Thread:Vae Victis/@comment-6042046-20130526090455/@comment-1264592-20130528114719

I didn't think about Nevercold Brass, but you're right! Here we have something that completely violates the laws of thermodynamic. A few strips of the thing should be enough to turbo-charge all of Earth's economy. But I fear that like with souls (do they have any use at all? And why do the devils claim that at any given moment there are only several hundred soulless in FL, when I can easily get hold of thousands of souls?), Prisoner Honey and everything else only works in the Neath (similarly to the Empress' consort who needs to stay in the Neath to cheat death).

"Fallen or not, people aren't going to go along with your well-intentioned and humanitarian plans unless you're wearing the right clothes, living at the right estate, and holding the right social position"

Historically, that was only true for high society. The vast majority of the people were nothing like that which contributed to the meteoric rise of Labor seemingly out of nowhere. One of my problems with FL is that it's assumed that I'm high society (even when I go thieving or do some dirty work for the Ministry of Menace Eradication it's told through the eyes of high society) when in fact the Victorian culture as a whole represented only a tiny minority, completely detached from reality (here's an example: We all know how hang up the Victorians were on sexuality. In reality, at that time, the number of prostitutes was the highest in all of Britain's history. By some estimates about a quarter of all women in London have worked in prostitution at least some time in their lives).

My character began as part of the established society. He tried to play by the book; he tried to be generous where he could without rocking the boat. Eventually something snapped and he decided to stop bending to fit a cruel world. He's a psychopath because of what he does, but that's not how he views himself. In his mind there is Injustice that must be eliminated and he is the one to do it. He can't sympathize with the suffering of an individual but he is very much aware of Suffering as a whole. You can think of him as a Robespierre kind of guy - a quite sort that doesn't seek wealth or fame or status, but is concerned only with building an utopia from the blood and bones of people he thinks he's trying to save.

My character would also love to meet a bad end. Becoming a martyr, wallowing in self-pity and self-admiration is very alluring to his brand of crazy. Then again, if he's gone who will continue the Struggle?

"She isn't interested in marrying for the title, either"

Can you imagine the ceremony though?

Pastor: You may now kiss the bride.

Mr. Wines: Kiss how?

Mistress Wines: It's all very simple, dear. Dislocate your upper jaw, move you leftmost mandible, extend the proboscis, mind the slime gland...

"That's not a-okay in ZD's book!"

You old softie. I remember being like that once. The Neath changed it all - the Neath is very good at changing people.