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==Lovably Slimy==
==Lovably Slimy==
Rubberies deal a brisk trade in [[amber]]; they are also eager to take their amber back.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Give_it_some_Amber|Give it some Amber|Fallen London|}} ''"It points one gloved hand at the pocket where you're keeping the Warm Amber, and burbles a mucus-filled question. Does it want it back?"''</ref> Despite their apparent harmlessness, they still face xenophobia in [[London]] - [[devils]] refuse to take their souls,{{Fact}} and they are frequently assaulted.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flute_Street|Flute Street|Fallen London|}} ''"Flukes don't understand things like breathing air or having cobblestones thrown at one's head by irate humans."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Save_a_Rubbery_Flophouse|Save a Rubbery Flophouse|Fallen London|}} ''"Frantic honking draws you outside to a Rubbery-occupied tenement. Cut-purses grumble about the decline in the area's character. Local authorities are involved. Torches light in anticipation."''</ref> Even so, at least one of them, the [[Tentacled Entrepreneur]], has risen high enough in society to run for [[Mayor of London]].
Rubberies deal a brisk trade in [[amber]]; they are also eager to take their amber back.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Give_it_some_Amber|Give it some Amber|Fallen London|}} ''"It points one gloved hand at the pocket where you're keeping the Warm Amber, and burbles a mucus-filled question. Does it want it back?"''</ref> Despite their apparent harmlessness, they still face xenophobia in [[London]] - [[devils]] refuse to take their souls,{{Fact}} and they are frequently assaulted<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flute_Street|Flute Street|Fallen London|}} ''"Flukes don't understand things like breathing air or having cobblestones thrown at one's head by irate humans."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Save_a_Rubbery_Flophouse|Save a Rubbery Flophouse|Fallen London|}} ''"Frantic honking draws you outside to a Rubbery-occupied tenement. Cut-purses grumble about the decline in the area's character. Local authorities are involved. Torches light in anticipation."''</ref> and even lynched.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|Who are the Rubbery Men?|Fallen London|}} ''"Occasionally one is stoned to death in an episode of civic high spirits."''</ref> Despite everything, at least one of them, the [[Tentacled Entrepreneur]], has become a somewhat successful businessman and risen high enough in society to run for [[Mayor of London]].


The lemon-scented slime that the Rubbery Men exude appears to have healing properties, but it's best for the desperate;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Can_you_be_so_unwise%3F|Can you be so unwise?|Fallen London|}} ''"The wretched, the forgotten and the truly desperate sometimes turn to the vile lemon-scented slime of the Rubbery Men to cure their ills."''</ref> use of the substance as a restorative may result in mild side effects, like spasms, hair growth, a slight change in the shape of the affected body part, and nightmares.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Can_you_be_so_unwise%3F|Can you be so unwise?|Fallen London|}} ''"You can't take the spasming any more. You scrape the amber slime off your arm. The hair is gone, but more alarming is the slight change in shape. Is this your arm? What have they done to you?"''</ref>
The lemon-scented slime that the Rubbery Men exude appears to have healing properties, but it's best for the desperate;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Can_you_be_so_unwise%3F|Can you be so unwise?|Fallen London|}} ''"The wretched, the forgotten and the truly desperate sometimes turn to the vile lemon-scented slime of the Rubbery Men to cure their ills."''</ref> use of the substance as a restorative may result in mild side effects, like spasms, hair growth, a slight change in the shape of the affected body part, and nightmares.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Can_you_be_so_unwise%3F|Can you be so unwise?|Fallen London|}} ''"You can't take the spasming any more. You scrape the amber slime off your arm. The hair is gone, but more alarming is the slight change in shape. Is this your arm? What have they done to you?"''</ref>

Revision as of 05:45, 7 October 2024

"The Rubbery Men are the ones who resemble squids, a little. They trade deep amber for the tiny blind fish that they eat, and for human music. They seem sad, anxious and very polite. But they are terribly menacing. Faces like squid! Occasionally one is stoned to death in an episode of civic high spirits. (They're actually very nice. Almost certainly.)"[1]

"Do you recall how they came to that place? And we sang of our lightnings and shapeful disgrace? They tilted their vanes and ennobled their spires. We welcomed them then and commingled all choirs. If we could remember those days. If only we could remember."[2]

Rubbery Men are mysterious squid-faced humanoids, who for the most part cannot speak English.

Lovably Slimy

Rubberies deal a brisk trade in amber; they are also eager to take their amber back.[3] Despite their apparent harmlessness, they still face xenophobia in London - devils refuse to take their souls,[citation needed] and they are frequently assaulted[4][5] and even lynched.[6] Despite everything, at least one of them, the Tentacled Entrepreneur, has become a somewhat successful businessman and risen high enough in society to run for Mayor of London.

The lemon-scented slime that the Rubbery Men exude appears to have healing properties, but it's best for the desperate;[7] use of the substance as a restorative may result in mild side effects, like spasms, hair growth, a slight change in the shape of the affected body part, and nightmares.[8]

The Rubbery Men, though outcasts in society themselves, have also turned away one of their number: the Nacreous Outcast.

Helicon House

"Interlocked tentacles: a gathering place. Soothing bubbling noise: an invitation, hesitantly extended. An explanatory writhing: humans are only sometimes permitted."[9]

Faced with hostility in London, any Rubbery Men have settled in Ealing Gardens,[10] outside the city. They have built an artistic community at Helicon House,[11] where they are free to express themselves[12] and present their ideas to a wider audience,[13] in the company of accepting humans.[14] The basement of Helicon is a lab for the Shapeling Arts.[15]

Flute Street

"Are you quite sure you want to know this?"

Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.


"Flute Street, the home of the Rubbery Men. It's a cavern. Nothing like the size of the Neath, but still huge."[16]

The Rubbery Men who do not live in London or Ealing Gardens largely reside in Flute Street, a cavern that lies beneath London and is big enough to hold thousands.[17] This is the only other place besides Helicon where the Rubberies can practice the Shapeling Arts in peace; however, the Rubberies who live and work in Flute Street are in service to the Flukes.[18]

The individuals who travel between Flute Street and London were made into their current form by the Flukes to interact with human beings,[19] though there are less humanoid Rubberies who remain in Flute Street.[20] Part of their interaction with humans involves the circulation of amber, which absorbs Vital Essences that may be used to alter a being's place on the Great Chain.[21] This amber is brought back to Flute Street, and used to experiment with the Shapeling Arts[22] and commune with the Flukes that live there.[23]

The Rubberies both envy and pity their Fluke overlords: they long for their ancient forms and are jealous of the fact that they don't have to face the ire of xenophobic humans, but feel badly for how much it takes to allow them to survive in the Neath.[24] The Flukes, for their part, simply cannot comprehend the struggles that their creations face in London, making at least some of them rather annoyed.[25]

Interestingly, the culture that thrives at Helicon House does not appear to be as present in Flute Street,[26] but there is music every once in a while.[27]

Do You Recall?

The Rubberies hail from the planet Axile, and were brought to the Neath by the Bazaar. This was a part of a failed deal between the inhabitants of Axile and the Bazaar[28] - upended because someone or something shouted Correspondence from the heavens, scorching Axile and dooming all its creatures.[29] Despite their failings, they uphold and enforce their end of the bargain, which was to never love.[30][31]

During their time on Axile, the ancestors of the Rubbery Men may have possessed malleable and boneless bodies.[32] They used moon-misers as mounts to traverse the terrain of Axile, and relied on creatures called eye-scuttlers to do menial tasks for them.[33] The ancient Rubbery Men sculpted many-roomed structures within their pools made out of black coral that contained contraptions, such as musical instruments.[34]

The Rubbery Men consider themselves to be cousins of the Thief-of-Faces, making them by extension slightly more distant cousins of the Snuffers.[35]

References

  1. ↑ Who are the Rubbery Men?, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Nodule of Violet Amber, Fallen London
  3. ↑ Give it some Amber, Fallen London "It points one gloved hand at the pocket where you're keeping the Warm Amber, and burbles a mucus-filled question. Does it want it back?"
  4. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "Flukes don't understand things like breathing air or having cobblestones thrown at one's head by irate humans."
  5. ↑ Save a Rubbery Flophouse, Fallen London "Frantic honking draws you outside to a Rubbery-occupied tenement. Cut-purses grumble about the decline in the area's character. Local authorities are involved. Torches light in anticipation."
  6. ↑ Who are the Rubbery Men?, Fallen London "Occasionally one is stoned to death in an episode of civic high spirits."
  7. ↑ Can you be so unwise?, Fallen London "The wretched, the forgotten and the truly desperate sometimes turn to the vile lemon-scented slime of the Rubbery Men to cure their ills."
  8. ↑ Can you be so unwise?, Fallen London "You can't take the spasming any more. You scrape the amber slime off your arm. The hair is gone, but more alarming is the slight change in shape. Is this your arm? What have they done to you?"
  9. ↑ Construe a significant burble, Fallen London
  10. ↑ Acquaint yourself with its present condition, Fallen London "Not everyone who lives here is a Rubbery Man or a market gardener."
  11. ↑ Catch up on Bohemian gossip, Fallen London "One must be invited to Helicon House. [...] the most prominent Rubbery artists, [...] have you seen their sculpture...?"
  12. ↑ Contribute some extra practitioners 2, Fallen London "The Campanologist and the Herald join in enthusiastically. They have [...] limited opportunities to show their talents, in ordinary circumstances."
  13. ↑ Listen to the compositions, Fallen London "The finest Rubbery composers present their art here [...]"
  14. ↑ 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. [...]"
  15. ↑ Below-Stairs, Fallen London "... down an unadvertised staircase, there is a room where extraordinary changes are performed – Shapeling alterations of flesh and bone."
  16. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London
  17. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "Flute Street is big enough to hold thousands of Rubbery Men."
  18. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "The things in the pools [...] are called Flukes: something of Rubbery kind. A Rubbery Man enters the pool carefully, and remains under the water for a good twenty minutes. He scurries off, perhaps to do the Fluke's bidding. [...] How can a thing that resembles an oversized sea urchin hold such sway over the near-human Rubbery Men?"
  19. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "They hate London. People throw things and hurt them. And humans don't understand. They hate that they were shaped to talk to humans and that they can't even... [...] What do they want to do that they can't?"
  20. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "The Rubbery Men one sees in London are the most human of their kind. There are others. Ones who have more legs, or are twice the size of a man."
  21. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "Every day, a few Rubbery Men are dispatched towards the surface in twos and threes. They're hard to read, but the mournful gurgles and frightened twitching lead you to believe that they don't relish the duty. Perhaps once a week, a Rubbery Man returns with handfuls of amber."
  22. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "Enough. You must know. You stride into the cave. Inside, there are... devices. Constructions of amber and coral and steel and glass. [...] you deduce their function. The Rubbery Men use amber to capture something... some Vital Essence of those who handle it. With these Essences, they grow, they change, they warp flesh into patterns that please them. [...] are they making new shapes down here?"
  23. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "The Rubbery Man flops carefully into the Fluke's pool. The Fluke exudes a viscous substance reminiscent of honey [...]"
  24. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "The Rubbery Men both envy and pity the Flukes. At least you think that's it. [...] The form the Flukes take is... old? [...] The Rubbery Men don't question their leadership, but the Flukes aren't suited to life in Flute Street. It's a constant battle to keep them alive. And the Flukes don't understand things like breathing air or having cobblestones thrown at one's head by irate humans."
  25. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "The Fluke is exasperated with its minions. Why can't they gather Vital Essences faster? Why can't they make a steam engine? Haven't they been given every adaptation to pass unseen in human society? Don't they appreciate how many Vital Essences were spent in their enhancement? Ungrateful wretches."
  26. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "Where is the Rubbery music? The Rubbery painting? The Rubbery theatre? When not occupied with the necessities of life, the Rubbery Men flop about listlessly. Have they no culture to call their own?"
  27. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "The throbbing noise resolves into the resonant tones of a vast organ. [...] you make out great stalagmites [...] rising from the cave floor. Rubbery shapes bearing hammers gather round these formations. They strike the pallid pillars [...] creating a sound like the smashing of a great tolling bell. The Rubbery Men begin to hoot, but no sound comes out."
  28. ↑ Give the Principles an Ambiguous Eolith, Sunless Sea "The Bazaar brought me; brought us all, all us shapelings, Axiles. The Flukes, the misers, even my Emissary. Why? Too deep a secret for me, my friend. Even here, too deep for me. Perhaps when you end me..."
  29. ↑ For A Dream Of Innocence, Fallen London "The voice [...] churns the thick black waters [...] The symbols brand themselves into your flesh."
  30. ↑ Invite it to dine with you (2), Sunless Sea "It begins to say "I ushed to love - " and then suddenly excuses itself."
  31. ↑ Consent to a potentially depraved union, Fallen London "The Rubbery Men have no ceremonies of commitment. No marks of betrothal. Such things were lost to them when the black spires came to them, and failed to find a price."
  32. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "The Rubbery Men were once something quite different. The changes are gradual, but here they were four-winged and four-legged. There they were something like a vertebrate octopus. In the deepest tunnels, there are no pseudo-bones. Were they without bones, in their original form? Or without bodies altogether?"
  33. ↑ A fellow spirit recognised, Fallen London "[...] make the eye-scuttlers clean it out [...] mount the glistening carapace of your miser and ride [...]"
  34. ↑ Flute Street, Fallen London "Built [...] from black coral. [..] look at the supports! Another liquid – something more viscous. [...] This building isn't from the Earth at all. [...] The building is arranged in rooms [...] At the centre [...] could be a musical instrument [...]"
  35. ↑ Flint, Fallen London ""Thief-of-Fashes," it confides. "Their enemy. Our coushin.""
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