Fahrenheit 451 - Who Is Beatty?

Spoilers for a fantastic novel ahead:

      Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury is a wonderful futuristic novel based on the idea that firemen are book-burners rather than people who put out fires. In this, Captain Beatty fulfils his role as the chief book burner and as one of the most interesting characters in the entire story. Beatty is used by Bradbury to provide story exposition, yet is still more three-dimensional than most other characters, as he has a clear set of conflicts within the one character.


      The story follows Guy Mustag, a book-burner who slowly comes to question his life and role within it. Some characters made this easy for him, others do not. One of the biggest problems for Mustag is Beatty, his boss, who Mustag knows is a very intelligent man and would not be happy with his questioning of things. At first, Mustag tries to avoid showing there is anything wrong and even skips work a few times, claiming to be sick. Beatty knows, however, what is going on. This is because Beatty appears to be a well-read character and had clearly seen the signs of Mustag's curiosity and conflict.

     One of the best scenes in the book, in my opinion, is Beatty's monologue to Mustag when he visits his house. Beatty is hiding a book under his pillow and pretending to be ill, and Beatty goes on to slowly reveal he knows what is happening and explains some of the history of firemen as well as his own past being well read. Beatty talks at length about them doing the right thing and how books are definitely not a good thing, but he uses his well-readness to push this point, causing a major contradiction.

     Because of this, it is hard to know whether or not Beatty can really be considered an antagonist, as it is very easy to empathise with him and see some of his clear flaws. It seems clear to the reader that the contradictions Beatty points out is likely not beyond him to realise himself, so there appears to be way more to the character than is fully explored before his untimely death.

     Beatty's death scene is also an interesting one, as it appears to happen without any argument from Beatty, causing the reader to wonder if he planned to die the way he did, or if he just realised that there no out of it and remained calm. An interesting talking point is whether or not Beatty actually did commit suicide then it adds to a major theme of the story - as the story begins with Mustag's wife attempting suicide, despite claiming to be generally happy.

     This appears to be a point of the book - within a world where intellectual stimulation is discouraged and all pleasures are instant, it would seem that people's lives are actually much worse off, and there are multiple characters, happy and unhappy who can be thought to commit or at least attempt suicide. This becomes more interesting if you were to be able to add Beatty's name to the list. As while Mustag's wife could easily be said to be depressed in her brainwashed and lack of independent thought of a life. There is also the woman who's books the firemen burn, who decides to burn herself along with the books, thinking it better to be dead than to become one of the soulless people promoted in this society. Beatty, then dies calmly as if okay with his own demise. This could be for any number of reasons, as we never get a full chance to explore the character, however, if it was suicide then perhaps the entire monologue he gives about how books cause mental dismay weighed heavily on him.

      It seems clear that Beatty at one point was a big reader. He goes on to explain that books bring questions and intellect and inequality rather than happiness and stimulation. It seems clear that Beatty might believe what is he saying when he explains the problems of of books, but having been well-read, maybe there is part of him deep down that knows it is not what should and is dismayed by this fact. Perhaps he is just disappointed by society having changed in such a way were the value of books did fall and so convinced himself he was in a minority for enjoying them. Either way, the speech certainly gives much food for thoughts.

     Overall, I wanted to point out the importance of this character as there is so much more to him than can be remotely visible in the books, so if you read or re-read the book at any point, I implore you to pay more attention to this character and what is really going on there.

...Thanks for reading.

Breaking Bad - The Fly Episode

     If there is one particular episode that stands out in the whole show of Breaking Bad, the Fly episode will be one of the first out of most people's mouths. Their opinion thereafter is either it being the worst episode or one of the best. The episode divides opinion because it is so different to all other episodes that usually involve some kind of intense drama or action. 'Fly' however, was a slow paced look at the characters, originally put forth due to budgetary reasons, but later admitted that it was the kind of episode that they did want to make and all were happy with having made it.

     Vince Gilligan, the writer of Breaking Bad, told the A.V. club that even if there weren't financial concerns, he still feels the episode would have been a good choice, this is - in general - due to the ebb and flow of a good story. Good stories don't pummel you with action from start to finish, they have moments of quiet that make the explosions more explosive, they have some character development in order to make the moments have bigger impact.

     Before I go any further, allow me to explain 'Fly' episode for anyone who hasn't seen Breaking Bad. This episode happens as the 10th episode of season 3 and is a bottle episode. This means that all of the scenes take place very few standing sets with minimal characters involved. In 'Fly' - the main character, Walter White spends most of the episode chasing a fly around a laboratory in order to cleanse the place from contamination. This happens amidst Walter's insomnia and the return of his cancer and his partner, Jesse, is dragged along for the fly catching ride. This gives time for the characters to talk, develop and potentially divulge secrets. I shall leave the explanation at that vagueness to avoid any real spoilers.

     Now, for those that hate the episode - it is likely that they thought it was boring and brought the action to a halt. Though those that love the episode praise it for it's metaphor, cinematography and development of character. While those reasons might seem a little pretentious in comparison, I am generalising. It is certainly worth nothing, however, that characters are the story. What I mean by this is that we need moments of getting to know the characters before we can really be invested in the characters.

     When a show is fast paced, it can be difficult to keep up with characters and their developments - so 'Fly' remedies that for Breaking Bad. It stands as not only an episode to show Walt's lack of control and little escalating troubles, but also for us to get to know who he has become now he has 'broke bad'. This is also true of Jesse who ends up spending so much time with Walt that it becomes a personal goal for him to catch the fly, even if it is for different reasons to Walt. By stopping and seeing what the characters are like now, it allows the viewer to reflect on exactly how far they have come, up to this point. This point is pressed home at the end with Walt's monologue about exactly when he thought it would have been a good time for him to die. This recaps previous events, reminds the viewer of how this all started and really gives perspective of what has happened to this stage. This sets the viewer in the mindset of a calm clarity which will aid to give much more gravity to the events that follow this one. A calm before a storm, if you will.

     The truth is, I love bottle episodes for this reason. It gives us time to just see the characters being who they are, rather than having to keep up with multiple stories and how they act around different people in bizarre scenarios. We get to observe the characters as people, which puts weight behind any punch we'll be given as well as just giving us, as the viewer, time to think or collate certain events. This is something that can make or break a series or movie. When a story given to you is filled with quick paced moments, each of them fighting for the limelight of importance with no rest between - it is too much an the story becomes a mess. If you want an example of this in practice, I recommend (or don't) the Batman vs Superman movie.

     The use of calms in stories are commonly and effectively also used as death flags. One thing that is particularly common in a story (particularly TV media) is that a character might explain some of their history or an important moment in their life. This is used to humanise the character and make us care a little more when they inevitably die in the following scene. This works for the exact same reason that an entire episode based on a character not being able to swat a fly works - it gives us time to humanise the character (in this case, Walt) rather than consider them the wrecking ball of a plot mover.

     So whether you think it is the best or worst episode, it is certainly a memorable one - however, it is there for a reason and that reason is really rather important. I can guarantee you learned more about the two main characters in this episode than you did in any other three combined (except, perhaps the first episode, obviously).

     Thanks for reading.

Why the world will know the name Isadore (Isadore by Incubus)

     The lyricist and singer of the band Incubus, Brandon Boyd, tends to keep many of the meanings of his songs somewhat close to his chest. This isn't a specific thing he does to be confusing, but rather a thing about his art. Many of Boyd's lyrics are poetic enough to leave interpretation up to the listener, and this is especially true of many of the songs from the If Not Now, When? Album. When looking up song meanings, one can find a wide array of different stories read into these songs, so we're going to take a look today at the song 'Isadore' from that same album. As I won't be embedding the song, here, I recommend giving it a YouTube search and having a listen before continuing - I think it is a fantastic song to listen to anyway.

     "Erica and her Isadore, climb aboard a balloon...

I want more than this kite will soar, I set our sights on the moon."

     .....Welcome back. Now, allow me to cover two different interpretations of this song. A simple one and a more complicated one. You can make your own mind up as to which one makes the most sense to you, or neither if you have another interpretation.

The First Interpretation - The Complex Narrative

     The first story of this song involves three people. That is Erica, Isadore and the unnamed man from who's perspective the song is sung. The story involving these three is a particularly sad one and is about loss, more specifically the loss of Erica after she gives birth to Isadore and the song is about the narrator coming to terms with the death of his lover. This is where the speculation comes into play - but let's explore this idea.

"It's not who you were, it's who you are, and we've come this far, lover. 

No, I won't rest 'til the world knows the name Isadore."

     The song from the start mentions a metaphor of a balloon, of which we can think of a hot air balloon and reaching an elevated state because of it. So, if Erica, heavily pregnant with Isadore (note the 'her' Isadore and not 'our' Isadore - interesting choice of words, I think.) board a balloon, or engage in some activities that get get 'high up'. However, the narrator is not satisfied with a simple balloon ride and wanted more, even if it was dangerous. This is emphasised by the later line 'blinded by their unbridled height, our lovers turn dissolute.'

     To clarify, Erica, being heavily pregnant, and the narrator have sex and get a little bit carried away. 'Dissolute' explaining the overindulgence factor and 'unbridled' being the uncontrolled factor. With the two protagonists being so deeply in love, they take it 'too far' and are not careful of the baby. Or at least the narrator takes something too far and Erica gets in to a very bad way due to her weakened state.

     'There's just one parachute...' This line is suggesting that with the mother in critical condition, the doctors may only be able to save one of Erica or Isadore. The narrator wanted Erica to survive, but Erica chose Isadore.  The loss of Erica is apparent in the bridge which says '...you can't just leave, you've taken everything.' showing how much Erica meant to the narrator. So we get to the point of the chorus - "...it's not who you were, it's who you are." suggesting the narrator's coming to terms with Erica's death and accepting that she lives on through Isadore. The narrator then vows to do his best to bring Isadore up to be amazing - and won't rest 'til the world knows the name.

The Second Interpretation - The Simpler Narrative

     The story starts with two lovers, who are on their journey together. They both are elevated by the experience, however, one appears to be significantly more ambitious than the other one. The wording of 'her' Isadore as well as 'I set our sights on the Moon' suggests that Erica is more controlling in the relationship, yet Isadore is particularly ambitious and wants more than what they currently have. The reaching for the Moon puts a strain on the relationship.

     "You can't just leave, I've given everything. 

You can't just leave, you're taking everything..."

     The chorus sums up their fighting and desire to keep the relationship together due to having put so much into it. It also reinforces the narrator, Isadore's, ambition to continue on a success path. With the next verse however, they stay together and recklessly ride their high - the success reinforces their relationship for a little while before it gets worse. The quick juggling of lines between the chorus of Isadore's fears of being alone verses the 'lovers becoming dissolute' are reminiscent of continued arguments in an unhealthy relationship.

     Then the song suggests that they've gone so high, but only one can make it. "There's just one parachute. Goodbye Erica, now I see, that all my fears were in tune." This line is stating that now they have reached a high up spot, Isadore realises he can make it further without Erica holding him back and while previously he was terrified of losing her, he now learns that that loss was exactly in tune with his goals - success. Therefore it's not about the past, but who you are now that matters. Overall, he won't rest until the world knows the name Isadore.

     So, there you go. These two are my favourite interpretations of the story. Personally, I think the second one makes a lot more sense as a narrative, but the first one is a lot more emotion evoking as it becomes a really sad song. Whatever you decide as your value to the words - I hope at the very least you enjoyed the song. Of course, thanks for reading.

Tales From The Sunless Sea - The Sixth Zee-Captain

 First Zee-Captain --- Previous Zee-Captain --- Next Zee-Captain

     The next two captains come as somewhat of a pair, though they could not have been more different. The child of the two previous captains was the first. The orphan boy Yorren. He had a great head-start when he came of age to go out to Zee. The first thing he did was take ownership of his parent's town-house. Then, he raided their rooms for tips and hints of how to be a successful Zee-Captain. He inherited a small fortune which kick-started the equipment of his ship and he was gifted with the same powerful deck weapon that his mother had used on her ship. This was the curious part.

     Yorren was set to be a good and honest zailor. Of course he had his goal of reclaiming all knowledge of his parents and finding their resting places, but he also knew he had to get some experience at a zailor first. He turned down most help and instead, went to gain as much money as he could, in similar ways his parents had. He fulfilled deliveries back and forth and took on some really risky missions of strategic information for the Fallen London admiralty. It was his fourth trip back to fallen London where he was approached by a Shady Sort.

     The Shady Sort was notably an elderly gentlemen, and under the employment of a Cheery Man. He was the same Shady Sort, I am to believe, as they who approached the great Ylvanna as well as others in the same line I have been chronicling. Of course, many years had past and this man was clearly in his late fifties at this stage of his life. He approached Yorren, who immediately had no interest in the man's offer. This caused the Shady Sort to resort to shadier tactics.

     “I have something that you might be interested in, though, if you re-consider.” Said the Shady Sort.

     “And I have no need for extra fuel or supplies, sir. So I shall bid you good day.” Yorren said.

     “Ah, but it is not this that I offer, young Yorren. It is a weapon you may be interested in. Specifically, one that has been generously gifted by the Cheery man and the very same that once belonged to a Zee-Captain named Miss Thistle. I believe you may have particular interest in that name.” The Shady Sort knew this would garner the desired interest.

     “...I see. Take me to the weapon, now,” Yorren replied. So, the Shady Sort did. The weapon was mildly rusted, so had been used, and also was of the same model that his mother had written about acquiring. Of course, it could not have been hers, though it seemed too odd not to follow it up. Besides, he was unsure how the Shady Sort would have known what weapon his mother was carrying upon her ship. “...Where did you get this? I must know the details.”

     “Your interest is noted. Well, you can have both this weapon and that information, only should you take my the offer of patronage from my humble host.” The Shady Sort held a smug sort of grin.

     “I must know!” Yorren said.

     “Okay, okay. You're to take this crate of human souls up to the northern town of Mt. Palmerston. Only then will I give you the information you require. For now, I shall have this gun brought down to the docks so that you may have it mounted on your humble ship.”

     “I shaln't be humble for long, sir. Give me three days, I plan to purchase a grander vessel than that which caused the demise of both of my old folks.”

     Yorren's next step over the next few days was handing over the money to have his ship traded in for a large cruiser-ship. He had all of his old weapons mounted upon his new ship. Then he set sail for the northern town of Mt. Palmerston. When he returned successful he gained the information from the Shady Sort that his father was not to be sought, as his journey would take him through pirate isles. Yorren didn't take kindly to the suggestion that he father was not a noble and honourable zailor. So he then learned that the quest for his mother might be an easier one to follow. She got lost deep within the tombs of Godfall, so the Shady sort claimed. Of course, you and I know this not to be true, but Yorren wasn't to know. He took this information and sailed with it.

     With his cruiser, he took one more money making voyage to stock up on candles for a dark trip and then took directions on how to get to Godfall. Then he left. It took days to find the place in the mid-Zee, but when he did, he felt a significant unease. It was not a comfortable place to set eyes upon, let alone feet. He disembarked, took inventory of his ship and of the island, then he descended into the tunnelled abyss. This was the last that was ever seen of Yorren. Hours went by and his crew grew worried. Half a day went by and some of his crew left for other shores, certain of Yorren's demise. By three days there was only one main waiting on the cruiser for Yorren's return.

     The Shady Sort was a veteran of the war of '68. He knew his fighting. He had also lived nearly seventeen years as a cronie for the Cheery Man, though now – he wanted his freedom. Three days after Yorren arrived at Godfall, the Shady Sort arrived, also, though out of sight of the cruiser. The Shady Sort was named Zeraphya, and he wanted a life away from doing powerful men's bidding. He had been in Fallen London dealing with Zee-Captains for long enough that he wanted his own adventure and knew exactly what to do about that. So when he sailed, he sailed quickly, leaving word of his departure for the Cheery Man to hear of. For his years of service, he was not pursued, but he would be expected to carry cargo for the underhanded fellow.

     The one loyal crew member upon the cruiser had no chance. Zeraphya crept up behind the man, leaving a bloody grin across his neck. He whistled, and ten of his own crew-members jumped up on the Cruiser and sailed away. If Yorren ever did emerge, he would emerge to nothing – so probably for the best he did die. Most of Yorren's money that hadn't been looted by the crewmen was on board, as well as all weaponry and such. A perfect vessel that Zeraphya needed not even raise the money for. A perfect voyage.

     To be continued...

---Howard Sterling, Chronicler of the Fallen London University

Monkey Puncher - The Story Behind the Retro Hidden Gem

     Firstly, I am fairly certain I am one very few people to have actually played Monkey Puncher here in the western world. Of those who did play it, I am probably one of significantly fewer who thoroughly enjoyed the game. I imagine so, anyway – I have been incapable of tracking down anyone else who has played it. Nevertheless, it was a game I picked at random from a shop as a child and recently re-discovered; so I thought I would cover it here on The Explorator.

     Monkey Puncher is a GameBoy Color game that, surprisingly, isn't about punching monkeys; 'monkey punching' in game is a poor translation of 'monkey boxing'. Released in the year 2000 and developed by Taito Corporation, it is the kind of game that the translation and shipping to a western audience may have been an after thought, as the translation is horrible and basically nobody has heard of it. Nevertheless, it exists here and I'm so glad it does.

What is Monkey Puncher?

    As a child I understood the premise of the game: train a monkey (they're actually apes, but we'll continue to call them monkeys because game 'cannon') and watch them box each other, before continuing to make stronger monkeys. However, I didn't understand much of what was going on other than that, partly because I was a child and didn't care so much about the story, partly because most of what it says in the game doesn't make sense. Being older and playing it however, has allowed me to piece the parts of the game together enough to understand the story and beat the game, getting way further than I ever did as a kid.

     The game is essentially a training game. You get a monkey, you train that monkey in individual stats, such as 'power' by using a punching bag or 'speed' by skipping (this mostly involves pressing 'A' a bunch but not too fast or slow), and then climb up the 'Japan monkey boxing circuit ladder'. Every few days you will be asked to challenge another money up to two ranks above your monkey's rank. Then, when you go to the ring, you can give them a strategy of how to fight before sitting back and watching them go ape-shit (hehe) on each other.
     You have no input to the fighting, you just have to cheer your monkey on as they punch another monkey in the face for three rounds of thirty seconds. Then, you either win or lose, but go back to training either way. There are also special books you can pick up to teach your monkey special punches – but I digress. That is the game.
     Some of my favourite parts of the game include the name of the food you can feed your monkey, such entire curries, or just jam. As one of the activities you can ask it to go to the shops and laugh as it comes back having completely ignored your order and randomly bought a Toaster and a CD (both of which are useless in game).

     Of course though, you're not just watching animals fight each other for the fun of it. Rather, there is an intense story behind the whole thing which is dramatic, amusing, and (again) terribly translated. So, if you wish to train your own monkey and don't want to know the game's amazing twist, stop reading here. Otherwise: behold, the wonderful world of Monkey Puncher.

The Story

     You start the game as either Kenta (male) or Sumire (female), the child of an ex-monkey punching champion. The player character's (whom I shall call Kenta, as I played as him) mother died when Kenta and Sumire were very young and their father retired as a Monkey Puncher trainer in order to raise his children. Kenta's father was taught as a Monkey Puncher trainer by a man named Fred, who later on became your father's rival. One day, Sumire and your father get kidnapped by the evil underground monkey ring and criminal syndicate called the Saru. The Saru is lead by a man named 'The Master' who plans to mind control your father and make him and his monkey punch for them.

     Kenta then decides that the only way to get them back would be to join the monkey puncher circuit and train until he can beat The Master's monkey in order to get his father and sibling back. Upon deciding this, Kenta gets a visit from a wizened old man named Fred, who explains that he was his father's rival but wishes not for him to be used in such ways the Saru would have him used, so aids Kenta on his goal by giving him his first monkey named Freddy. Kenta then also gets a visit from another friend of his father's named Bill. Bill then books Kenta and Freddy's test punching match; he also goes on to book each of Kenta's ranked matches every three days.

     Kenta and Freddy train hard and work their way up to around rank 10, before Freddy's abilities reach a maximum. So Kenta breeds Freddy with another powerful monkey to make a new baby monkey puncher and begins to train that monkey instead. Kenta does this a few more times, reaching a higher rank each time, but not without problems. Around rank 10, the Saru send one of their cronies to have a monkey punching match with Kenta. Upon beating the cronie and continuing to rank 5, Kenta is challenged by a scientist known as 'The Professor' from the Saru who uses a robot monkey to fight your monkey. Somehow, Kenta also wins that fight and each victory gets Kenta closer to his goal. Eventually Kenta reaches rank 1 and Fred arrives, explaining that his monkey holds the rank 1 placement in the Japan league and that he is proud of Kenta for reaching this far.

     When Kenta beats him, Fred congratulates him. Kenta then received a mysterious letter from the Saru offering him a place in their monkey puncher tournament on an island off the coast of Japan. So Kenta trains a little further and accepts the invitation, taking a boat to the island where it is explained that Kenta's monkey will need to win five fights in a row in order to make The Master want to challenge him. Kenta's monkey successfully beats the first and second monkey (who is the same monkey owned by the cronie he fought at rank 10). The third monkey is an upgraded robot monkey with The Professor. The fourth monkey is owned by – Sumire herself! Kenta battles his half-mind-controlled sister in a monkey puncher match and when he wins, Sumire becomes free of her mind-control and joins Kenta in saving their father.

     The last monkey puncher match in the tournament is then called and Kenta's opponent is his own father! Kenta must battle his fully mind-controlled father and his monkey puncher: 'Beast'. When Kenta wins, his father begins to regain consciousness and Fred returns to see the end of the event. Fred explains that Kenta became more powerful than he expected much quicker than he expected and that Kenta was the goal the whole time. Fred throws off his gown to reveal that he is The Master of the Saru and claims that he only kidknapped Kenta's father so that Kenta would train and become the strongest trainer in Japan. All Fred needed to do then was have his monkey, Shadow, throw a mind-controlling punch and Kenta would then be under Fred's control.

     Kenta's monkey fights Shadow, in an epic final showdown. When Kenta's monkey wins, Fred claims that he cannot understand there being anyone stronger than him, so decides that if he cannot be the best, then nobody can. He throws himself into the volcano on the island and the islands starts shaking. Kenta, his father and Sumire panic. Just in time, Bill arrives in a helicopter in order to take them all home safely. With the Saru defeated and living at home with his family again, Kenta decided that he wants to go full time in the monkey puncher world, so signs up for the world leagues and begins to rise the ranks there instead.

Conclusion

     Okay, so the graphics are simple, the gameplay is simpler. However, I adore this game and I think that story pretty much speaks for itself! I don't know anyone who played this game, so if you did - please get in touch! That's all.

Tales from the Sunless Sea - The Fifth Zee Captain

First Zee-Captain --- Previous Zee-Captain --- Next Zee-Captain

     Thistle, is not the last in the line of Zee-Captains, as successful as she was, curiosity was the downfall of her. Just like the previous philosopher in her line, Ylvanna. See, it happened very late into her Zee-faring life she heard too many tales of the Elder Continent not to seek it out. She was not prepared, however. The water and the air when zailing towards the Elder Continet was too much for her boat to handle. The boat was seen sinking by someone at Adam's Way and she was never heard from again. Three years later, back in Fallen London, the son of Garrid and Thistle was of age, and as previously decided, took to the Zee.

     Thistly, however, before she died had quite an adventure. Two very notable ztories of hers were tales from the curious isle of Visage and an odd encounter surrounding the Empire of Hands.

     Thistle made most of her money by shipping things back and forth to Fallen London. She would sail east and pick up some Sphinx Stones from the Salt Lions and then some Clay Men from Polythreme and ship them back to Fallen London for a large profit. It was because of this she was able to complete the map she desired of the Unterzee, though some places were still recommended to be avoided.

     One of the strangest places she visited was that of Visage. An island where strange rituals happen and everyone is identified by what mask they wear. Upon disembarking on the island she was asked if she wanted to wear a frog, bat or locust mask. The frog was a visitor who was clumsy but wanted to learn of the local ways, the Locust was a visitor searching for profit and the Bat was not to be worn by anyone in their right mind as they were spies and the like.

     On this island, Thistle wore the Frog and hopped her way clumsily around the town fitting in greatly. At one point she tells of a strange ritual she observed where people flocked to the right ear of the giant head adorning the island. She could not fully understand what happened but it was then that she knew the Gods existed.

     After successfully gaining knowledge at Visage, she explains that she gained a more powerful mask and out of respect for the locals, refused to exclaim what it was. Though I suspect she refused to mention it because Visage was now a part of her and her higher status deems her to not need to explain such things to us lowly Frogs. Her sanity was never quite the same after her initial trip out at Zee.

     The other tales she tells is a strange one that after visiting the Empire of Hands, she surveyed all of the surrounding islands for a complicated port report and then went to see the inhabitants of the main island. She tells that all of the inhabitants were apes. She also tells that the high chief of the island offered to buy her souls. She knew there was more to the town, though considered it not at the top of her priority to find out.

     Upon returning to Fallen London she was summoned to this very university to attend a lecture on the Empire of Hands by a 'delightful adventuress'. After the lecture, the adventuress enquired if she might use Thistle's ship to get back to the Empire of Hands with her companion as she had heard that Thistle knew the way. Thistle agreed.

     When they reached the Empire of Hands, the delightful adventurer disembarked and payed for the voyage as well as her companion offering a thank you and revealing that they were a rogue clay-man. A dangerous sort that would never have been allowed on the ship had Thistle known. Thistle spent some time then on an island and leaves a journal entry of a strange occurrence thereafter of visiting one of the hot springs and relaxing for an afternoon.

     Thistle heard some giggling, assuming it was to her naked form she covered herself and looked around to find a small child, hunched over like one of the chimpanzees on the island. She had clearly grown up here and thought it would be funny to steal Thistle's clothes. She ran into the forest and Thistle gave chase. After some altercation and yelling, Thistle tells that she was only able to retrieve a single sock from the child before they escaped through the trees. She returned to the boat wearing only the one sock, and laughter roared from her ship-deck. At least she had raised their spirits. It was not too long after this that Thistle met her demise.

     It is nice that we can look upon Thistle's journey and know her as a character and personality. She existed and became far more real for this than some of the other stoic entries of the other Zee-Captains. Zerred, for example, Thistle's child and the next Zee Captain only wrote stunted journal entries and did not last long at Zee. His ztory, in fact, was quite a terrible one.

To Be Continued...

---Howard Sterling, Chronicler of the Fallen London University