Revolt And Romance: Fallen London
When I read Alec's salute to Kingdom of Loathing, I recognised the sentiment immediately. Although it hasn't existed for as many years, Fallen London is a firmly entrenched feature of my waking life. I've written about it before and I'll readily admit that I've only been reminded to mention it again because of a Valentine's press release, detailing The Feast of the Exceptional Rose content. That's a fantastic name for a romantic event. The Failbetter folks spin some marvellous word-threads and the possibility of discovering new parcels of prose is the best reason to revisit every day.
For those who are already playing, here's what's on the menu at The Feast:
This update features eight new companion-pets to discover, a myriad of romantic and horrifying gifts for lovers and sworn enemies, masked balls, tattooed intrigues and much more! Keep an eye on your opportunity deck over the next couple of weeks...
Who will catch your eye at this year's Feast? Will it be the suave green-eyed devil? the mysterious but affable spy? The drowned tragedian? The tomb-colonist? or perhaps even the Quiet Deviless? And watch for the Woman in Lilac, whose story began long ago on Ladybones Road...
So far, I've dallied in the perfumed garden that borders the feast but haven't attempted any romantic subplots. I'm too frightened. My characters is a well-known bohemian poet and professional drunk - if someone were to spurn his advances, his name would be mud (his name is actually Malachi Breeches).
Fallen London's postal workers are braced for a flood of bizarre and dangerous gifts. This year's must-have items include terrifying candies, a luxuriantly coiffed sorrow spider, a cat covered in pink paint and a dagger that, rumour has it, once belonged to Mr Iron itself. Express your adoration or your scorn for fellow players with these unique keepsakes!
I've already received a box containing a dead bat. Somebody loves me!
If you're yet to be convinced that Fallen London is worth clicking on several times a day, read the latest snippet of random information that appeared at the side of my screen:
In simpler times, Hell would take a soul on the death of the body. Death is more complicated in Fallen London, though not unknown. So it's not terribly uncommon to meet someone who's short a soul. Some of them become mumbling, dead-eyed husks: some of them simply turn to occupations where soullessness is a professional advantage.
If anyone has spent any time in the other Story Nexus worlds, do let everyone know about which ones are worth the time.