(Untitled)

[legendarymadman]

The coming of elections on the island is what they have instead of the turning of the seasons, a way of marking time and watching the island change half-year by half-year. And so Geoffrey finds himself on the stage again, not to start up a new play (but soon, very soon) but to announce the semiannual candidate speeches

Comments

[chasinghumanity]

He was nervous. There was no point denying it. He had put on and taken off five different shirts that morning before settling on one, only to have to change before leaving because he'd sweat through it. Dressing up seemed ingenious, a presentation of an image that wasn't truly Mitchell, but he had tried. The shirt was clean, had buttons and did not involve plaid. He had even tried running a comb through his hair but gave up before too much damage was done. He was who he was; he couldn't, wouldn't change that for a speech

[dogbitesman]

"Always," William said, holding his pen up slightly to get the man's attention. "William de Worde, Tabula Rasa Times. Can you speak to your ability to make those judgements, beyond your affection for the island? After all, I'd say some critical reasoning is required as well, wouldn't you?"

[chasinghumanity]

"Yeah, I know who you are," he said, a quick grin showing his amusement at the novelty of it all before he addressed the question seriously

[dogbitesman]

"What was the worst decision- no, sorry, my mistake," William said. "Technically your rights as a citizen prohibit me from asking that, because it might encourage people to discriminate against you based on it. Well, what did you learn from your worst mistake, without getting into details about what it is if you don't want to, then? Like a question from a job interview, I know, but, well, this rather is, isn't it?"

[chasinghumanity]

"Yeah, that's sort of exactly what it is," Mitchell agreed as he looked down, trying to sort through all his experiences and pick one lesson learned.

Things was, he had made a lot of terrible mistakes. The most recent from home stuck with him though, something he still couldn't fully admit to or begin to make amends for. "I think -- and you might not like this as an answer 'cause it sort of goes back to what I was saying before -- I think the thing I learned is that you're never really alone. You can't make decisions.. in a vacuum, I guess, and not take into account what they do to other people. You've got to take time and talk to people, 'cause you might find others know exactly how to help or can carry some of your burden or know the right answer when you thought you just had to choose between two bad options. There's always more than what you're seeing," he said. "And you've got to work to make yourself see more."

[dogbitesman]

"And you believe you can do a better job of this than the other candidates?" William said.

Like they'd said, it was a job interview, of sorts. Which meant that it was also a kind of competition.

[chasinghumanity]

"Well I wouldn't say better," Mitchell immediately replied. There was a half second pause as he realized the implications of the statement, before he carried on.

"That is I respect the current Council, the previous Councils for what they've done for the community. And I think my fellow candidates would do the best they possibly could in serving the community. But, like I said, about seeing things. We've all got different experiences that make for different perspectives and I think mine would be a good addition. It's up to the people voting to decide who's ultimately the best fit."

[dreamily_luna]

"Hullo Mitchell," says Luna. She's found a pair of pink sunglasses that are very similar to Spectrespecs, and they're pushed up on her forehead. "You want to help non-humans adjusting to island, which is very important, I think, but what sort of non-human are you?" She smiles vaguely.

[chasinghumanity]

Mitchell scrubbed a gloved hand over his mouth quickly to wipe off his smile. Luna Lovegood was asking him questions with little pink sunglasses on. Some things never lost their novelty.

The question took care of that smile better than his hand did. He had known it would be a possibility, standing up here, asking people to trust him and for them to ask why. And what. But it had been a vague possibility that Mitchell had promptly pushed out of his mind. It was a personal question, like asking about your sexuality or religion, and he thought most wouldn't dare ask.

Wrong again.

"Does it matter?" he asked, voice just a little thin as he lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I mean, the point is that we're human here. We're dealing with a new way of life here that we're not wholly used to. That old way of life, whatever we were, whatever we did, is in the past. We've got to leave it behind and think about what it means to be human, not what it means to no longer be something else."

[dreamily_luna]

To Luna, there is very little that classifies as a personal question, for all questions are personal. Perhaps this makes her difficult in some ways, but when that attitude combines with her investigative energy, it's nearly impossible.

"I think it does," she says. "Not being human doesn't make you any less of a person, you know. But if you're not brave enough to talk about your experiences here, how are we to trust you could help others?"

[chasinghumanity]

Right, so. Luna Lovegood. Far less adorable outside of the pages.

Mitchell stiffened slightly, his shoulders growing tense and his face taking on a forced pleasant expression. It wasn't the worst he had ever heard; Hell, he said worse of himself every day. But it wasn't usually out loud while he was on a stage, already nervous.

"I know it doesn't make me less of a being, but I think it's a very personal issue. There's a huge stigma attached to being other than human sometimes. A lot of people have undergone a lot of prejudice, suffered a lot of ugly hatred because they're different. They're sensitive to talking about what they are, were. That's why we need the support group, so people can talk about these kinds of issues in a safe space where they know they're not going to be judged

[dreamily_luna]

Luna thinks about this quietly to herself, chewing on the plastic end of her pen. "I don't believe I called you a coward," she says after a few beats go by. "And I didn't mean to upset you. However, if your stance is that your experiences have brought you here today, I think it's fair to ask more about them." She puts the pen back behind her ear. "No more questions, then," she adds, and sits back down.

[chasinghumanity]

"No, you didn't. You said I wasn't brave enough to do something," he said shortly. "That's a very close thing. And you asked what I was. That's different from my experiences. I've seen a lot and what I was made it possible but it didn't color everything. So, for me, one's a personal issue and one's something else."

[dreamily_luna]

Her head tilts this way, and then that. "Yes, I did say that. It's not the same. You can do all sorts of things while still being afraid of something or the other."

[chasinghumanity]

"Yeah, that's called being brave," Mitchell agreed with a wrinkle in his brow. "Which is what-- Okay, we can argue semantics some other time. I don't wanna take time away from other speakers unless that leads to a question."

[curiously_cora]

"Yes, quite a few of them." Coraline said seriously. "What is your opinion on the blank slate? Do you think that it's reasonable that really, really bad people get an automatic free pass on terrible crimes just because they were brought here?"

Coraline waved her hand before he could even begin to answer. This was Coraline Carter she always had more than one question. "What do you think to giving everyone a vote on the island? What would you do for the children on the island? Why should non-humans get more help and attention than those under sixteen?"