Thread:Vae Victis/@comment-6042046-20130526090455/@comment-6042046-20130623073507

"I was thinking more about the rise of Feminism and Socialism."

I believe social and economic feminism have made their ground in FL. We have powerful social figures like the Traitor Empress, the Duchess, the Gracious Widow, and Sinning Jenny (being the city's #1 lady of negotiable virtue comes with veritable perks). They're generally revered, feared, and/or reviled all depending on their merits. Excepting the Masters, the most prolific economic being is Mrs Plenty, and Mrs F.F. Gebrandt surely isn't far behind. Females owning and managing their own businesses is also common enough. (There are other prominent female characters in the city, but I don't want to mention them in case you've yet to meet them.) Let us not forget the Implacable Detective, the most respected of detectives. That's quite incredible in itself seeing how the city festers with crime.

They haven't made much headway into Parliament, though, as you've noted. There's a severe lack of female presence in politics -- formally, anyway. It's not as if women weren't/aren't politically active; they simply don't hold seats in Parliament except for that one Seeker lady who is not a very good example of model leadership and wisdom...! That should, um, really change. Perhaps the Ambitious Barrister is aiming for such a seat?

The socialism pieces are, well, in pieces. They're scattered here and there to allow you to soak them in at your leisure and to draw your own conclusions; you won't be clobbered over the head with them. I didn't like either faction's behavior in the Mr Fires vs The Dock Unions story, though I enjoyed the story itself. At least one Master entertains the notion that the welfare of the Fifth City's citizens has drastically improved because they now live in the Neath. You can learn this in the Retired 2012 Christmas content.

Players have speculated that Parliament will be the penultimate or final city area for Persuasive and Watchful. That seems rather sensible, but far end game content like that is probably a few years away. Before that, we'll probably be steeped in the politics of the Elder Continent. All arrows point there.

"Are there any stories that demand a faction or spending secrets but are locked for high ability levels?"

You must have spotted numerous Spending Secrets/Counting the Days options which are locked to you because you haven't joined a certain faction. Generally, you can't have fun times with your acquaintances and you'll miss out on many menace reduction options. Items or storylet/card options withheld from you now specifically due to your neutral stance can be accessed later when you pick your faction.

Of course, nothing is set in stone; FBG might revamp the storyline significantly and then who knows where we'll be sitting. This holds true for everything, even the name of the game, so what's the point in being paranoid about it? :P

"P.S. Good to see you're back!"

Thanks! I'm still rifling through the forum and wiki updates that I've missed. Apparently, nearly a thousand. x_x

"P.P.S. There isn't a Preview button in article comments, but there is one here? What goves?"

Not even gonna pretend to understand Wikia's eccentricities.