maskormenace | Video | Announcing!!!

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Video | Announcing!!!

[Dio Brando is not a subtle man, but at this moment in time, he was trying to sell himself as a professional, and so starts the feed here in his office. He sat in a comfortable-looking chair in the same room as his desk resided, but didn't sit at the desk. Rather, he sat by the window, the Maurtia Falls Library easily visible from that place, dim streetlights being most of what lit up the night.

He folded his hands over his knee, smiling more like someone who was taking the whole of the network on a very fancy date with his nice suit and actually tamed hair for once.]

Good evening, imPorts! The Ambassador Elections for Maurtia Falls is fast approaching! Some of you may or may not have heard yet, but here I would like to formally both introduce myself and announce my candidacy.

I am Dio Brando, resident of Maurtia Falls for a good half of a year now, lawyer, and vampire. That's right, a real bloodsucking lawyer, let's just get the joke out now. [No really, go ahead, get it out of your system. Dio gives a pause here just for that before taking in a breath, a smile still on his face as he continues something he's rehearsed a few times in his head.] In any case. I am seeking the office of Ambassador for Maurtia Falls for a few reasons. Related to my condition, I have come to appreciate much about the Falls and it's later schedules than other Porter cities, but let us not dance around the fact that Maurtia Falls has a reputation for nighttime shenanigans. I hope to work with Mayor Baelish to oversee the nocturnal hours and make the night safe for imPorts and natives alike.

My second focus then is on... well. Us non-human imPorts.

Have a hard time finding a bank open during your hours? Tired of the stares from onlookers when you simply look the way that you do? Stuck wishing you could feel more 'normal'? Have diet limitations that make dining out, or even dining in hard? These kinds of things are issues that I not only am subject to myself, but also have met numerous imPorts experiencing something similar. I would love the opportunity to help in integrating not only the human or near-human imPorts with the native population, but also make it more feasible for the quite clearly non-human to not only function, but to work alongside natives and our human-adjacent imPort brethren, without feeling forced to wear a disguise.

I am not going to make any promises other than the promise to work on these things with help from the imPort community, the native community, law enforcement, and our host government.

That being said, I'd love to answer your questions on my stances, or... on whatever else. I know you all tend to be very inquisitive. [At that, he leans back in his seat, simply preparing himself. This was going to be a test of his willpower and he KNOWS it.]

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Those sound like very worthy aspirations.

[ Hello, Dio. Meet one of your competitors. ]

It was common in my home galaxy for accommodations to be made for many races, as that was expected there, but I have seen that that is not the case here. Have you thought of anything specific that would help improve that situation?

[Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition! Right? Sure.]

In all honesty, I am hoping that other non-humans can come to me with specific accommodation that they'd like to see, and then working alongside a number of my allies to make those things a reality! My own ideas are admittedly revolving around the issues of the nocturnal, first by making the nights of Maurtia Falls as safe as possible for the majority, and then seeing how profitable I can make it for business owners to extend their hours into the night.

As for the issue of having to hide your true forms, I'm hoping to simply help non-human imPorts awareness to be raised. We are not very different from humans, after all. We have hopes and dreams, loves and fears. To allow people to see this side of us, perhaps in time they'll come to accept us as we are, so that we may be ourselves.

After all, we too want to be accepted.

[ If she knew Dooku were behind him it would be a Lot Less Friendly, let's be honest. But she doesn't! So all friendly, and she's genuinely interested in his answer. ]

It's not an aspect of things I'd considered, though I should have. And of course all non-human Imports deserve to be considered and able to live their lives easily.

Do you know others who have similar concerns? Perhaps a group could be set up specifically to deal with that, regardless of who wins. I am glad they have found a champion in you.

A fine address, my friend. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish as Ambassador, and wish you the best of luck in your campaign.

I would like to ask what thoughts you have regarding how the 'shenanigans' of Maurtia Falls, as you put it, might be curtailed.

Thank you. I am simply putting my thoughts and position out there.

My idea on curtailing Maurtia Falls' shady reputation starts with an imPort law enforcement type group, as I had once discussed with Mayor Baelish. After all, there are those in our number who contribute to the crime, and native law enforcement would most certainly have a hard time keeping up.

That being said, I would like to make the night more well-lit and well-traveled as well. More light to illuminate the dark corners and fewer places where one can be left without eyes upon them.

[Of course, this was mostly for his own purposes, but as long as he was in charge of it, he could still get away with anything.]

A new team on the side of order would be a welcome policy. I previously discussed the topic with Mayor Baelish after his election, in fact. I have often felt that our community could do with more discipline and organization in how we defend ourselves.

Am I correct in understanding you intend to work closely with Baelish's office, then?

Yes, our community especially I feel needs to police itself. We cannot expect the native population to know how to deal with us, nevermind stand up to our powers. the best thing we can do is control our own undesirables and offer help to the natives in controlling theirs.

Yes, Mayor Baelish and I will be working in tandem! He is a good acquaintance of mine, and I hope that our professional relationship can bring much to Maurtia Falls.

Trust me when I say that your relationship with him is a powerful asset. I have had the pleasure of working closely with him myself. He is one of the most effective leaders we imPorts have.

I quite agree that we cannot depend upon the natives to manage their problems, let alone our own. We are the best hope for controlling the bad elements in our community, and combating the corruption in Maurtia Falls.

[ It's easier for Ash to access the network wirelessly rather than use his phone camera, so Dio just gets an Irish accented voice for now. ]

Are there many of us who aren't human? I've only just got here, I didn't even know there were elections happening. [ Or that vampires, you know, existed. ] Do we have to register to vote?

There are a good amount of non-humans among our population! It is hard to see it, because most of us feel a need to disguise our true forms- not myself, I really just look human- but there are any number of non-humans, from aliens to robots, vampires to ghouls. There are enough of us who require sustenance from humans for a cafe to exist which caters to us, and that leads me to believe that there could be even more than even I am aware of!

All imPorts can vote, registered or not. There is not much needed as documentation, we imPorts have very little in that way anyway.

I didn't know so many kinds of non-humans existed. I don't think they do, where I come from. Aside from ones like me.

Yeah, I don't really have any identification anyway. [ Here or back on his version of Earth. There was his ownership manual, and his warranty and terms of service agreement, but he didn't have those, really. Martha did. ] I've never voted before. Are there many people running?

Well, congratulations.

I'm always glad to see someone championing the forgotten among our population. How do you plan to incentivize people and businesses to be more accommodating?

I believe that raising awareness is a start for accommodations, but I also hope that with some time I can offer some funding for those who are willing to make things more accessible. Business-wise, anyway.

As for the general populace, the best option is to normalize being non-human. Educate the public and let them see that we are not so different. A little empathy goes a long way.

Edited 2018-01-06 18:34 (UTC)

That's true. How are you going to do that? [ A laugh. ] I'm a republican, so it's always tax breaks, tax breaks. I'm always curious to hear how people plan to implement their policies.

You can call me a nerd for it, if you want.

Of course. No one enjoys taxes, after all! And my good man, I am a lawyer, I've no room to call you a 'nerd'.

I believe that the best way to implement these things, or to at least fund them, will be to begin with fundraising events, possibly utilizing the fame that imPorts draw. Otherwise, I hope to bring business to Maurtia Falls. It is already a great destination for those looking for a wild weekend, or even those looking to enjoy our fine dining establishments.

More business means that we can raise funds without raising any taxes.

[ Ugh, a COMPETETOR. ]

You think you can bring horse blood into the restaurants then?

Well, I'd prefer it if I didn't have to bring anything into restaurants. It'd be lovely if it was served, though I am not expecting such a thing, certainly! It would not be profitable from a business standpoint to keep it in stock for a very small part of the population!

Really, I'd be content with later business hours though. I have been taking care of myself in terms of feeding, but that bank example is a real life frustration that I most certainly suffer from, and have heard that others do as well.

[ What did Edd say about these candidates? This just prove him right, they are all terrible, including Edd. At least Edd provided with the explanation that nothing good will happen. ]

No horse blood then?

No horse blood.

[Dio is definitely terrible and he KNOWS it. He's just trying to put up a good front ok. That's politics!]

This is why you should vote for me, you'll never be disappointed as I never make promises I know I won't keep.

A lack of ambition is not actually a positive trait in an Ambassador, you understand? What do you hope to get out of running for office? Getting a fancy title? Maybe a nice mahogany desk? How do you intend to perform your duties?

Just "oh, don't worry I don't plan to do anything"?

You starve a man on promises.

[ Basically his point. Ambassadorship is not the same as any position in office. It's about as useful as a septon - answerable to no one as far as Edd can understand it, aside whatever fancy notions that can be answerable but really isn't. ]

Only if you do not follow through. I assure, I have every intention of doing so. [Which should sound reassuring, but Dio Brando was not a reassuring man for the most part. No, that was a promise.

But how he intended to follow through was best kept to himself for now.]

You get nothing done without making your intent and opinions known in politics.

Not true. I made the promise of throwing away the shackles that is the madness of pumpkin spice lattes.

I have similar dietary restrictions myself. I have to travel across state lines to Nonah at least twice a week.

How would you make that more convenient?

Unfortunately, as I live in Maurtia Falls and will be based there, my focus will be here, however my hope is that there can be a few more of those kinds of cafes opened as is currently available in Nonah. If something like that can be successfully done in Maurtia Falls, perhaps it can be spread to the other Porter cities!

Thankfully, Kaneki Ken has paved the way by making it legal to consume human bodies, granted that we are not killing them, of course.

Is there enough of a market for that to support one in each city? Even Kaneki has to run a cafe for normal people on top of everything.

My hope is that we can integrate a menu for non-humans in otherwise human establishments. Otherwise, smaller businesses are still possible. The demand isn't particularly high, but neither is the supply.

...I would like that. If we could destigmatize it, you know?

My thoughts exactly. It is ever so strange to go to dinner with business associates of mine and order only wine every time. There is a long way to go yet before such a thing is possible, but we have to start if we ever intend to make progress.

[ She huffs, amused. ]

Not as awkward as bringing your own food.

[Oh, this is definitely relevant to his interests. He normally doesn't respond to campaign posts, both because of the number that have run as a joke and because he doesn't want it to look like a public endorsement, but this is one he can't ignore.]

It is heartening to see other non-humans that also wish to assist our not-so-small segment of the imPort population in a very human world. My name is Kang, and I am the Director of SELF - a non-profit organization that aims to help non-humans with any unique requirements they may have, such as diet, housing, and medical care. We have a few programs already established, such as the Well-Dressed Program that collects donations and buys clothing made immediately available to imPorts upon arrival in Cape Canaveral. We also work with several businesses spread out over the four main cities, including a law firm, public health centers, and a butcher shop.

[He includes a link to the organization's website.]

I am interested in hearing what other suggestions you, or any other imPort, may have. We strive to help as many non-human imPorts as possible, but we still need input from the community to ensure that all needs are being addressed.

Ah, this is excellent!

[He will most certainly be looking into this. Knowing there were organizations in place for such a thing meant he could certainly garner some support.]

I would very much be interested in working with your organization in both finding out what kinds of things are necessary to facilitate our non-human brethren, and in actually implementing such things! My current hope is to destigmatize those of use non-humans who require a specific kind of diet. Those of us who require human blood or flesh to survive have a terrible reputation as killers, understandably, but a majority of the ones I've met do not wish to do anything of the sort.

My current ideas include raising awareness and education about us to the native and the human imPort community, as well as possible fund raising opportunities with the assistance of the non-human population. We are not so different, after all, and I believe that showcasing that is a road towards mutual understanding.

In addition, I am a lawyer myself, and would love to associate with your organization if there is any meaningful way for me to do so.

It's an unfortunate truth that many of the Natives fear that which they don't understand. My kind has a bit of a nasty reputation on our world as well, although for different reasons, so I do have some experience in dealing with such matters.

Education is an area we've yet to really touch on beyond a live television interview in the beginnings of SELF, focusing more on immediate needs as we grew. An awareness campaign has been brought up by a few members in the recent months - perhaps I can put you in contact with them? It would benefit them greatly, giving them a different perspective to look at.

[Jonathan is actually showing his natural appearance for a change.]

Yeah, humans are probably going to get weird when they see an alien walking down the street no matter what you do. But hey, dietary accommodation is nice for the people who need that.

[Dio smiles upon seeing it, pleased to see the non-human turnout, honestly.]

You'd be surprised at how adaptable humans can be. They do need to be exposed to it more to be able to accept it more readily, but I think it is something worth working on. Don't you?

I don't want to speak for you, of course. Are you more comfortable the way things are?

[He is genuinely curious, wanting to see what other non-humans think.]

Honestly, the reaction here is way better than it would be back home. I'm used to having to hide. Here at least I'm just mobbed by imPort fans if I go out without a skin suit. But...I don't know. If you have a plan to encourage humans to chill out a bit more, I'm all for it.

You poor bastard. [Foggy is actually wincing in sympathy over here. Yeah, poor vampire lawyer guy.] How much shit do you get for that?

You could say that Maurtia Falls' nighttime rep is well-deserved—there's certainly still a great deal more crime here than there really should be. But I have to ask, exactly what kind of measures are you planning to put into place to make the night safer for everyone? Are you going to focus on the police department, or are you going to try and head crime off at the pass by identifying at-risk youth?

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Video | Announcing!!!

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