The Return of the Clockwinder

Having been called away from Caledon from Thursday evening through Sunday evening, I missed the climax of the Obolensky Affair (as the history books may one day call it). From all accounts, the return of the Clockwinder was exciting, dangerous, and perhaps a tad touch-and-go, and made possible by the courage of many individuals, from the rightfully-lauded commanders to the unsung foot soldiers and clandestine agents. Perhaps one day the entire tale will be told, though it is always unclear whether what history gains from perspective it loses in immediacy.

At any rate, I urge the interested reader to see how the final (for now!) episode played out in The Primgraph, Commodore O'Toole's Journal, Commander Bellambi's account, Capt. Red's Journal, and Dr. Fabre's Journal. Doubtless I have omitted others, for which I apologize.

Let me spend a moment expressing what is perhaps an unpopular point of view: thank goodness for fiends such as Doctor Obolensky, and may we see his safe return shortly! To paraphrase the Doctor himself, in his Aether Salon appearance, we often live a dull existence, and a clever, resourceful villain brings welcome relief to our daily ennui. Heroes, particularly, owe the Doctor a deep debt. Where would Superman be without Lex Luthor; or Batman without the Joker; or Holmes without Moriarty? (The first two would be sitting about in tights and a cape, drinking beer and watching Sanford and Son reruns on channel 256, no doubt.) Being a villain cannot be easy. One has minions, but not friends. Eating a meal becomes an exercise in paranoia. The retirement plan is not great. Yet someone has to do it, and, for Babbage, that someone is Doctor Obolensky. Well done, sir!

((Hotspur's web comic writeup of the episode was sheer genius, with serio-comic dialogue that shows him to be a master of the form. And as he deftly remarked to me in a Twitter exchange, just because we know the outcome of the battle, we can still enjoy the journey to that outcome.

I'll remark again on how well-done this multi-person RP was. Various individuals added to the intrigue on the New Babbage ning, and the little Smashingtons, the billboards, and the graffiti in Babbage, all added to the fun.))