005 ♍ video

[glowsferatu]

[ kanaya's in the garage again, but the door's open, sunlight pouring through it. she's in a green tank and black leggings, a bandanna tying back her hair, various paint splotches on her arms hinting at what she's busying herself with today. on her workbench is a brush and easel, all of the colors monochrome and drab.

unlike her previous addresses, she's already put out her cigarette rather than in the middle of it. that should cut down on unwanted lectures. though the content of her message may bring them in an entirely different form. ]

You see, this is something I will never quite understand. Here we are, sitting at the brink of war, and all anyone can talk about is voting rights. Very typically American of you. [ not that some of the people loudest about it are even american. but america, democracy, she tends to conflate the two. ] The question shouldn't be why unsettled imPorts can't vote, but why can the registered? I am a registered imPort, but I'm not an American citizen, I'm not even a citizen of Earth! Merely a resident.

Think about this, we are temporary immigrants to this world. When more permanent refugees come to live here on escaping their native lands, they have long, complicated processes to undergo before they are allowed the benefits of citizenry. Should any of us be given better treatment of those? Should I be allowed to make decisions that may affect this nation's future when these are not allowed it, when I may not even be here to experience the full consequences of those decisions? I don't think I should, neither do I think any of you should. Wherever you have come from, we are all of us aliens to this world. That isn't something we should be forgetting. You should get used to the fact that you don't belong, like some of us have always known.

I'd much rather our attention be directed to the blockade threatening Alaska. The rest of this is little more than a distraction.

But if distraction is what you're after, as the world must continue should it not abruptly end, we are all aware of the season upon us. Ghastly ghouls are all about these days. So, should we not have all died by the time Halloween is upon us, perhaps you might join us monsters at the Devil's Nest in Maurtia Falls to celebrate.

[ she gets up to move the camera, and it shifts as she holds it, spinning around to face the wall. stretched out across it is a massive sheet of paper, painted simply in grey brick, only half dingy. she's still detailing. on the floor are a few paint cans and rollers. ]

I'm working on the decor now.

Drinks are 10% off, should you arrive in costume, and there will be a drinking contest with a $100 prize, for those who pay the $10 entry fee. But just imagine how much you may potentially get from that $10, even if you shouldn't win!

[ she turns the camera back around, in a sort of awkward selfie angle. ] Our hours will be 3pm to 6am, so come early and stay all night, as you please. We hope to see you there on the 31st.

Good luck in the meantime.

Comments

video.

[glowsferatu]

[ her lids drop halfway down her eyes, and her smile thins, something cold and vicious just pretending to be a smile. ]

Unless. You mean to imply that something is taboo in the concept?

[glowsferatu]

Extraterrestrials of a different species. That's an important part to remember. Some might even drop the "different species" bit, as long as they are still extraterrestrial.

I've met some who look more like you than me, but were just as alien still.

➥ AUDIO

[nestingdevil]

That's your choice, lovely. If you want to work, there's things to do. But if you don't? Eh - [Greed taps his foot.] - not really about to stop you.

voice;

[brushoff]

And the minor differences that spring from that one main difference.

[kinesia]

so you think we should be grateful for what we have

and not expect to be equal ?

[slingshots]

the R's working pretty good so far

figure maybe i'll keep it in mind. NOT that i'm looking to change.

➥ AUDIO

[glowsferatu]

No, I don't suppose you would. Still, if I am doing work of the clock, you should stop me. As a favor.

voice;

[glowsferatu]

They're hardly anything worth mentioning, anyway. Not that anything bad could ever come of it!

[ only everything bad. she's always sure of every bad that could threaten, it's in her nature. ]

[glowsferatu]

be grateful or not as you like
and i certainly dont think you should trust them
but i do think we should be aware of the situation for what it is and what it can be and not think its something it isnt
they really could have done so much worse

i will say again that we are not and cannot be equal with the people of this world
we are not a part of them and pretending otherwise will do us a disservice

[glowsferatu]

not yet anyway
but the precedent exists already
it could be that you feel differently when youre older

video.

[wotters]

Wah!

[ He pulls back, visbly shaken. Kanaya, the Chainsaw Wielding Lady is scary. ]

No. Of course not!

[slingshots]

doubt it
but thanks

sorry for any... unpleasant surprises anyway

[lucke]

Fine by me.

But there's no sense fretting over something that isn't a factor yet. If there's truth in the idea that there are larger... planet sized problems, they're gunna hit us when they do no matter how much we worry.

[He knows she knows what he's talking about. She was one of the few like him, who experienced first hand how proportionate politics are in the grand scheme of porter business.]

[exsithstential]

Indeed. But my own feelings on the subject aside, I understand that you are upset that way people are reacting. You believe there is a lot of commotion over something you don't see value in.

And you also stated that the energy being wasted on it could be directed to more productive uses.

If you could have a say in import affairs what would you want us to do in this moment and going foward?

[isaytheeneigh]

Yeah?

[He considers that.]

Well, what would you say to us all coming from different worlds no matter what? Or should we not broaden it that much? Because this Earth is alien to me.

[kinesia]

you are wrong

[ He means about the last part, in particular, but he's not sure that he agrees with very much that she's said at all. She seems too compliant, too accepting, too trusting. Grey has never really had to be polite before. He has no real concept of that. He writes what's on his mind, with no more decorum than that. ]

we should be equal . this was not our world

now it is the only world .

video.

[glowsferatu]

Then speak, child! All this stammering is getting us nowhere.

[glowsferatu]

i think its more likely that youll be the one who should be apologized to for that

[glowsferatu]

I'd still rather see the strings before instead of waiting for the hand to pull them. You can't well understand the game while looking at only one section of it, the perspective can change the relationship between pieces.

[glowsferatu]

If I had a say in more productive directions for us to expend energy, beyond the obvious attention to spare for Alaska, is to reinforce our infrastructure. If we are worried about housing being compromised for unsettled imPorts, we should ensure that an alternative is available.

[glowsferatu]

I think we aren't alien in the same way, but your displacement is extreme enough that you similarly won't make the mistake of thinking you're meant to be part of this world.

The intrusion is far more obvious to some of us.

[glowsferatu]

[ compliance isn't really her strong suit, but she doesn't see the point in wasting energy on needless defiance. survival is more important to her than freedom. ]

im not wrong
you just havent been here long enough to know anything
if this was the only world than there wouldnt be any new arrivals every month
this is simply the world we are on for now
like i said this isnt the first one ive been through this on

video;

[handwringing]

I'm afraid not. Is it something spooky?

video;

[glowsferatu]

It's a sort of mock-spooky, where elements that would otherwise be considered spooky are instead expressed in a humorous manner.

[exsithstential]

That's a fair point. I've actually considered that. Housing, medical and financial support for new arrivals. Regardless of registration status.

Perhaps that's a project imports as a whole could come together on to develop. I know there are a few programs out there already, but I feel like we could do so much more.