Video

[viced]

[ In Washington DC, the Senator is far and removed from a lot of the vandalism that the imports as a whole have been seeing. In some ways, it's good, in others, it's bad, and the Senator doesn't like feeling all that removed from the rest of the community. It's clear, when he turns on his comm that he hasn't been sleeping -- probably because he's been worrying about this.

Next to him are a stack of letters, and he pulls the one from the top, and starts reading. ]

"Dear Senator Hundred, my name is Steven Stevenopholis." [ The paper lowers, Mitchell looks at the camera, deadpan. Really dude? ] "I am a contractor in De Chima, where I work very hard to support my wife and three daughters. We live modestly, in a small home on the outskirts of the city. My wife works as a teacher, and our three daughters are in school. We're trying to save money to give our girls the opportunity to go to college, but times are hard, and it can be difficult to save money on a good day, with the way the economy is. Last year, De Chima was ransacked by metahumans of your making, and De Chima was too dangerous for me to work, my wife and daughters had to stay home out of fear of their lives, and people were running the streets breathing fire, and lifting cars. It can be hard to keep going, when you fear for your life, and we try constantly to find a way to leave the city and move elsewhere, but there's nowhere to go. Right now, we have jobs, but leaving could mean that we can't support our family. I am writing to you because you are my senator, because you swore last year that you would help protect us, but... I'm starting to wonder if anyone can, when imports are involved."

[ Mitch put the letter down, and folded his hands. ]

Clearly, I could sit here all day and read these. [ The stack next to him is over a foot high of envelopes and letters. ] I... am somewhat removed from the vandalism up in DC, but that doesn't mean that I haven't felt the impact of what's happening. Just not... like the rest of you have.

I've been told by some of my colleagues in the Senate that there will be some organizing over the next few days, and we'll be trying to smooth things over starting tomorrow. I encourage each and every one of you to listen to what our companions in the world have to say. If we have the opportunity to listen, to learn what it is we've done, and it's the only way we can come together to move on.

If we can listen, and accept what we've done, we can move on. Please talk to the people who were here before us, listen to what they have to say. And maybe... let's try to build some positive relationships for the future. If we're reviled, we can't protect either ourselves or the people here. Trust me, I've, ah, been in that situation. [ He scratched the side of his face. ] We can't do anyone any good unless we can come together.

Comments

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[flightforfreedom]

[His first question is "what's a DC" but that's probably not the most important question, so instead he just frowns.]

I might be relatively new here, and I agree for the most part, but there's a reason that they revile us. There are some that were brought here by the Porter that are literal genocidal killers. [It's Hux. He's talking about Hux.] I've been trying to make this point over and over again, but no good will is going to smooth over what they've done. We need to actually do something about those that are hurting people.

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[viced]

[ Ah yes. The annual airing of grievances. Mitchell spreads his hands. ]

Have you reported their actions to the police? I agree that we need to stop issues like this, but we can't...just take the law in our hands without working through the legitimate avenues we have.

[flightforfreedom]

How do I report five destroyed planets and billions of dead to the police? Even my government ignored and put off all the warning signs while he gained power, and then he killed them all before they did anything about him.

Of course I would rather there be official channels for this, but they are bringing monsters here and then pretending they don't exist.

[viced]

Do you know one of the principles for the law here?

It's called innocent until proven guilty. Do you have anyone that can corroborate your story? Any proof that you can offer to show us that they've committed these acts?

Unfortunately, we've run into this many times -- people have...made claims like this before. They aren't always true. [ He holds a hand up. ] Not that I'm saying that you're lying, but... precedence is something that can be dangerous.

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[journalkeeper]

[ Oh it's that voice that's just dripping with gravitas again. And this time she's concerned. ]

How often do imPorts impact the people's lives like this? All this anger doesn't appear to be stemming from merely the more recent issues.

[ Which she, admittedly, missed. ]

Damage control for the immediate issues is something desperately needed, that, uh, seems evident -- but what about the long term?

voice;

[viced]

You're right. It's not...recent. We're...a diverse crowd, and not every import has the people's best interests at heart. It's unfortunate, because people are innocent until proven guilty.

A lot of times these attacks come out of nowhere.

[ A beat. ]

Long term is...harder, with a shifting population like ours. Although we aren't opposed to new ideas.

[journalkeeper]

I - I suppose that makes sense. Anything done would have to account for the... particular nature of imports.

[ She'll have to look into previous incidents and how they were handled, both in the short term and the long term; but there's no need to bother the senator with minute details but Further Investigation Requited has wiggled its way into her brain. ]

It's a difficult situation. I wouldn't want to condone or excuse the behaviour impacting us now -- my own home was broken into as well -- but it's hard to ignore that the vandalism is a reaction to the situation.

Hopefully this, uh, attempt at giving an opportunity to air grievances? Is that what I'm understanding is happening? I hope it does some good.

[viced]

I do too.

It's not enough. It's not nearly enough. We are still outsiders, no matter what we do, you know? This isn't our world, not really. It's not the kind of place that we grew up, or were raised in. It's...hard to culturally immigrate to a country like this. It's hard to learn the traditions, resources, and the language.

I don't know how some people do it, but what's worse is just the idea that we're... we're just coming in and fucking shit up for them.

I wish there was a way to stop it all, honestly.

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[storyseeker]

Seems like we've hit a critical mass with the locals' grievances, haven't we.

[Even if it's not their fault. Elena doesn't blame people for not caring about who's to blame.]

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[viced]

Something like that, yes. Can you blame them? It's... hard to feel so powerless.

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[storyseeker]

I can't. Even if we've been victims too, we can bounce back. We've got a lot of advantages the locals just don't—they face the greater risks.

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[viced]

Yeah, exactly. They can't come back from the dead, they don't get free housing, free healthcare.

I'm honestly surprised this hasn't happened sooner. It's...good to remember that we might not want to be here, but they might...think life would be easier if we weren't here.

text un: O. Stridge

[the_admin]

I am a relative new arrival to this world so it's possible I simply have come across it yet.

But perhaps you can answer, Senator.

What channels do the natives of this world have in order to pursue actional grievances against imPorts?

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[viced]

Not many, unfortunately. There's the local police officers, your insurance, but...

A lot of times, these come in the form of incidents, or temporary changes. People get off scott free, but our citizens are still left hurting from the ramifications.

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[the_admin]

That is unfortunate, as it unwittingly helps breed resentment.

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[viced]

I agree. At the same time, is it right to punish someone for something they didn't really do, or did under duress?

But at the same time, is it right for people to not find any justice for what happens to them?

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[jojoceanman]

[Avoiding video because his eye is pretty fucked up still, but he watches the feed with quiet appraisal before deciding to chime in.]

These people have suffered a lot because of us, haven't they. ["Us" being a general reference. He's only been here a few months, some clearly have been around for years. Yet the world didn't just come into existence the second imPorts arrived. This goes in deep.] I can't help but feel we can do more than just listen.

[Or at least they should.]

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[viced]

I agree.

A lot of people do, actually. Charities, fundraisers, we've held many events to raise money, try to improve lives, but...

It's all so token, you know? It happens, and we hold a fundraiser, and it's forgotten. I think for many people, it's...not quite so easily forgotten. They don't get to move on like we do.

voice

[jojoceanman]

It's easy to move on, but harder to forget. I don't think we should be allowed to do either. [People are just trying to live their lives and then some imPort bullshit happens to fuck it up. Intentional or not, their actions and sometimes presence alone has an effect.] Well, I'm preaching to the choir when I say that to you of all people, Senator.

[am_i_a_monster]

What we've done? I haven't hurt anyone here.

[viced]

Maybe not intentionally -- hell, maybe not even accidentally, but sometimes it's hard to tell.

Powers are hard to quantify, and the affects of them even moreso. When I first got mine, I'm... I'm pretty sure I affected people's lives in a big way. But... even in small ways...

Once I stopped a train to stop a couple of chucklefucks who decided to surf on top, and I shut down the entire subway system for over eight hours. There's any number of ways that it could have hurt people that way, whether it's physical or not.

Sometimes it's easy to forget the impact we have on others, you know?

[am_i_a_monster]

That's you. It is very easy for me to tell if I've hurt someone.

We all have different powers and not all of them are destructive.

You stopping the train is on you and the porter for giving you those powers. Not all imports.

It certainly seems it's easy for you to forget the impact of prejudice. The suffering it causes, how it can take away freedom and lives. It starts with blaming imports and then what? Maybe they'll turn on another group of people next.

I already knew what it was like to have people judge me without knowing me and to blame me for the crimes of others. To have them want to lock me up, hurt me and kill me. I didn't need a reminder from the vandals. But I don't blame everyone native to this place. I only blame the vandals.

[Voice]

[hellrisen02]

It's very easy to go out and immerse yourself amongst the natives. Becoming a friend, a mentor, a shoulder- an outstretched hand that doesn't come from a sense of condescension makes a world of difference, doesn't it?

[Huff. His talks with others has got Duo thinking quite a bit about whether native and imPort cooperation is realistically achievable, given the sparks threatening to ignite at every turn.] I hear you've been at this a long time. I was surprised by the amount of infrastructure there is in place in this universe, but given their history, it makes sense. Did such a thing ever get instated back in The City? Did the native government there ever manage even a semblance of the control that's in place over imPorts here?

[Even just speaking with people at the shelters here, whether they were there by consequence of an imPort or not, frustration came in spades- but the fear wasn't nearly as rampant as it had felt in the citizens in that place.]

[Voice]

[viced]

No.

[ There's a pause. Mitchell doesn't like talking about the City much these days. It's... hard to forget the way the spires slipped up, how the world disintegrated around them, how he and Bradbury hid from the world underneath City Hall and smoked a joint while the buildings and machines screamed in agony around them. ]

Honestly? That's part of what led to our demise. Vulcanus... they strove to emulate our powers and our abilities because we'd run roughshod over the world one too many times. Doing that -- they took it to the next level, and started trying to find a way to trap us, copy us, get rid of us. Something, and it very nearly worked.

[Voice]

[hellrisen02]

[Duo tsks quietly. No wonder the last world had gotten sick of them. Just a few months into the arrival of imPorts and the City already had natives escaping for their lives, those who couldn't living in fear and bitterness- he could imagine how bad it got years in. And there, there hadn't even been more than the bare veneer of their necessity. Not like here, where they were touted as government weapons in an ongoing conflict.]

[There's that name again, Vulcanus. He'd heard it when he'd first been Ported back in, and seen it pop up on his trawl of this network's archives. The enemy of the imPorts and Lachesis, although he couldn't find any detailed information on them. Maybe...]

Would you say-- at least in aims, anyway, that the anti-imPort organizations that have popped up in this world are similar enough to Vulcanus that we should be exceptionally concerned with the current track of things? --Ignoring that we should really be concerned regardless, of course.