Helicon House: Difference between revisions
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Helicon was built sometime after the [[Fall of London]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Helicon_House_(Storylet)|Helicon House (Storylet)|Fallen London|}} ''"The building has been built since the Fall."''</ref> Externally, it is a typical townhouse patterned after that of [[His Amused Lordship]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Catch_up_on_Bohemian_gossip|Catch up on Bohemian gossip|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] Helicon House. It is a little townhouse – looks like nothing at all from the outside [...]"''</ref> though its rooms are doubled in size and feature Rubbery-influenced details.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Entrance_Hall|The Entrance Hall|Fallen London|}} ''"Helicon House is [...] architect copying the [...] townhouse of His Amused Lordship, [...] and redesigning the rooms to be twice as large. The banisters have a tentacular curve."''</ref> Its existence is a secret, even among London's counterculture;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Catch_up_on_Bohemian_gossip|Catch up on Bohemian gossip|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] your interlocutor doesn't know how to get into Helicon House. [...] that puts her ahead of [...] those [...] who are so outside the mode [...] they don't even know it exists."''</ref> while Rubberies may enter freely, human visitors are vetted by the '''Keen-Eyed Clay Doorkeeper'''.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Helicon_House_(Storylet)|Helicon House (Storylet)|Fallen London|}} ''"A Clay Man [...] keeps the door. He admits Rubbery Men without question, but challenges the human visitors."''</ref><ref name = "pay wealth">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Pay_in_the_currency_of_perishable_wealth|Pay in the currency of perishable wealth|Fallen London|}} ''"The Keen-eyed Clay Doorkeeper takes the payments, and collects hats and coats from the human guests. [...] he supplies a hand towel and a [...] guide to etiquette. [...] how to exchange greetings with a tentacled individual. [...]"''</ref> The Doorkeeper provides guidance on proper etiquette towards Rubbery people<ref name = "pay wealth"/> and ensures orderly conduct within Helicon.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Make_polite_conversation_with_a_railway_passenger|Make polite conversation with a railway passenger|Fallen London|}} ''"He [...] starts painting over part of a Rubbery Man portrait [...] the Clay Doorman turns up to discourage further defacement exercises."''</ref> For instance, entering late in the evening is frowned upon, as it is discourteous towards the musicians.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Arrive_fashionably_late_(Helicon_House)|Arrive fashionably late (Helicon House)|Fallen London|}} ''"At Helicon House, it is a faux pas to arrive too long after the music starts. [...] is understood as a lack of enthusiasm about Rubbery composition, [...]"''</ref> | Helicon was built sometime after the [[Fall of London]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Helicon_House_(Storylet)|Helicon House (Storylet)|Fallen London|}} ''"The building has been built since the Fall."''</ref> Externally, it is a typical townhouse patterned after that of [[His Amused Lordship]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Catch_up_on_Bohemian_gossip|Catch up on Bohemian gossip|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] Helicon House. It is a little townhouse – looks like nothing at all from the outside [...]"''</ref> though its rooms are doubled in size and feature Rubbery-influenced details.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Entrance_Hall|The Entrance Hall|Fallen London|}} ''"Helicon House is [...] architect copying the [...] townhouse of His Amused Lordship, [...] and redesigning the rooms to be twice as large. The banisters have a tentacular curve."''</ref> Its existence is a secret, even among London's counterculture;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Catch_up_on_Bohemian_gossip|Catch up on Bohemian gossip|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] your interlocutor doesn't know how to get into Helicon House. [...] that puts her ahead of [...] those [...] who are so outside the mode [...] they don't even know it exists."''</ref> while Rubberies may enter freely, human visitors are vetted by the '''Keen-Eyed Clay Doorkeeper'''.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Helicon_House_(Storylet)|Helicon House (Storylet)|Fallen London|}} ''"A Clay Man [...] keeps the door. He admits Rubbery Men without question, but challenges the human visitors."''</ref><ref name = "pay wealth">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Pay_in_the_currency_of_perishable_wealth|Pay in the currency of perishable wealth|Fallen London|}} ''"The Keen-eyed Clay Doorkeeper takes the payments, and collects hats and coats from the human guests. [...] he supplies a hand towel and a [...] guide to etiquette. [...] how to exchange greetings with a tentacled individual. [...]"''</ref> The Doorkeeper provides guidance on proper etiquette towards Rubbery people<ref name = "pay wealth"/> and ensures orderly conduct within Helicon.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Make_polite_conversation_with_a_railway_passenger|Make polite conversation with a railway passenger|Fallen London|}} ''"He [...] starts painting over part of a Rubbery Man portrait [...] the Clay Doorman turns up to discourage further defacement exercises."''</ref> For instance, entering late in the evening is frowned upon, as it is discourteous towards the musicians.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Arrive_fashionably_late_(Helicon_House)|Arrive fashionably late (Helicon House)|Fallen London|}} ''"At Helicon House, it is a faux pas to arrive too long after the music starts. [...] is understood as a lack of enthusiasm about Rubbery composition, [...]"''</ref> | ||
Helicon's staff includes | Helicon's staff includes [[Clay Men]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Stay_after_hours_for_a_singular_occasion|Stay after hours for a singular occasion|Fallen London|}} ''"A Clay Footman discreetly asks a few guests [...]"''</ref> as well as Rubbery Men.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Accept_a_Pendant_of_Helicon_Amber_(40_FATE)|Accept a Pendant of Helicon Amber (40 FATE)|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] the Slippery Secretary explains that this piece of amber was – selected? excreted? – specifically with you in mind."''</ref> Frequent visitors receive an amber pendant,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Accept_a_Pendant_of_Helicon_Amber_(40_FATE)|Accept a Pendant of Helicon Amber (40 FATE)|Fallen London|}}''"It is a token given to those who attend regularly."''</ref> which they are usually required to leave at the door when they enter.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Pay_in_the_currency_of_perishable_wealth|Pay in the currency of perishable wealth|Fallen London|}} ''"The Keen-eyed Clay Doorkeeper [...] collects [...] amber pendants from the human guests. [...] He doesn't take your pendant, [...] "I was told to leave you with yours," [...] "You can turn yours in separately if you like."''</ref> | ||
== Main Halls == | == Main Halls == | ||
<blockquote>''"It is a music of approximation; it offers imperfection as a necessary state, and mutation as inevitable."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Listen_to_the_compositions|Listen to the compositions|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote> | <blockquote>''"It is a music of approximation; it offers imperfection as a necessary state, and mutation as inevitable."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Listen_to_the_compositions|Listen to the compositions|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote> |
Revision as of 02:23, 13 June 2024
"Interlocked tentacles: a gathering place. Soothing bubbling noise: an invitation, hesitantly extended. An explanatory writhing: humans are only sometimes permitted. It will have to wait for a suitable time. Also, most of the other humans who attend are... what's that word? Painters? Raving? You've always had trouble distinguishing the terms."[2]
Helicon House is an arts center in Ealing Gardens.
Invites Only
"A Clay Man with an unusually keen expression keeps the door. He admits Rubbery Men without question, but challenges the human visitors."[3]

Helicon House is Ealing Gardens' center for the arts, where Rubbery Men are free to express themselves[4] and present their ideas to a wider audience.[5] In Helicon's many halls and salons,[6] Rubbery art and culture are given foremost importance:[7] the majority of the artists here are Rubbery musicians[5] and sculptors.[7] Paintings by Bohemians are displayed too,[8] representing many artistic schools.[9] At its core, Helicon is a celebration of change - both of the changes brought upon by the Shapeling Arts,[10] and of the evolving identity of the Rubbery people.[11]

Helicon was built sometime after the Fall of London.[12] Externally, it is a typical townhouse patterned after that of His Amused Lordship,[13] though its rooms are doubled in size and feature Rubbery-influenced details.[14] Its existence is a secret, even among London's counterculture;[15] while Rubberies may enter freely, human visitors are vetted by the Keen-Eyed Clay Doorkeeper.[16][17] The Doorkeeper provides guidance on proper etiquette towards Rubbery people[17] and ensures orderly conduct within Helicon.[18] For instance, entering late in the evening is frowned upon, as it is discourteous towards the musicians.[19]
Helicon's staff includes Clay Men[20] as well as Rubbery Men.[21] Frequent visitors receive an amber pendant,[22] which they are usually required to leave at the door when they enter.[23]
Main Halls
"It is a music of approximation; it offers imperfection as a necessary state, and mutation as inevitable."[24]

At the South Parlor, Rubbery composers[5] present their music at the start of each evening.[25] Their works can be unorthodox, using dissonance and shifts in rhythm to convey feelings of development, imperfection, and mutability.[26]
The Supper Room serves food supplied by Bohemians for human consumption,[27] alongside dishes more amenable to Rubbery Men. (No, those are not potatoes!)[28]
The Yellow Salon and Prussian Salon both showcase sculptures and paintings. The former is kept quiet, while the latter is a space for discussion.[29][30]
Secluded Corners
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"What was that flash of light? And is it a shade of light that should exist in these parts?"[31]
"Behind Helicon House, a curling gallery of stalagmites forms a sort of shaded tunnel. This is a place for art that is too radical even for the interior of the house; sculptures of bone and amber, and some of the most secretive arts of the Rubbery Men."[32]

The Mirrored Salon is a hidden wing of Helicon, where visitors seek inspiration from the arts of Parabola.[33] The room is marked by flashes of light alien to this world, and the hallway leading to it is viric, decorated with vines and snakes.[34] The room's interior is covered in mirrors, and illusionists here stage wonders and visions that would be too intense or esoteric for Mahogany Hall.[35]
The Upstairs Honey-Den explains itself;[36] consuming prisoner's honey in this hidden room leads to the Sea of Spines,[37] a wondrous location reminiscent of Axile. Dreamers feel as though they are deep underwater in a moonlit sea, with aquatic features suiting their new environment. When they return, they find themselves drenched in liquid.[38]

The Sculpture Garden is a refuge for artwork "too radical" even for Helicon.[39] Here, Rubbery Men practice calligraphy,[40] make sculptures of amber and bone,[41] and tutor Bohemian sculptors. Some of these Bohemians have modified their anatomy using the Shapeling Arts to further their skills.[42]
Below-Stairs is a basement beneath Helicon and a lab for the Shapeling Arts.[10] Here, Rubbery Men gather around a massive crucible of amber to produce wonders of shaped flesh and bone.[43] Visitors may participate as well, though newcomers are closely supervised.[44]
The Entrepreneur's Patronage
"The Tentacled Entrepreneur's study is windowless and dark, an interior void in the building that you wouldn't know was there from the shapes of the rooms around it."
"Within, a semicircle of guests surround a small sculpture on a dais. In the relative darkness, it's hard to make out the material, or the shape; something dark and tangled – a bramble, an octopus, a venus flytrap?"[45]

The Tentacled Entrepreneur recently took an interest in Helicon. During his campaign to become Lord Mayor of London, he became one of its most generous patrons[46] and worked to make it more accessible to the general public.[47] His actions also helped Helicon become a key staging ground for the progress of Rubbery culture.[48]
After the Entrepreneur's bid for Lord Mayor failed, however, he reevaluated his goals.[49] In pursuit of his new priorities, he commissioned a Rubbery Man called the Malleable Sculptor[50][51] to produce and showcase unique works of art,[52] the first of which resembles a massive jaw that lightly clamps around those who interact with it.[53] The Entrepreneur's further plans for himself and his kin are unclear, but it seems that rather than aimlessly striving for similarity with London,[54] he is pursuing another path, and perhaps even a new beginning.[55]
References
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