years!! 7: another favorite appearance aspect: okay, i'll finally let myself gush about it a little: ELIAS' WHEELCHAIR!!!!!! it's so fucking prtty if i say so myself!!!! the wood color is gorgeous, the heart back (based on that historical example) is inspired, the way it also kinda looks like a throne? how comfortable elias is in it? the fact that i can have their spokes decorated in flowers of ribbons, or all the scientific add-ons they can have for it? the secret compartments? it's such a fantastic chair, and every day i am so jealous that elias gets to have a HEART SHAPED wheelchair!!!!!!! i love their chair so much!!!!!! and it being a possessive and manipulative gifts from happles where it can easily control their chair? ough j'adore!!! it's a fantastic chair and it makes me so happy to draw and write about :} ask game here

[the-silvered-pirate]

Present, 7 and 8?

7, Present. Do they have a partner? How did they meet, and what’s their relationship like now?

tThey do! They're married to @esteemed-excellency Hiram Hargrave. These two have the "addicted-too-eachother" relationship. Hiram provides solace to Morgan's heavy soul (being tied to the Depth of the Zee and all that jazz w/ Lady Black and the Gant Pole).

They both claim the other but don't you dare imply they care for eachother (even if it's obvious they do care). Their signature phrase would be "Death will NOT do us apart, idiot"

They met shortly after the Fall. The Admiralty tried to buy Morgan's silence about their Father's Bones (the standard sunless sea ambition) offering them a place amongst the higher ranks. At their debut, Hiram was there, rebuilding his network of connections.

Their very first exchange was:

H: "you're stuck here with all these shitty Admiralty airheads huh? I'm Hiram, Hiram Hargrave."

M:" Francis Morgan. And I'm part of the Admiralty."

H: *rises an eyebrow * "Sucks to be you."

8, Present. What hobby or pastime of theirs do they consider most important to them and why?

They are a pretty good Card player! They also learnt how to sculpt from the Pirate Poet (their First Mate on the Requiem) and dunk these little Clayfellows in water reflecting various Neathbow colours.

From time to time, if they Zail close to Polythreme these Clayfellows will get alive. In which case they get "employed" on the Requiem (Morgan's ship) and do minor chores/be a mascot/be cute in general.

Cards is important because their beloved Eleonor used to be a Player of Chess (regular and Neath edition, she was entangled in the Great Game at some point) and playing something tactical helps morgan keep in touch with the her. Some sort of memento. The Clayfellows are just a nice way to do something with their hands that's not hunting Nightmares, kill zee beasts or swordfighting.

[the-masterless-press]

7.What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

Oh man.

Betty's had a long, long way since I came up with her last year.

Initially I got pulled in because a pal suggested I play Mask of the Rose when it was still in a demo. I did, curious about it, and I was pulled into the world. Initially, Betty used to be two different characters!

My first MOTR PC was a semi self-insert that kinda morphed into a character of her own. A studious young woman who came to London to study the arcane arts with a penchant for art.

This is the earliest art I found of her:

(it was supposed to be me)

My FL character before that point was a blank slate. I made the profile the year before and forgot about it until I began playing Mask.

She began her life first as MsPaint Pixel art...

And then as this portrait:

This FLPC was Old Cougar, a (you guessed it) older woman with an appetite for two things: women who were younger than her, and violence.

Her and my MoTR character were separate entities until I decided that it would be interesting to make them the same person. It took a lot of advice and thinking until I settled on the current backstory for Betty:

An Irrigo bath to erase her memory of a painful break up and pining that resulted from it.

[violant-apologia]

Buttercup - Does your OC have any odd quirks/habits? for the Apologist

Of course an endgame FL PC is likely to pick up all sorts of obscure quirks, but something more ordinary is his tendency to write before speaking. If he's going to any event where he'll be expected to make a speech or speak with particular eloquence, he always drafts the sort of things he's planning to say beforehand.

He doesn't even really read them during the event or anything; the act of writing them down in advance is what prepares him. This does mean that he often struggles with impromptu public speaking, though.

ask game here!

[half-life-citizen]

Happy early birthday, @thedeafprophet, hope you enjoy! (hopefully not too ooc either)

For the @fallenlondonficswap 2023

Hephaesta was strongwoman, worked at Mahogany Hall for, well a while now, not exactly sure how long; but she had come to like the work, like who she worked with specifically, the crowds she didn't really care much about; It's not that she didn't like the people, rather the opposite, but it tends to make you feel separated. Like an other.

She became friends with the two sisters, not fast friends, Hephaesta first found them annoying, like a bat that would try to perch on your head for hours on end, but she warmed up to them.

It did take her a while to distinguish which one was which, but as she got to know them, the differences were obviously there.

It was good, for a while, shows kept filling seats, Hephaesta age well; but the same could not be said for the sisters.

Clara went missing, her sister had come to visit her, heard someone talking to her, and like that, the other sister went looking for her, all Hephaesta managed to to put together afterwards was something about the forgotten quarter, and a master.

It had been months since she'd seen either of them; she'd began to have lost hope, nothing from either from them.

Hephaesta had just finished a show, someone had brought in a barrel for her to lift, nothing major. But when she was walking backstage she saw him, a stout man desperately trying to seem like he belonged where he shouldn't, but he looked harmless enough, so she gave him a hard stare and moved on.

The next time Hephaesta saw the man, she was offering him an autograph, he introduced himself in a short and unfriendly way, but obviously still wanting a conversation, she originally thought it was an autograph, but what he really wanted to speak about was the fading music hall singer, he had claimed to be a friend from the surface, Hephaesta agreed to tell him her last known whereabouts, but only in veilgarden, at the singing mandrake.

The conversation went smoothly, the man, Alex was his name; reminded Hephaesta of herself, headstrong, but obviously caring, he oozed worry when he talked about what he had seen, and Hephaesta divulged all she knew to the man.

She went back to work at the hall, but only a short while after she had heard news, one of the sisters had been found, nearly beaten to death in the forgotten quarter.

Hephaesta had rushed to the site, finding a clammy, but still warm body, a locket missing from around her neck, and severe injuries from blunt objects, presumedly hammers, her legs were completely done in.

She had carried her back to her apartment, and waited for her to return from unconsciousness.

She was by her bedside, reading a penny dreadful when the colour began to return to the singers face, eyes fluttering open, then locking on Hephaestas face, the singer apologised, and began to weep.

She had figured out what happened, the man she had met previously, Alex, had helped the singer, eased her as she faded, she believed she would die, to never return to the surface like she had planned, she was so deathly afraid of being trapped.

Alex arrived in a rush, concern uncharacteristically present on his usually gruff face as he listened to the tearful apologies from the wounded singer, she explained how she found her sister in a state, maddenend and pregnant with some monster, her voice raw from the constant singing it had subjected her to. 

when she was talking, the sorrow had turned to anger when she spoke of this; of how her sister was gifted with glim jewellery and plied by honeyed words ,and for her trust? 

She had been subjected to a horrible, and completely undeserving fate.

At the end of the story, the lonesome twin had finished crying, a hateful look on her face as she mentioned men who were after her, who put her into this state.

"Clay men, two of them", she spat, "they pulled me from behind a wall and they just didn't stop until I stopped screaming." 

She mentioned her dream to Alex, to return to the surface, to be free of this place, it had cost her her sister, nearly her life, she would never be able to walk right again, the damage too severe on her right leg; death would have fixed it, if she had died that day, mended her bones as it returned her to life, but that never happened. She lived and she was glad.

But the singer was scared, not just for her sister, for Hephaesta, but for herself, her own future, she'd need money, for transport, for lodgings, for real medical treatments on the surface, not in some pit in the ground that had caused her so much pain, she just needed to get away.

Alex, unsurprisingly to Hephaesta, obliged her, he had known someone who smuggled him down, with two others, they could be trusted, he assured, they knew what they were doing. 

The singer beckoned him close, and whispered a name into his ear, poor Edward.

It wasn't the last time he visited, far from it; the singer was still recovering, bruises beginning to fade as Hephaesta sat by her sickbed, reminiscing on the times at Mahogany Hall, talking, and sometimes; they'd try walking from one end of the room and back.

Alex was a lot more comfortable with the singer than Hephaesta, he originally approached her like a stray cat, testing the waters as he tried to avoid her, but as the visits continued, he warmed up aswell.

The singer was asleep in her bed, a bottle of cheap gin nestled in her grip as Hephaesta and Alex talked, of growing up in rough conditions, Alex talked about his family, his sister, Jamie and josephine; the struggles he had to face as he grew into who he was today.

Hephaesta opened up too, she explained how her father was a cheater, a murderer, who finally had enough of her after she, too young to know the meaning, protected her mother during a stupor of his.

Her father had enough, and abandoned her the first chance he could get.

She grew up on the streets, just like Alex, she spent most of her time before entering the neath running simple jobs, going from city to city, eventually settling in the neath, after she had filled out her form, a strongwoman!

As they talked deep into the false night, a bond was formed, stronger than steel.

He came by less frequently, as the singers condition improved, she could walk distances, but not without a cane, most doctors said the damage was permanent, but she was alive.

One day, Clara and her sister were gone.

Taken, by a man in a blood red maks forced in a frown.

Hephaesta was livid, angry with herself, for not being able to help those who mattered to her, to let them both get hurt again.

Alex came at first notice, believed Hephaesta immediately, he knew poor Edward, the man in the mask, and he knew where the sisters were, a building called the orphanage, filled with confused patients and orderlies who would do the bidding of whoever owned the horrific place.

He told her of a plan to get inside, a route planned by a woman who's husband had been trapped inside, just to be safe, Alex told her of the way, just in case.

Alex didn't return that night, or the next.

Or the one after that, at first, Hephaesta wasn't worried, he was a capable and resourceful man, cunning as a fox.

But the thought nagged at her, what if she failed him like she failed the twins?

What ifs, crowded her thoughts, worries weighed her down more than any weight could.

Alex had heard them too late, heavy footsteps unheard until they rushed him, heavy arms wrestled him to the ground, a forearm around his neck as he saw poor Edwards face looming over him, blue eyes looking directly into his soul.

Alex awoke, pine boards lined with velvet surrounded him.

He began to hammer at the ceiling, arms barely even being able to move above his stomach.

He starts kicking his feet, his boots barely moving as they uselessly tap against the velvet covering.

He squirms violently, thrashing around, nails scrabbling, tearing away some velvet from the coffin, but there's too little space.

He can barely move his head, the effort exhausting him, his breathing begins to pick up, the air feels stale, warm as it goes into his lungs.

He begins to cry, in shock, realising what he's done to himself.

Hephaesta had been looking for hours now, she had followed the steps left out by Alex's instructions, and she turned the corner and gazed at the orphanage.

The way there hadn't been nice, but most people avoided her, assume she was supposed to be there.

She walks, sticking to darker patches of the road as she approaches the orphanage, when she notices something. 

There, in the distance, a familiar flat cap lays on the ground.

Faster than she could have imagined, Hephaesta bounds over to the hat. Not giving a damn on who spots her.

Alex couldn't breathe, his vision was spotty, his chest pressing against the ceiling as he struggles to take in oxygen.

He closes his eyes and waits, to open them and see the boatman.

The only sound in the coffin is breathing.

Then he hears rapid, heavy footsteps.

They stop right above him.

Hephaesta stares at the hay in her hands, worn out and covered in lint, she stares at it with a cold gaze, kneeling on the dirt as she processes it.

Then she hears it, a hoarse screaming. Dulled by… something?

She looks around, trying g to locate the source of the muffled shrieks.

Then she notices it.

The hat.

The patch of dirt.

The screaming.

Hephaesta starts clawing at the dirt, scooping up handfuls of loose dirt as she digs, desperately trying to find her friend.

She needed to find him, here, now, in the courtyard if a horrible, horrible place; she needed to find him.

Alex had stopped screaming, dried tears had run down his face, the heat was unbearable, he couldn't breathe.

He felt his life leave him.

As he lays in half-death, waiting for the boatmans visit, he hears the boards above him crack, and then, a leather boot, laced up to the ankles smashes Alex in the gut.

He nearly throws up, yelping as the unexpected blow connects, as a voice above him reassures him, sounding more glad than he is to be alive.

As the velvet is torn from above his face, he sees Hephaesta; tears running down her face as she pulls him out of the coffin, and lays him on the cold dirt.

The last thing Alex sees before passing out completely is her, cap in hand with a smile that could pierce the sun, gazing at him.

Hope you enjoyed it. I tried to sneakily ask you questions about what Alex would do on your blog, too! He was an absolute blast to write, and I hope I did him justice

[waterlogged-detective]

🍍 [PINEAPPLE]

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION.

An ask game idk you should send asks while I drink

🍍 [PINEAPPLE] Pineapple on pizza or not?

Yes. Next question.

[neathbowprideflag]

hey the courier has even showed up in the clip studio assets page

THEYRE FAMOUS‼️‼️‼️

[the-insouciant-scientist]

I have been informed that today is the anniversary of the date of your birth, is it not? Sending my dearest regards for another year successfully completed!

(Happy birthday!)

Aaa, thank you!! 💛

[capn-twitchery]

happy 1899 we're sending you to the cage gardens

NOT AGAIN

[bizarrebazaar13]

english vermillion and tumbleweed for alexandria :O

english vermillion: if you could give them a custom lodgings, what would it be?

Berth Aboard the Jasiri: A swift, sturdy craft, with a captain’s cabin that is comfortable without being ostentatious. In your humble opinion, there is no better ship to have at your side when facing the zee.

tumbleweed: what stats would they provide as an in-game companion? how would you acquire them?

begin the story of the dauntless captain when your docks + revolutionaries renown are both at 15. you meet Alexandria at Wolfstack Docks, and from there he pops up once at every port on the zee and enlists your help with some small strange task in exchange for payment in moon pearls/jade/other small currency items, and some zee ztories. gradually, you figure out that he is smuggling various items for the calendar council and the widow, and has been getting you to help.

once you’ve helped Alexandria at every location, you can confront her in parabola with what you know. you then have the choice of informing the constables about what she’s doing. if you do that, you receive favors and material rewards from the constables, and lose favor with the docks and the revolutionaries. if you choose not to rat on her and instead to keep helping her, you get her as a companion and renown and favors with the docks and revolutionaries.

a new zee dream is unlocked, either once you get Alexandria as a companion or when you hear news of him evading capture by fleeing to Polythreme (depending on what you picked). “the dauntless dreamer” cards are drawn with standard frequency in home waters, and give the quality “western wind” which functions like the other wind qualities once back in London. but if you chose to rat on Alexandria, the dauntless dreamer cards will increase your nightmares when at zee. if you chose to help, your nightmares get reduced instead.

[neathyingenue]

When you're feeling up to it once more, I'd love to hear if Silvia has any plans for hallowmas- there's so many rumours in the air that time of year...

Yay thanks for the ask Prophet!! Haven't drawn it properly yet but Silvia will be dressing up as Hamlet because her dad is dead and she's making it everyone's problem 👍

also I have a costume for Pilar but that'll have to be a surprise ;)

[the-dye-stained-socialite]

WHAT is the ideal way to hug a giant fluffy monster.

instructions for the ideal way to hug a giant bat:

1)find the ideal bat! qualities to look for: fat, soft, fluffy!!! acquire said bat. top candidates are: Hearts (soft fat and fluffy!! pleasant!!! con: needs a bath), Veils (IDEAL TEXTURE, so silky!! cons: it's veils), Fires (fat and fluffy, so warm! cons: union buster supreme)

2) accept you are never going to fully wrap your arms around it.you may try anyways.

3) remove cloak from bat, and anything from your head, especially glasses and/or mask

4) aim your face for tummy, chest, or neck ruff!!! hug and squash and *bury* your face into soft fat and fur, go wrist deep in that soft spft fur!!! rub your cheeks on the fur it's a good texture, and have the bat wrap it's wings around you!!! if yoy are lucky it may let your pet it and you may hear it makes cute little happy noises!!

extra steps for added comfort: have the bat lay down and use it as a full size bed, it's very comfy and safe and makes it ideal to nuzzle into it!!!