Welp, it looks like I will be voting for Presbyterian spy, then. Implacable Detective was always a bore. Lovely art, though! And I guess choice will be a little harder this year.
I think this will certainly be a more even race than last year, which is good.
Apropos of nothing I look forward to offering my vote for sale on the open market! Best price, come try, come buy.
[quote=dov]So, in this case, I can’t see her campaign to be much about women’s rights, but more about, well, Temperance (whether for moderation or for abstinence).[/quote]Are you so sure about that? Do you think it’s a coincidence that she’s a woman and that she is an advocate for the prevention of cruelty to animals? She seems to be hitting all the right notes for the historical 19C Temperance Movement to me.
True historically, but in Fallen London gender issues are not what they were in 19th century Britain.
So, in this case, I can’t see her campaign to be much about women’s rights, but more about, well, Temperance (whether for moderation or for abstinence).
In any case, not the Progressive choice (unless she’ll show us multiple causes she supports).[/quote]
Um, a belief that the government should carry out ambitious social reforms in order to combat social problems is an inherently progressive position in Fallen London (just look how much outcry it took for the Masters to convene a committee to pass one measly little law for the betterment of one particular group).
London is a (non-literal) hell for people with substance abuse problems and the Powers That Be don’t care. And people with substance abuse problems in turn hurt the people around them. Historically, temperance was pursued partly as a means of fighting many different social problems. The classic example was the workman who drank away his wages and then went home in drunken desperation to beat his wife and mistreat his kids. The hope of the reformers was that by taking the drink out of the equation the family’s overall situation would be significantly improved. I don’t see how this would be any different in Fallen London, with its many gin bars, wine sinks and honey parlors (prisoners honey being a clear counterpart to opium).
But this aside, I strongly suspect that the Dauntless Temperance Campaigner will be running the most inclusive and progressive campaign as pertains to non-humans ("all manner," "for everybody!"). But we’ll have to wait and see on that.
edited by Anne Auclair on 6/22/2017
From a personal perspective, I’d vote for the Detective. I’m not a huge fan of her standing with the constables, but otherwise, I like what she says better than the other two candidates. The Campaigner, while probably the most focused on women’s rights (certainly the right to vote), preaches temperance, which I’m not sure about, and Feducci’s policies are just… no. No.
(I do think we could get interesting side-stories from all three of them being elected mayor, so I won’t be too unhappy with whoever wins.)
On the other hand, my characters are probably not going to be voting for the Detective, because I value my role-playing highly. One of them will be voting for Feducci, and the other remains undecided between the Detective and the Campaigner.
They’re better than they could be, but, well, just look at the widely-accepted theories of the Saturnine Physician, and the resistance to the Benthic lady’s interest in entering government service. Things still have a long way to go.
[quote=Anne Auclair]Just who does she think needs a firmer hand?[/quote] That’s the interesting ambiguity in her statement. Is she saying that the Constabulary needs more power and authority, or that it needs reform, or both?
I like logical conclusions, but I certainly don’t remember siding with the Implacable Detective in the Dilmun Club. And the constables don’t represent ‘logical conclusions’ to me. They represent corrupt oppression. If only she’d let monkeys carry her banners she could’ve been a contender.
As for the ‘obvious choice’? I expect players, who are people from the real world who choose to play Fallen London, would primarily want more ‘Fallen London’ in their candidate, regardless of real world political leanings of either players or candidates. And which candidate is the most ‘Fallen London’ of the three? Looks like Feducci to me, so he’ll probably win. The other two are just kind of boring in comparison, aren’t they? And whatever you do, don’t be boring.
I suspect both the Detective and the Campaigner will be a bit more Fallen London than first meets the eye.
They’re better than they could be, but, well, just look at the widely-accepted theories of the Saturnine Physician, and the resistance to the Benthic lady’s interest in entering government service. Things still have a long way to go.[/quote]
There’s always room for improvement.
But consider that in Fallen London, no one blinks at the fact that women can be scholars (some of them the best in their fields), ship captains, politicians, adventurers, police, military, etc.
Generally speaking, Fallen London’s approach to gender (and sexuality) is already significantly more progressive than many countries today, let alone 19th century England.
As the game itself tells you when creating a new character: "there are individuals roaming the streets of Fallen London at this very moment with the faces of squid! Squid! Do you ask them their gender? And yet you waste our time asking me trifling and impertinent questions about mine? It is my own business, sir, and I bid you good day."
That’s a very good observation!
And while my character personally follows (mostly) the Unconfined approach, when choosing a Mayor, I’ll go with the Implacable Method any day.
So can there be an option for a write-in candidate?
The Implacable Detective? Certainly not. I like my law enforcement lax and inefficient, thank you.
Oh I do not like these options one bit. I know who I will definitely not be voting for but that still leaves me with two options full of uncertainty. I too dislike the Implacable Detective being so deeply involved with the Constables. They are my least favorite group to interact with aside from the Church itself.
I do hope there will be more story to go along before I fully side with a candidate and cast my vote. I am curious about their mysterious backstories.
[quote=dov]Aaaand I believe I have found my candidate.
Not ideal, but infinitely better than the other two choices.[/quote]
Amen to that. Ahem.
Interesting that we have two female candidates this year. And good.
[quote=Frederick Metzengerstein][quote=Anne Auclair]Um, how the hell is Feducci the progressive choice? He’s preaching a &quotdog eat dog&quot order.[/quote]The progressive choice is obviously the Dauntless Temperance Campaigner (the temperance movement was an important strain of early feminism with explicit objectives for improving the welfare of women and children), though I wonder if many modern progressives will recognise her. Feducci is not a progressive candidate, he’s a liberal candidate, and at this time liberal meant free trade, which was not generally favoured by the elite monopolists.
edited by Frederick Metzengerstein on 6/22/2017[/quote]
And presumable the Detective will be for the status quo. I too eagerly await how this year’s election unfolds.
Little old lady has my vote! I love her.
Uh oh Fleshy hates her too. Picking a candidate for him is going to be tough this year :P
The detective most likely has my vote unless the Campaigner has a really solid plan. I’ve always liked the constables, and even went for the reform from the inside with the wheel squad. As for fedducchi, well I despise involvement in the great game and wish I still had the castigater venom from the cheese monger. So many spies, so little venom.
Frederick & Anne: OH MY GOSH I did not realize the candidates corresponded with the methods of investigating, any more than I realized last year’s were schools of artistry! WOW. Fallen London never fails to impress! flailing
Aaaand I wanna know more about the Detective, but I wish to know more about Feducci. The Campaigner has not declared in favor of rats, Clay Men, Rubberies, or any other of Alys’s eclectic associations, so she really doesn’t see a good reason to back her. In general – as her brighter, less vendetta-obsessed self – she’d probably go with the Detective. But she knows now that the Law is shortsighted and highly fallible.
If only Feducci wasn’t a foreign agent…