video } from "Images May Disturb You", the blog of Georgia Mason, entry #002

[choosetruth]

Hello.

[Georgia is sitting, unsmiling, at her desk, but her laptop is closed in front of her. There's a window open--she keeps them closed most of the time but she recognizes the value of being well lit when you're on camera. It means she has to be wearing her sunglasses, but that's nothing new either. She's almost never seen without them.]

I'm working on an article about the effectiveness of imPorts, especially superheroes, in establishing long-term positive change. If you consider change to be a goal, I would appreciate if you could take a few minutes to talk to me on the record.

[She adjusts slightly, leaning forward, her hands steepling in front of her.]

Whether or not you are actively working for it, I am also interested in hearing what would, to you, qualify as a positive change. I am aware of how subjective a topic it is. I do not intend to make a statement in any direction until I've gathered as many facts as possible to build my opinion.

Thank you for your time.

Comments

[Video]

[swordsense]

[A response comes from a young woman, blonde, in a neat white tunic. She's sitting at a desk, idly fiddling her fingers, rolling them around something.]

First, do you mean long-term positive change here on Earth? Just so I know specifically what you're asking.

[Video]

[choosetruth]

[Georgia nods.]

Yes, that's what I'm asking, though I'd also be interested in any comparable efforts elsewhere.

[swordsense]

Well.

[Adora looks thoughtful, for a long moment.]

I've just arrived here. I don't have any efforts going at the moment. But I'd like to, and intend to. I have worked more at home.

But answering the question, I think that positive change is any change that makes civilian lives better. Safer, happier, and more fulfilling.

[choosetruth]

Easy to say. But what specific changes would bring that about?

video;

[neganomics]

Well, shit. I'd say things could stand to change around here. But no one's got the balls to put that change into motion.

video;

[choosetruth]

[Georgia tilts her head.]

I'm interested in specifics. What changes would you like to see?

video;

[neganomics]

You got a fuck ton of imPorts. Super powered people. Why ain't they leading the charge? And I don't mean stick up the ass Aegis force. I mean having their own goddamn army. Going out there, taking down the real threats. There's a reason these OTO assholes are getting away with their shit.

[ He leans in, lowering his voice as though he's sharing a secret -- even though this is a public post. ]

Between you and me, I think it's cause the government that's taken us in is really trying to keep us prisoner. We're their precious weapons they will only deploy to get leverage. It's why we're here....safe and sound in the government housing, not allowed to go to any other country, always monitored.

[ Lifting his wrist to display the registered tattoo. ]

And not a goddamn one of us is ready to stand up to the man.

video;

[choosetruth]

[She feels a chill down her spine. For someone who regularly shoots zombies, she's never considered herself an especially violent person.

Her expression stays the same. She's good at not reacting. Even when she hates what's being said. The sunglasses help, as always.]

So the change you believe in is overseas military action.

video;

[kanyounot]

I don't know that I'd call myself a superhero, but I am trying to make some positive change here, in whatever way I can. I'd be happy to chat about it.

Personally, I think a positive change is just anything that improves someone's life. And that will be different depending on the person, and what they need. Sometimes, to imrpove people's lives, bad guys need to be hunted down and brought to justice. And sometimes it might just be providing a hot meal to someone who might otherwise go hungry.

video;

[choosetruth]

So small, specific actions. How do you know what's needed in a given situation?

video;

[kanyounot]

It can be small and specific, yeah.

How else do you find out about people? Talk to them. Get to know them. Try to understand where they come from and what are the circumstances of their lives.

Not too different from what you're doing right now, as a matter of fact.

video;

[choosetruth]

Perhaps not. [She doesn’t quite smile, but there’s the very slightest softening of her expression.] I am trying to change the world in my own way as well.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Jacob is, likewise, sitting at his office desk with his computer closed in front of him. Unlike Georgia, he doesn't get a window where he's working.]

Sure, I'll help out. I'm always happy to talk about what my team is doing.

As for the question... It's a big one. I think the best answer I can give is that positive change means changing what 'normal' looks like in ways that help improve people's lives. It goes beyond reacting to problems as they come up and putting out fires. It means a shift in what people can expect, and what they'll accept.

[choosetruth]

[She'd trade him. She's not a fan of light. Hurts her poor zombie eyes.]

That's a good, big answer. But I'm a little more interested in specifics. What, specifically, do you think could bring about that change in normal?

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Jacob lays his hands on the desk in front of him, palms-up.]

I can only speak to what my team is doing. We don't just respond to crises as they happen, but work proactively to solve problems before they explode, and to build trust between imPorts and the public. Long-term, our goal is to leave the world safer and more stable than it was before Aegis Force was created.

[choosetruth]

[She nods.] Admirable goal. What are some of your current projects?

[slightlyoffchilt]

I've established a mental health hospital that specializes in imPort mental health. There have probably been fewer mass murders committed because of it.

[choosetruth]

[Now, they're getting somewhere. She's not here for probably, though.]

Do you have numbers?

[slightlyoffchilt]

Oh yes. [A rustling of papers, as he adjusts his desk with the utmost academic appearance.]

... At least one.

voice;

[plentystrong]

Not being treated like a party trick that ends as canon fodder would be a start, but what do I know.

voice;

[choosetruth]

So you'd consider positive change to be an adjustment to your personal circumstances?

voice;

[plentystrong]

Yeah, I guess.

Permavid

[governorkang]

The objective of SELF is to make life a little easier for nonhuman imPorts on this world. We help them to find and access resources such as specialized medical care or housing, and we also work with the Native population to educate and promote acceptance between all our races. [A shrug.] I like to think we've made some progress.

[choosetruth]

[Georgia's terrible eyes are a curse more often than anything else, but at this specific point, she's glad for them. Between the opaque sunglasses and her long practice at concealing any expression, she does not react to his appearance. She just inclines her head slightly.]

Is SELF an organization?

[governorkang]

[His voice would give him away, as well.

He smiles and fiddles with his phone for a moment.]

Yes, we are a nonprofit organization based in Heropa. I've attached a link to the website, if you'd like to look it over.

[Attached link]

My name is Kang.