maskormenace | 014 ♍ VIDEO

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014 ♍ VIDEO

[ Kanaya is sitting at her desk, with Ashiah laying down on it in front of her. The little grub keeps glancing around in various directions, while her mother's gaze and smile is fixed on the camera. ]

I've been thinking recently about the cross-section of the imPort community who aren't human, perhaps most particularly since the ambassador elections last month. There are a sizable amount of us, not a large group, but significant. I've spoken with many of you on individual terms, and while the resources Governor Kang and SELF have provided to those of us with more unique needs have been invaluable, I feel there is still something missing in our collective socialization. We live the imPort experience in a way that many others won't fully appreciate, and I think we could benefit from sharing those experiences with each other.

[ At this point, Ashiah tries to wander off camera, but Kanaya suppresses a giggle as she puts a hand on top of her and scoots her back into place. ]

I'm unsure exactly what form that would take, but putting us all in a room to share our stories would be at least a start. If anyone is interested, please let me know, and I'll see about renting some space. Of course, if you have any special dietary needs, in terms of snacks, I would like to hear those as well.

This is generally something I'd prefer to save until we're in person, but... [ She's interrupted as Ashiah turns around and nuzzles into her chest, then tries to climb up her shoulder. Kanaya stops and laughs to herself, then plucks her off and cradles her, despite all her fidgeting. ] Anyway, for those of you who I haven't had the pleasure with yet, my name is Kanaya Maryam, and this is my daughter, Ashiah. I'm an Alternian troll, specifically an awakened jadeblood, which basically means I'm a vampire. She's a Daughter Grub from the same planet. [ She raises a finger, shaking her head. ] And before you ask, no, she isn't a troll, and she won't grow up to be one, either. Once she finally pupates, she'll become a Mother Grub. They acted as gestational surrogates for trolls, while the jadeblooded caste were their caretakers and midwives. It's all a bit complicated, this is just a general summary.

So, hopefully we'll be able to put something together moving forward, and I'll be able to hear all of your stories, as well. I'll be looking forward to hearing from each of you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Given that kidnapping isn't generally a very nice activity, there could be some room to dispute that claim.

I'll need to repopularize 'fun kidnapping' then.

If you really think it's due for a rebranding!

I think it's past due for a rebranding.

You could always start by calling yourself Dr. Kidnapper!

I'll use that as an alias the next time somebody does something pesky like asking for "my full name". Oddly enough, they have a lot of trouble believing John Disco.

[ wow gee I wonder why..... ]

Isn't Disco a sort of dance? Johnny Disco does sound pretty fake.

But then, I suppose imPorts have fake-sounding names all the time.

And a sort of music! Hold on, I'm sure I can find some to play for you.

[ SORRY KANAYA you're about to discover the joy of Donna Summer and Chic. ]

[ No apologies, everyone knows Le Freak is so Chic. ]

It would have to be, wouldn't it? One can't very well dance without music.

One can but you'd look stupid.

[ and here, the Doctor plays this world's version of Stayin' Alive He's obviously enjoying the hell out of this. ]

[ She lets it play, with an expression of serious contemplation, as if she's carefully studying it. It's quickly undermined as her shoulders start grooving to the beat, though. ]

I think I've heard this somewhere, but I couldn't tell you where. Somewhere I wasn't really listening to the music playing, I'm sure.

I can certainly see how someone could dance to this.

Disco and funk, the best things from the 1970s! I don't know why my past self who was stuck on Earth during that time didn't appreciate this as much as he should.

[ because yeah, the Doctor's just bopping his head along to the Bee Gees. ]

I could say we have some excuse, with how much Earth culture there is to catch up on for a new arrival. But if you were there when it was contemporary, well. There's certainly more to regret.

I was a bit of a snob when I was younger—I think that's a good enough excuse.

That's one of the problems with getting older, looking back on your younger self with shame. But, hopefully, recognizing the fault in ours pasts means we've gotten better in our present.

Can you keep a secret? I think I've gotten worse. [ said with a wide grin that's half 'I'm joking' and half 'I'm being totally serious.' ]

[ She laughs, but she's not entirely sure what to really make of that. ]

Well, that's the risk we run. Sometimes we just end up being snobbish about entirely different things than before!

That's all just part of growth and growing older, I assume.

I suppose you'd know better than I do.

[ Beat. ] That probably didn't come out quite as graciously as I meant it.

Nah, I knew what you meant. It's two thousand compared to twenty, after all.

[ Two thousand? Jesus. She can't remember if she already knew that, but it's such a big number to wrap her head around. ]

And not quite twenty, at that. But...yeah. At that age, you could be said to have more than the collective experience of not the entire imPort community, but nearly half. Probably.

I was thinking more of two thirds, but we can split the difference.

Well, if 105 times me would come just short of your age, and there are more than twice as many imPorts as that, probably more than half of which are significantly older than I am, I'm not sure that math would hang up.

But then, I have at least two years more experience than my age, as well, and the quality of that experience might differently than a standard humans. So, if we want to get complicated with it, maybe your percentages are sound.

Of course, you've got to take into account the fact that the majority of imPorts are human but some aren't. Perhaps there's species with a longer year ratio than Earth, or species with a longer maturity rate? Really, we'd need more proper data before we'll stake a solid percentage.

Well, my planet's years were nearly twice as long, but I've been an imPort long enough that I calculated the exchange between them years ago. But, you know, if anything insects learn to operate independently much faster than mammals. Upon hatching, even.

So, I don't know. I think conducting a survey within the imPort community to determine how best to weigh our individual levels of experience in order to determine just how much yours outclasses the rest of us would be less enjoyable an experiment than finding at which speed a person becomes capable of running across water without sinking.

Unless you really think you need the ego boost, but I'm a little skeptical of that.

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