Discussion: Next Year’s Mayoral Candidates

Fallen London
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A few thoughts about what makes an ideal choice for a candidate:

Obviously, we want a character that’s somewhat established, and at the right “echelon” of society that they would want to run for Mayor and have a realistic chance of doing so. It’s useful, but not necessary, for them to have something they care about that can be an election platform. And importantly, they must have some sort of secret or background, so that we as players have dirt to dig up about them.

So, on that note: The Ambitious Barrister.

I mean, of course someone with “Ambitious” in their name is going to run for Mayor. And uh… well there are investigations that I would definitely be interested in, that’s for sure. The only problem is coming up with a platform.

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[quote=PSGarak]A few thoughts about what makes an ideal choice for a candidate:

Obviously, we want a character that’s somewhat established, and at the right &quotechelon&quot of society that they would want to run for Mayor and have a realistic chance of doing so. It’s useful, but not necessary, for them to have something they care about that can be an election platform. And importantly, they must have some sort of secret or background, so that we as players have dirt to dig up about them.

So, on that note: The Ambitious Barrister.

I mean, of course someone with &quotAmbitious&quot in their name is going to run for Mayor. And uh… well there are investigations that I would definitely be interested in, that’s for sure. The only problem is coming up with a platform.[/quote]

Perhaps he will run on anti-corruption and reforming the admiralty.

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I second your aunt. More seriously I would love to see some more connected politicians. Perhaps the Knuckle Scarred Inspector or the Last Constable for the Constables, the Provost of Summerset or Doctor Orthos for the University and Miriam Plenty or Silas the Showman just because.

If we wanted some Ambition related candidates Fiacre or even Poor Edward (I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him for some reason) may be interesting and I can even imagine the Delightful Adventuress getting involved just to spite that rival of hers.

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The Topsy King, with the Pirate Poet as his campaign manager. Vote Art-Crime 1895!

The Dauntless Temperance Campaigner, representing both moral reform and anti-Master sentiment. A daunting city needs a dauntless mayor!

And, you know what? I like the Tentacled Entrepreneur suggestion. A mayor who goes “squish” to make us all rich!

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Next year in Hell.[li]

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[quote=Chris Gardiner][color=#ff9900]Best thread.[/color]
[color=#ff9900]
[/color]
[color=#ff9900]Except no one’s suggested the Armoured Guinea Pig yet and I can only assume that’s some sort of disgraceful oversight.[/color][/quote]

Chris, he’s a projectile, not a politician.

[li]

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For mayoral candidates I suggest:

  1. Me
  2. I second the motion for the Tentacled Entrepreneur – Rubbery Rights! Sure to incite vigorous (and moistly sloppy) debate.
  3. The Melancholy Curate (or, even better, his sister) – Because I want to help with his or her campaign in any … any … way I can.
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The Starveling Cat!
The Starveling Cat!
It already won.
How do you like that?[li]
edited by The Dark Gentleman on 8/3/2016

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Mrs Plenty is a woman of means and no small stature who would make an excellent mayor. If Jenny can win, the city will certainly be ready for Plenty next year!

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[quote=Lady Sapho Byron]For mayoral candidates I suggest:
3) The Melancholy Curate (or, even better, his sister) – Because I want to help with his or her campaign in any … any … way I can.[/quote]

[li]
Can we vote for both at once? Asking for a friend.

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Could a rat run for office?

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It’s based on if it’s on a string or if it’s not.

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Seconding the Topsy King, Lyme, and the Northbound Parliamentarian. A few others I’d like to see, at some point:

The Barbed Wit and the Acclaimed Beauty
Ambassadors, Brass and otherwise
The Illuminated Gentleman
The Bright-Eyed Sequencer
The Presbytyrate Adventuress
December
Slivvy

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I would like to add an unusual candidate:

A Master.

Of course, they already practically rule the city, you say. Why would a Master want the office of Mayor? I say that is precisely why it would be so intriguing to have a Master campaigning for Mayor.

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For a More Moral London: The Dauntless Temperance Campaigner for Mayor

The Dauntless Temperance Campaigner is my personal favorite.

  1. Like Jenny, she is an interesting female character who has largely been regulated to bit supporting roles and could use some real fleshing out.

  2. She’s described as a &quotformidable woman is widely admired for her generosity and the extraordinary loudness of her voice… but also for her intellect.&quot These, I think we can all agree, are very important qualities for a mayor to have. She’s also quite brave - it’s in her name.

  3. She’s already an overtly political character so she would take easily to the role of Mayoral candidate. Her Sunless Sea cameo reveals she has her own little group of supporters (some of them quite burly). The election would thus flesh her out considerably.

  4. The 1890s saw serious reform movements and politics: temperance, women’s suffrage and prevention of cruelty to animals. The Dauntless Temperance Campaigner hits all three (in her Sunless Sea cameo she buys a Live Specimen from you, saying she hates seeing living creatures caged up). Fallen London has made some references to the Neathy equivalents of these reform movements, but they’ve always been in the background. The Dauntless Temperance Campaigner would thus give us the opportunity to not only learn more about said movements but also to participate in or oppose them. This would deepen the game’s overall world building.

  5. Elections often feature an attempted repudiation (actual and symbolic) of the proceeding administration. The Dauntless Temperance Campaigner would therefore be the perfect candidate to run after a full year of Sinning Jenny.

For a More Lordly London: His Amused Lordship for Mayor

  1. His Amused Lordship is a knowledgeable, ambitious and visionary gentleman. He no doubt has many fine plans for London and, being independently wealthy, the means to run for mayor. An election story-line would also further flesh out his character. Right now all we really know about his interests is that he’s a member of the Dilmun club and obsessed with the Mountain of Light. As with Jenny and the Contrarian, there must be more to him then that.

  2. He moves in very distinguished circles: the Implacable Detective, the Bishop of St. Fiacre, and that towering figure of sophistication and propriety, the Captivating Princess. His campaign would therefore have an abundance of supporting characters to call upon.

  3. He is not afraid to condescend to the more interesting members of London’s lower classes, such as the player character and the Sardonic Music Hall Singer. So he has that &quotpopular touch&quot that elections require and the Bohemian connections that Jenny exploited so successfully.

  4. He has done, and is planning to do, great things for Neathy science. So his campaign could serve to bring some of the University’s more palatable discoveries and ideas before the public in the form of proposals for their utilization toward the city’s benefit.

  5. After Jenny’s somewhat embarrassing* victory, the great and the good will no doubt want one of their own to take a shot at the office, and His Lordship would be the most obvious choice.

*from Society’s perspective, anyway.

For a More…Interesting London: Tristram Bagley for Mayor

  1. Despite having a big role in Heart’s Desire, there is still a lot we do not know about him, his past, and his vision for London. A mayoral campaign would help expand his character beyond &quottragic former composer turned crime lord who gibbers madly on the roof.&quot

  2. Bagley is already a sort of self-appointed Mayor (well, King) of the Flit, the top clandestine meeting place for urchins, spies, criminals, anarchists, police informants, cats and society members who have gone slumming. So he has some experience in local government and the balancing of competing interest groups. He also already has a rudimentary political organization in the form of the Raggedy Men and a small fortune in stolen paintings through which he could finance his campaign.

  3. The Topsy King is a mad artist, specifically a mad composer. In the 19th century composers were badass!! A mad Neathy composer seeped in and driven mad by the Correspondence is even more so.! We have no idea how he’ll run, what he’ll run on, or how he’ll communicate his message. But whatever he does, it would be very avant garde. During the last election we pretty much knew what the candidates would be running on just from seeing their posters. The Bagley’s campaign would be a genuine mystery.

  4. London’s rooftops are their own separate world: poor, impoverished, and largely ignored by street level London. They are also a place of power, seeped in Correspondence knowledge and otherworldly secrets. The Chimney Pot Wars revealed that the Urchin gangs are capable of shutting down London merely by &quotwarring&quot amongst themselves. When one considers that the Urchins are merely one segment of rooftop society, it becomes clear that the power balance is due for a correction at some point in the future. The Topsy King’s candidacy would bring street level London face to face with this powerful other world.

  5. After Sinning Jenny’s victory and the Contrarian’s second place finish, the door is open for more unusual candidates, and one can’t get more usual than the Topsy King.
    edited by Anne Auclair on 8/4/2016

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The Manager of The Royal Bethlehem Hotel 1895

The Manager reluctantly announced his running for mayor. He was slow at first but claims that a persuasive gentlemen convinced him to run. He beckons the crazed, the strange, and the mysterious voters to support him on his merry way! Though his motives for running are not clear, you can be sure that his platform is the same! He refuses to be interviewed and when addressing supporters only says that if he is elected, he will make London the crazed madhouse it always deserved to be! Though not all is certain, we can be sure of one thing. The manager is not a contestant that can be counted out.

Jack of Smiles 1895

There have been whispers, rumors, and gossip of a familiar name joining the race. One who would be crazy to show his face in the election. However, that is the word that best describes the man. Rumour has it that the infamous Jack of Smiles has tossed his knife into the race, and the reaction has been huge. Many are scared and confused by the news, but a select few have reacted with a malicious joy. One thing is for sure, if this man wins, God help us all!

Knuckle-Scarred Inspector 1895

As soon as the election was announced, the Knuckle-Scarred Inspector was first in line to sign up. He claims that there will never be peace without order. He says &quotThe Constables are pawns of the masters and the neddy men are corrupt bullies. The only true way&quot, he claims,&quotfor the law to be upheld is with the velocipede squad.&quot Although the Insector has been very vocal about his platform, whenever he has been given criticism, or asked to be more specific about the kind of peace the Velocipede Squad will bring, he has been much more secretive. Although some question his method, he definitely stands for the upholding of the law. However, which laws he will enforce, only time will tell.

The Kashmiri Princess 1895

The Kashmiri Princess has announced her (their?) candidacy, and many people are excited! They (she?) have been talented at capturing hearts during her (their?) performances. However, some say that although she is an incredible entertainer, there is no way they can handle the politics of the mayoral election. Despite all of the doubters, they have crowds of supporters shouting her name. She claims that what London really needs is more freedom. Freedom from convention, and freedom from obligation, and freedom from oppression. Whether or not this is all just a strategy to get more business or not, you know that the two of them are a powerful force.
edited by nathan7 on 8/4/2016
edited by nathan7 on 8/4/2016

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The widow- not the gracious one, the soft-hearted one- could use some more fleshing out, and compares reasonably favorably, for free players, to jenny in terms of encounters.

the ascetic parlimentarian is a terrible choice, but i must mention him for completionism’s sake. if he appeared more often, he’d be my first choice.

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Who is he again?

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Who is he again?[/quote]
Just the guy from the Favours: High Places cash-in.

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Who is he again?[/quote]
Just the guy from the Favours: High Places cash-in.[/quote]
Oh, he sounds interesting.