[quote=Dungerson]Wow. Well, if the Bishop is the only one acting out of love (and what a love story it’s shaping out to be)…
Then shouldn’t we vote for him if we want the Sixth City not dropped on our heads, for the Bazaar to return to space, for the Masters to leave us alone, and so on, and so on?
…isn’t this actually the best choice if we want all things to be well?[/quote]
It will not be enough, it will never be enough.
[quote=Dungerson]Wow. Well, if the Bishop is the only one acting out of love (and what a love story it’s shaping out to be)…
Then shouldn’t we vote for him if we want the Sixth City not dropped on our heads, for the Bazaar to return to space, for the Masters to leave us alone, and so on, and so on?
…isn’t this actually the best choice if we want all things to be well?[/quote]
We will always have Paris. Always.
The Bishop probably isn’t going to be your generic self-righteous evil clergy, no. The reason might not be purely righteous (although even if it is, it is not a humane good kind of righteous, but zealotry), but he probably isn’t doing it out of your typical hypocrisy.
He could use a lot of help, though. Trade with Fingerking, failed to read the fine print. Run for mayor, can’t shake off the hell money. Breed beast, easily betrayed. Wage a war? Might be playing into the other devils’ hand.
There’s also the matter of whether it is right to wage war on Hell at all, but that is not particularly relevant to the Bishop.
[quote=Professor Sketch][quote=malthaussen] …those who rail most at iniquity are often those who commit it themselves in secret.
– Mal[/quote]
That’s rather a hard stereotype to apply to someone who has yet to be revealed for doing such a thing, isn’t it? A character is a religious zealot, so he must secretly be drowning in sins? Not only is that encouraging lazy writing, but that’s stereotyping the religious and basing your opinion of a character off of stereotypes that have yet to be proven true for that character.[/quote]
Here, here! The Bishop is such an interesting and fun character. I’d hate to see him turned into a cliche.
[li]
@Professor Sketch: A couple of points of order. First, one does know the meaning of words like “irresponsible,” “actionable,” and “conjecture,” doesn’t one? Secondly, has one paid much attention to U.S. politics lately, and witnessed the parade of politicians and celebrities who are guilty of the very offenses about which they made the greatest show of hostilities? As with many cliches, it’s a cliche because it’s true.
– Mal
[quote=malthaussen] Secondly, has one paid much attention to U.S. politics lately, and witnessed the parade of politicians and celebrities who are guilty of the very offenses about which they made the greatest show of hostilities? As with many cliches, it’s a cliche because it’s true.
– Mal[/quote]
Yes, of course. The religious are all secretly depraved sinners, the defenders of the poor and downtrodden exploit those same without exception, and the undecided secretly know exactly what they want.
It’s true that just because something is a cliche, that doesn’t mean it can’t be the truth. Likewise, just because something is cliche, doesn’t mean it has to be the truth.
And until the Bishop of Southwark is actually revealed to be guilty of what you’re implying, I’m going to call it slander. In dubio pro reo, and all that.
I’m a proud supporter of the Bishop of Southwark, because he at least stands for something. Out of all of the candidates, only the Bishop has a clear cut agenda that has clear benefits for London. Opponents and critics of the Bishop like to paint him as a vindictive man, motivated by a petty vendetta against a neighboring state. This simply is not true. His Grace is a proud citizen of the empire, a pious man whose experiences have made him painfully aware of the plight our city faces. Of an enemy that is not at the gates, but already inside the walls.
It is not exaggeration to state the devils have been growing more and more powerful and influential in our fair city since the campaign of '68. Infernal influence can be seen in all levels of our society, from the slums of Spite to the heights of high society. Mr. Slowcake is a sockpuppet for a cabal of devils. Essentially anyone who wants to become notable must report all of their noteworthy accomplishments to Hell. The devils have a masterful spy network hiding in plain sight, and we happily, willingly, eagerly feed them valuable intelligence.
Some citizens argue in favor of one of the other candidates in the name of improving London, but how can London ever be better off if it cannot stand alone? Hydrogen, brass, etc., London is becoming increasingly dependent on Hell for trade. The economy is being undermined by spirifage, a practice banned by The Bazaar itself. Poverty will always exist in society, but can London so willingly turn a blind eye to Spirifers preying on hospital wards? To devils hunting Londoners in the Forgotten Quarter? To Hell’s triremes holding our people hostage in return for a ransom of innocent souls?
And the soul trade doesn’t affect only the destitute and infirm. The Brass Ambassador uses the soul trade to blackmail Quiet Statesmen at society events. How many of our government officials are under the control of Hell though infernal contracts? London ultimately answers to Our Benefactors, the Masters of the Bazaar, but shall we so eagerly surrender what autonomy we have to the forces of evil? While letting jokers and opportunists hijack such a clear-cut election?!
The Contrarian has happily based his platform on hogwash, and is funded by the revolutionaries. The man purportedly disapproves of the Liberation of Night, yet is forwarding their agenda with his candidacy. Currently the Contrarian’s campaign is at war with itself, facing a coup led by February. The Contrarian can shunt what money he can to the other candidates now, but if he wins the election it is clear he will be a sockpuppet for terrorists looking to end the world.
Sinning Jenny’s campaign remains dedicated to its cause, which would be commendable if not for the fact no one but Jenny knows what it is. Jenny pays lip service to the candidate of the people routine, but she funds her campaign through blackmail of her past clients. Until recently her campaign was clearly funded by The Esteemed Mr. Wines, until she decided to send the funds and staff back. Was this an attack of consicence, or a rushed effort to destroy evidence of a too-obvious bribe? The fact Jenny’s events are still stocked with an endless supply of Morelways points to the latter. The campaign continues to gather and even fabricate blackmail material on London’s best and brightest, while Jenny continues to slink away across the Zee to unknown ends. If elected, Jenny’s blackmail records will give her power and influence beyond what a mayor should have.
Will we allow a new tyrant to come to power over us, or will we elect the one candidate that can oust the literal devils that already rule over us?
For God’s Sake, for London’s sake, for your own soul’s sake: Vote for The Bishop of Southwark!
Jet and scarlet are the popular colors, but I’ll be wearing white until the end.
I’m a Contrarian supporter myself but I agree that London ought to separate itself from Hell. While The Bishop’s zeal is commendable, his approach seems rather ham-fisted if you’ll pardon my saying so. The devils are devious creatures and must be beaten at their own game. Hell is too enmeshed in London’s economy at the moment. The current relationship between London and Hell is very much like the one between two symbiotic organisms. To forcibly remove one would undoubtedly mean to cause grievous injury to the other.
That is why I believe that London’s separation from Hell must happen gradually, allowing our city to slowly wean off its need for brass and hydrogen. To incite a war with Hell at this time would be folly and would only serve to hand London over to the devils on a silver platter.
Your points ring true, but the way you stated that makes it seem as if the Bishop’s going to declare an open war against Hell the moment he’s elected. I think people are overestimating how reactionary he is just because of his outward boisterousness, really. Who’s to say that he doesn’t know his strategy? He has waited this long to fulfill his utmost desire; surely he has enough patience to consider that he needs to take some necessary subtler steps to weaken the Infernal forces before engaging them as they are. I don’t believe open hostility will occur at this point - the process is likely to be gradual, as you said.
When will London’s separation from Hell start, if we don’t even take this opportunity to take this first step?