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Post by Hotarubi Deguchi on Sept 15, 2019 20:59:59 GMT -4
((Deguchi's saga, part 4))
For Hotarubi Deguchi, it had taken a long time for her to follow in her father's footsteps. The path had always been there: he was a career politician, now a diet member, offering his full support as a child and caring for her, despite her odd mannerisms and her strange quirk, which had been problems even in her childhood. Unfortunately, once Deguchi's young adult years came around, she rejected all of that, turning her back on her family with a sense of rebelliousness, spurred to anger by those around her who didn't take her seriously due to her quirk and its many downsides: the lisping, the expressions, the occasional unwanted lasers. For years, Deguchi fought back against her father's presence in her life and everything that her father stood for: rule of law, on an obvious level, and perhaps on a less obvious one, the sense that all Japanese people needed to act as good neighbors for one another, a virtue she would later extol. It took the passage of nearly a decade and a traumatic incident hospitalizing her to set her back on the path to help others, as well as herself.
If Deguchi had grown along with the times, become invested in politics at an earlier age, and rigorously applied herself that whole time, she could have been on track to become the nation's youngest mayor. Instead, she'd had to shift into overdrive, rigorously learning law and scoping out the political scene from the most expedient channels, utilizing first her father and then finding out the rest from a worm's eye view.
If in that time she'd discovered that her own home city- Komae, in Tokyo- was in a stable position, she may have been content to leave it that way, perhaps helping her father in his own political maneuvers in an assistant's capacity. Instead, she learned that the small city of Komae, none the less an important political foothold, was in danger of joining a burgeoning anti-quirk movement. The people were scared: they'd seen quirkers kill non-quirkers on television, after all. The day to day heroics of UA's students and the government's heroes... as well as the occasional vigilante, as much as Hotarubi herself was loathe to admit it... shined in her eyes, but they didn't carry the same impact for the people of Japan. What those people understandably felt now was fear, and a government willing to limit quirkers in favor of the status quo of non-quirkers now appealed to a considerable portion of the population.
Her political opponent, a man by the name of Daido Higashide, had a lot of ammunition against her and anyone else who stepped up to oppose him carrying a quirk. Besides criminal quirker organizations in the larger political context, it was an undeniable fact that small gangs of quirkers also existed in Komae. She herself had been a part of one, after all. This posed a near insurmountable obstacle for her to overcome: Higashide would point to her as one of these miscreants, then point to the crime of other such gangs that still persisted in Komae. Beyond that, even putting aside her past behavior, her own dangerous quirk worked against her in such a debate.
Even as she'd received advice from UA's teachers, political heavyweights, and others, she still felt she lacked what she needed to give her the edge when she took the stage to address her opponent and her people before votes opened up Deguchi needed something that would swing the tough votes. As much as Deguchi understood this, she imagined Chieri, a political savvy herself, knew the whole situation herself. Deguchi had reached out to Chieri Momose- a woman who was her junior in age, but her senior in terms of experience in the political realm- seemingly to discuss an endorsement, but just as much, she wanted strategy. Someone who had a broader view than hers, who served at a higher level, like Chieri, could perhaps offer her the advice she needed.
For Tony, she'd sought to show her home-town familiarity and appeal to him with a family diner. For Chieri... she'd hoped to do similar, but campaign truck issues had led to changing her spot to somewhere a little closer to her auto shop. Instead, she found herself at a place advertising itself as a Tropical Cafe, which was a spot better suited for trendy teens than a forty-year-old mayoral hopeful looking to meet with a political insider. Aware of this fact, Deguchi none-the-less kept a suspicious, ear to ear grin, as she ordered herself two servings of shrimp on sub rolls and took a spot near the door, where she could watch through the window for her guest to approach.
Supposedly, Chieri had the sort of gender-ambiguous look that was increasingly popular these days; Deguchi thought she herself had some of that appeal, eschewing skirts for slacks and wearing fashion very similar to a man's... but honestly, the "clown" look to her made the question of her gender hugely unimportant, as she ended up unapproachable regardless. Deguchi hoped she'd recognize her guest from the pictures when she came through the door.
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WC 857
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"Miss-Many-Thread"
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Post by Rosey on Sept 20, 2019 4:08:48 GMT -4
As per usual, Chieri was busy. There was enough to tell and do, especially when you were the insider that informed the outsider. But she had a meeting. With the lack of an assistant, which she had done on purpose, Chieri perfectly knew how to keep up with her own agenda and where she had to be and how that all worked. She did get the information about the change of location, nicely on time, she appreciated that and she also appreciated that her expertise was asked which made her surely less moody than she might have been when it came to random meetings at random times. This conversation she assumed was about something she liked to do and talk about and thus was far less obstructing in her day. Technically it might even be nice to get out of the building for a bit and talk about things she loved. She stared out the window shortly, the person she was about to meet even knew her hate for mornings, so she did not have to go there with a horrible morning mood. She adjusted her black jacket, brushed the invisible dust from her pencil skirt, took her clutch with the papers and keys most likely, checked her reflection once more that her hair was fine and that she had no smudges of whatever it was that had been her breakfast and so on near her lips or the mascara had run out. No she was doing fine, as a representative, you had to look keen and intelligent every time. You have to after all represent the government and the government represented that what the citizens wanted and so would the cycle continue. Chieri was sure that she would tell this to ever person who wanted to be in the government and so on. She waited for the elevator to come, bring her down and to call a taxi when she was outside. On her big smartphone she read the address to the taxi driver and continued to make notes for her appointment and a task list for what she wanted to do for the rest of the day. To be fair, she thought this would not take too long, actually she thought she would do the talking, get a thank you and leave but maybe she had misunderstood the delicate situation. She arrived at the tropical cafe and simply frowned a little, she would not have picked this place for a meeting of importance but it wasn't too busy, had an okay atmosphere that she would be able to appreciate so she simply did not think too bad about it. As long as that atmosphere and the people within there would not disturb anything when it came to the conversation. Someone was looking at her, that must be Deguchi and she quickly walked to the table that was closest to the door, "Good afternoon, I assume you are Deguchi Hotarubi?" She did not even consider to introduce herself, after all, she was invited to come over. |
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Post by Hotarubi Deguchi on Sept 30, 2019 12:46:39 GMT -4
Recognizing her contact at the door, Hotarubi Deguchi waved her over, then pressed the palms of both hands together and leaned her cheek upon the outside of one, in an overblown attempt to look friendly and approachable. "Chieri-san! So good of you to come. I know the arrangements are slightly odd, but I thank you for bearing with me," she chortled. "Still though! Not a bad way to put eyes and ears upon the youths, the future of Japan, after all! Kehehe... heh... " Despite her words, the population of the shop was about split, 50% young people and 50% foreign tourists who could hardly be called "the future of Japan."
It occurred to her that she may have gone a bit too far in assuming Chieri would share her fashion sense. The lady looked much more stylish, between her low-key makeup and sensible skirt. Deguchi pondered if she ought to be wearing similar, but in her mind, she had built a personal brand. People recognized her suit and tie, just as they would a certain fast food mascot's yellow onesie and striped sleeves! She couldn't give up on it now!
"I went ahead and ordered just a short moment ago, but I'll wave down a waiter for you," she encouraged Chieri, then animatedly did just that to allow her companion to place an order. It may be a bit embarrassing, but it was quick to get the job done, at least.
Once the order was placed, Deguchu gave a beaming smile, thankfully just short of literally casting a beam. "It means so much to me that you've taken time out of your busy schedule to meet with me, Chieri-san," she spoke; at this point, it would be hard to ignore how her tongue hung out her mouth most of the time as she spoke. "I want to get straight to businessssss-" she hissed, then clapped her tongue back into her jaw and ceased sizzling. "Ahem. Yes, as you know, this is a busy campaign year across the nation with various holes opening up in government. Call them escapes or shakeups, whatever you like; turbulent times, either way, kehehe... My interest is on the mayoral slot in Komae, Tokyo, my home town. I consider it essential for the future of quirkers- and non-quirkers, of course, but especially the growing quirker population- that we keep anti-quirk sentiment out of Komae's government!"
She crossed her arms and lowered her head slightly. "If only it was so easy! There is still a wide split among the population: progressives who I can easily court on one side, those staunch in their ways on the other. But down that dividing line, the undecided- those I can swing! You've seen how the races have gone throughout the rest of Japan. What do you think a candidate like myself can do to turn that opinion and court undecided voters? What do you think they're looking for?" she questioned.
Chieri had probably expected to get a word in sooner, but Deguchi was the type to tall fast and frequent, perhaps just in order to sound as though she knew what she was talking about. Somewhere in the distance, a server carrying a tray with two sandwiches, both for Deguchi, was looking at the order name and trying to decide how to pronounce it.
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26 Years
Female
"Miss-Many-Thread"
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Post by Rosey on Oct 5, 2019 4:48:37 GMT -4
It was kind of obvious that the person knew her as they waved maybe enthusiastic was the word for it, for her to come over, so she did. When she was sure this was the right person and she got the appropriate thank you for coming and so on, she gave a small smile and went to sit down. She looked around to the people of the shop, simply raised an eyebrow before turning back to Deguchi, surely she thought that it would be fine like she thought before it wasn't too busy and now that she noticed there were tourists, there were certainly not all interested in this conversation. In her own opinion, Chieri was quite the exception for her age to be interested in the political play of Tokyo and the rest of Japan. She had looked very casually Deguchi up and down but she had not said anything about it and appreciated the thought of her wanting to order something and to get the waiter here, "Thank you." As soon as the waiter appeared she ordered an ice coffee and a small sandwich, she might take this moment to have a short lunch break as well, after all, they were in the cafe and Deguchi herself had just ordered. She brushed a piece of her short blonde hair behind her ear and was done to listen to the story, to give advice, eat and leave, or that's how she thought it would go. Surely it was just how she thought it would go but she would not exactly mind if it would take longer, as long as the conversation would be interesting and worth her time. And it seemed that Deguchi knew how to make her warm up to the conversation by thanking her again, which made the young woman smile. She raised again an eyebrow by the status of how Deguchi looked and spoke, she did not entirely mind the suit, it looked at least... slightly professional but how to make speeches if your tongue lolled out? She nodded though as the conversation continued, yes, she knew about the busy campaign year. Hm the mayoral slot in Komae, before she could ask why Komae, it was already explained that it was her home town, that could be good. "Exactly." She stated, short and to the point, anti-quirk sentiment should not have a position in the government, they did not want another failing moment after Semper Fi and so on. As she had thought that there would be a waterfall of questions, she remained quiet for a while, the good thing was that in that period the waiter could bring the sandwiches and later another tray with Chieri her lunch to their table, that meant she would not be interrupted in her speech. "The most important thing that we as the government should do is what the news sometimes lacks to do." She would definitely not hide that she was not a fan of the local newspapers or bloggers for that matter. "We need to share the truth, that's what people want. Don't deny anything that makes you a liar, but explain, your fellow campaign teams would probably do everything to show off that quirkers are wrong and dangerous." Which was maybe a little bit weird to say for the quirkless Chieri but that's why she would understand so well what was going on. "Don't make tragedies, less of a tragedy but explain why people are like caged, a mouse in front of a lion and a cat in danger can make very weird jumps to just get their freedom back, make the actions more reasonable, show the world that quirks is just another step on the stage of a greater world, how easy things become, how much economic growth would come to us, everything that makes even the anti-quirker doubt themselves because they did not get the right information. But most of all, don't lie."Making stories better or worse that's what politicians did, but the thing is that eventually, unfortunately that took mostly years, the truth would come out and it was now up to Deguchi to spread the truth already. "Make the people, no matter what group, feel that you are listening to them and that you are trying to make everyone happy, it is good to point out that this is not a zero-sum game, that everyone can be happy but it takes time and effort and that everyone should invest into that."Yes, she liked how she explained this and she hoped her companion had ideas now. |
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Post by Hotarubi Deguchi on Oct 25, 2019 19:31:32 GMT -4
The meetup with Chieri went swimmingly enough to start: after all, Hotarubi agreed that the media ought to act in the interest of public information and avoid spreading rumors or scandals. Honesty was important, of course. However, as Chieri kept at it, the junior Deguchi found herself sinking into her shoulders slightly, thinking about what honesty meant for her campaign at the moment. She had grown up in a street gang where she'd been a daily perpetrator of vandalism and violence. For the past 20 years or so, she had been clean as a whistle... until she had upset it all by hocking a laser in a public park. That part wasn't public record and could ruin her if it spread around. She debated internally if she should get out in front of it or hope the issue passed by without incident... The mayoral hopeful decided this might be a good point to go over with Libra later that day, with the benefit of attorney-client privilege.
She straightened her tie and raised back into her chair, still grinning as if to hide her nervousness at this particular topic. "It's not a lie so much as it is avoiding particular topics," she encourager herself internally... though, she may have already done too much to sabotage herself. In her last rally, after all, she had deflected the park fire question by making it sound like someone was running a smear campaign against her.
"You've hit upon an important point, Chieri-san. Misinformation has long been the enemy of quirker society. Any time there is some public property damage or something of that nature, people point the finger," she sighed, then realized she was getting dangerously close to lying about her own mishap again. She seized upon a topic change instead.
"You're exactly right; I've tried to model my campaign along those lined, emphasizing how much we lose out on if we treat quirkers with prejudice and suspicion instead of embracing their unique talents. To that end, I've spent a lot of time visiting quirkers, interviewing them, and collecting their stories on video! It's going to be quite the package onsssssss-" she hissed, then stuck her tongue back in and tried again. "-Once my campaign manager puts it all together! Okay, that was a lie itself. I don't have a manager. But I'll be putting it together myself!" Deguchi resolved, raising one finger in declaration.
The previous topic was still weighing on her more than she wanted to admit, which might be evident from the way she seemed to deflate and sullenly drink her coffee. "Eh, well... the problem is, my opponent may not need to lie to overcome me here. You see, I've got a 'checkered past' as they say, or maybe striped is more appropriate in my case," she joked dryly. "I'm sure he will be doing a little bit of stretching the truth too, of course, but he wouldn't need to. I was actually a member of a street gang in Komae, the Striped Snakes, in my teenage years and young adulthood. We got up to, er, a little more than mischief," she reminisced, not looking very proud of the story. With her metal jaw and her unruly hair, combined with her suspicious posture and mannerisms, it was perhaps easier to see her as a gangster than a politician, truthfully.
"Maybe you have some experience seeing politicians running against such odds? How do ythey just... move past that?" Deguchi asked, leaning her cheek upon her hand thoughtfully. She didn't seem to be touching her food, with her mind as occupied as it was. The answer could be more harsh than she wished: namely, that former gang members don't tend to run for office.
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"Miss-Many-Thread"
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Post by Rosey on Oct 30, 2019 16:55:47 GMT -4
Chieri lifted her eyebrow up when Deguchi changed the subject, she was wondering if she had said something that made the other nervous. In general, she would not blame if that was the case but there was a lot you would have to do as a politician to get where you wanted to be, she was sure that everyone had their dark past. She wasn't without but it wasn't the idea to let everyone know that. Her job was to speak, her job wasn't to give everything she had about herself, that would be the job of a mayor though. In the past, enough people have had backlash for things they did when they were a child, a twenty-something and so on, it was a difficult time if you did not want that to happen. She would ask a little later, yes, that would be the best strategy. In general, Chieri wasn't so sure if she would care what happened as long as the issue could be averted or best pushed aside, that should be done more subtle than this was done now though. Hm, she would have to find a point to get back to the conversation, for now, she would just listen and see what Deguchi wanted to point out. But at least she understood that the government was mostly used as a scapegoat and you needed to be hard enough to accept that and let it go. Chieri gave a small smile, "Maybe, in this case, it's only better you don't have a manager, they might represent you wrong, it's good to get the point of view from the quirkers, don't forget to ask the quirkless as well, maybe not for the video but it be good to know what they are bothered about when it comes to the quirkers. I myself don't see the issue about people having quirks or not, just as long as they hold up on the norms and values that we as a society have." She shook her head because that was her whole opinion about the stupid ordeal. She was quite neutral when it came to the setting, everyone that did criminal activities was one, that's about it. This conversation was surprisingly pleasant though and she could see the investigation that Deguchi-san put in the campaign and she liked that. But as she learned rather quickly Deguchi had some worries about the campaign and her opponent. The blonde leaned back and looked at the ceiling while listening, mentally taking notes to see how they could overcome this. She made a soft hmpf sound but there was a smile on her face because of the striped joke, more air came from her nose, so to say. Chieri her blue eyes turned back to the woman and she looked not happy, it was, unfortunately, her neutral face, her heavy eyebrows and the frown between her eyebrows gave that feeling very quickly. She thought about it as Deguchi finally asked it as a question what Chieri her input was, "It is a dangerous game but there is a way to get the opposite team to not use it against you. You use it as an example, why were you in the gang, what did it give you, use it as an example that everyone can do what they want to become, tell them that you were on the streets and them looking up to you now, running for mayor. It could show that you inspire to make it better for the kids out there, for the teens, the homeless, the jobless, to not have to experience that what you did." A small smirk showed up on her face, the right side of her lips curling up a little, "Use what they could use against you, against them, use it as an example." |
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Post by Hotarubi Deguchi on Nov 18, 2019 11:35:20 GMT -4
"True, I should put more time in with the quirkless citizens and figure out how they view quirkers," Deguchi conceded, though she knew in the back of her mind that if she ran into quirk-racists who perceived "annoyances" with quirkers, she'd be the last person they wanted to talk to. Quirks didn't get much more annoying than hers. On the bright side, though, if she managed to talk to a lot of quirkless people without finding too many dissenting opinions, that would be plenty encouraging for her own campaign and could yield good quotes and stories.
Hotarubi Deguchi crossed her arms across the chest of her suit and nodded along with Chieri. "It's true that my campaign is already largely about asking people to look past preconceptions and appeal appearances. Maybe asking them to look past those past errors isn't too much of a stretch," she mused. Of course, there was only so far she could take that angle... people could, for instance, fairly point out that she was only in a gang by her own choice and she had been born into a decent family with all of the opportunities to go into politics earlier. She had stalled her own education and relationships, then started sprinting in her adulthood to catch up. She was really asking more for the people to forgive her and take a chance than she was to acknowledge how far she had come, since it was mostly her own self-generated adversity that she had fought up to this point.
"This campaign would be a lot easier if I could blame my jaw on some kind of bigot or racist," she mused, her eyes carrying a sullen look as she drank a long sip of her drink. Her metal jaw clacked against the cup as she did. "You know, some people still think I look like some kind of gangsssssster these days," she sighed/hissed, finally moving to take a bite of her sandwich. When she did, the bitemark left was strangely angular, as her facial prosthetic had cut it like a scoop, and the bite mark itself was lightly smoked. The ashes of the sandwich disappeared down her throat with little opportunity to taste it.
"The people of Japan are among the finest of the planet!" she suddenly proclaimed. One might have suspected her mouth would be full of food right then, since she'd just eaten, but it had disappeared so thoroughly inside the laser array of her mouth that it was as though she had never taken a bite. "And yet, I feel as though the quirkless population has a hard time putting themselves in the shoes of the quirked population. Some see them as diseases and then, ironically, there is another side of the spectrum that seems them as giving us unfair work and life opportunities, since technically there are government programs designed for us. So whether we are unfortunate or too fortunate simply depends on who you ask," she shrugged. "However, what they don't often think is 'my child could be quirked' or 'my close friend could be hiding a quirk.' I feel like if I could tap into that empathy then my campaign would be open and shut," she thought out loud.
"What about you, Chieri-san? Hopefully I am not getting too personal, but what are your opinions on quirkers?" Deguchi questioned. She wondered if she should use that word, "annoyances," but she really didn't want to frame the question in a negative way. From her chest pocket, she produced a small notepad and pen to take direct quotes.
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"Miss-Many-Thread"
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Post by Rosey on Nov 28, 2019 12:16:16 GMT -4
Chieri ticked with her nails softly against the glass of drink in front of her. It might not be the easiest, "You could always ask assistance of someone else, are you doing everything alone?" Because even without knowing Deguchi her concern, she as a quirkless as well as a member of the government could understand what Deguchi might be thinking: interviewing her sort so to speak was not the easiest thing to do especially not if they were against you already. But their voices must be heard and not forgotten, then and only then would you be able to make a step forward. Showing effort to make sure you will hear everyone, first someone to do it for you, next yourself. It was a strategy, a high game just as the rest of their conversation pointed out. Even if it was not necessary to get assistance for the quirkless interviews, it might be good to have people to be able to count on. Doing the work load in a game like this, you needed friends inside and out to help support and keep your sanity. Unless you were married to your work like she was, in a way.
That's when she pointed out to make an example of the past and she nodded, "Don't call it errors, call it experience and call it something that you wish no one to, so that it is a goal to change for the nation, for the city, for whatever plans you have." Because it was good that it fitted in, past preconceptions, past unknown things. Some things you could not change but to call it errors and to apologize for everything that had not been in your hands was doing a job for people pleasers. And of course as a mayor, as any civil servant that was your duty but you had to stand there and speak the truth as well as make the truth that people want to believe in you and do what you promise. She did after all not know all but Chieri was fierce and she would never want anyone their information to be used against them, "It is life. We don't all pick the right choices, it's human to make mistakes, don't forget that and maybe use that when they try to still use it against you." It was all Chieri could add to the point of their discussion.
She thought about how to find a strategy answer or what they could do about Deguchi her imagine when the woman continued to speak. She frowned but nodded, yes, so it seemed. She mused a little more, "Did you ask a scientist? it is true that the chance for children to be born with a quirk are far higher than years ago, the new generation will have more people than ours." Was it strange to say ours if you look at age different? Well she brushed it away. "It must be pointed out that quirks are given to those who have it, they get it mostly at their birth and that means there is no way to blame them for something they were born with. We don't blame those with blue eyes for having blue eyes, for those with big ears or for the beauty spots on their upper lip. It must be normalized." For sure.
While they were musing on, suddenly the question was directly pointed to her. Which was a little surprise to Chieri, she did not often talk about her own experience when it came to who she was. She gave a small smile as she saw Deguchi immediately take a pen and notepad, good start. "It is not that I find them annoying or that I envy them, I think we should as non-quirkers learn that it is not always a gift and can be pretty damaging or dangerous and that to be honest is what sometimes scare me. The incidents against non-quirkers or people in general, the power that some quirkers hold, it makes me feel really small. But than I tell myself it's only a small percentage world wide and I can't blame everyone for doing such drastic measures with the powers that they have. I also don't blame every killer from years ago for every single crime there is, wouldn't that be the same? Powers or not, blaming a criminal for every bad in the world, I try to stay and be as open minded as I can, the person is not quirked or non-quirked, that person has a name, has a job, has a hobby, has a goal or a family and that makes the person that specific human being and nothing else."
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Post by Hotarubi Deguchi on Dec 7, 2019 14:52:18 GMT -4
For Deguchi, doing all of her own legwork was a point of pride... or perhaps she'd been forced to make it one. Truth be told, her father had many resources that could help her, but in order to become a "self-made politician" she felt it best that she do as much as possible on her own. That said, she was not an especially wealthy individual, and that meant that she was basically her candidate, campaign manager... bodyguard... staff... she really had no underlings to speak of. There were probably others in her old gang who would support her if they could, but she'd burned that bridge very intentionally, with the intent of no one from that life coming back to endanger her political aspirations.
So the only answer was... "Mm hm," she answered simply, raising one eyebrow as she pondered her situation. "I guess I am doing basically everything myself. My whole life is really my job," she answered honestly. From morning to night time, she really did almost nothing but craft her campaign or hit the campaign trail. "It's a bit exhausting, to be honest. But the way I view it: I was given a new lease on life by the people of Japan. I should by all rights be dead already! If I can use all my waking hours to give back to the people of Japan, then it's worth it! That said... I would like having others involved in my campaign," she admitted, taking another sip of her drink. "That's something to think about once I have real funding, though."
Speaking of people that could help her campaign, Chieri had some helpful advice to offer, explaining how Deguchi could better spin her history. "Yes, that's brilliant. That is exactly what I wish for!" she agreed. After all, no matter how she'd gotten there, the fact was that she'd lived as a quirker thug all that time and it hadn't been a glamorous life in any respect. She could at least relate to the youths on that level and use it as a story of caution. Just because her prosthesis didn't come from quirkist violence didn't mean it was useless in this respect; she could still hold it up as a cautionary tale, to illustrate the importance of making sure that the finest education and care were available for quirker children.
She nodded along with Chieri's comments on the quirks people were born with. She understood these things very well, of course; she'd been born with a highly visible, difficult-to-ignore mutation quirk. Still, even with how inconvenient it was, she recognized there were people out there who needed to expend even more effort, fitting into Japanese society with all kinds of unexpected mutations and abilities. "The hard part is getting everyone else to understand it," she thought to herself bitterly. If her opponent, Higashide, had a child born with a striped tongue, coughing up lasers, he probably wouldn't be trying to limit their career paths, nor levying additional taxes and laws against them, nor arming the government against them...
With these thoughts on her mind, she recorded all that Chieri said about her views on quirkers. Truth be told, Deguchi had a hard time finding the balance on this issue... she liked to refer to all quirks as "gifts," sense to do so put them in a positive light, but her quirk had really never been much of a gift at all. For that matter, if a person can generate fire from their hands, but the government doesn't allow them to use that fire and they are taxed on top of that for it, what kind of gift is that? She underlined where she'd written "gifts" and wrote over it "potential gifts." "Right now, quirks could only be considered 'gifts' for those living outside the law," she spoke frankly, kicking her leg restlessly under the table. "The government won't allow people to use their quirks for any purpose other than, ironically, serving the government in a capacity that puts their very lives on the line. Heroes- and future generations of heroes, now students- truly have a paradoxical task in front of them, to serve and protect such thankless people," she murmured, looking irritable.
Realizing the look on her face, she shook her head and put a smile back on. "Don't worry! What I just said isn't going straight into my speech like that, ha ha ha... I don't think I'd win a lot of friends from the quirkless community if I wore an angry face and preached at them. Just ssssss-" she paused, fixing her tongue, then continued, "-something that's on my mind."
Seeing as they'd finished their meals by this point and she'd managed to take good quotes and notes, Deguchi put her pad back into her suit's chest pocket and rose to shake hands. "Thank you for helping me avoid some of those pratfalls. When you say something dumb in front of a friend, you have a chance to mold it a little after it's left your mouth... when you say it in front of a bunch of microphones and cameras, it's not so easy. Best to do the work up front," she laughed, figuring Chieri knew plenty about that already. She extended her hands for another shake. "I know you're busy, so I won't take up any more of your time."
From the meeting, Deguchi had learned that no matter how strong her feelings and how obvious it was to her that quirkers needed support and protection, the difficult part was going to be tapping into the viewpoint (and the vote) of the quirkless. Some of them already empathized and some were ready to empathize. She was essentially asking them to give up a little, in the form not only of taxes, but also their past way of life, in order to embrace the new and weird world of quirkers. She just hoped that both sides could make the most of the opportunity... she'd seen gang wars fought for a lot less, and she didn't want to see any such thing applied to the scale of the entirety of Japan.
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WC 1025
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1,835 Posts
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26 Years
Female
"Miss-Many-Thread"
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Post by Rosey on Dec 12, 2019 18:15:03 GMT -4
Chieri believed that Deguchi was smart enough to understand her point of view. She wasn't exactly sure what her opinion was in the whole setting. She did not mind quirkers much so the anti-quirk rise was something that she was against but the whole setting made her neutral when it came to Deguchi and she had not paid enough to the opposition. If he was indeed anti-quirk than surely Chieri would support Deguchi more, which was why she had given some of her information to the other woman. With Deguchi her sincerity, she was sure she would be fine. A soft chuckle escaped her, "My life is my job as well, so I know what you mean." But she listened on and nodded, the funding might be an issue but she would be sure that Deguchi would find a solution. After all she had asked her as well, which did not happen a lot.
The PR woman was actually glad she could give some useful advice to her senior. She wasn't very aware of how campaigning worked but she was quite aware of what people wanted to hear so that helped and that was the advice to put a spin on Deguchi her past. So people could learn from it and look at the outcome instead of the past. She gave her own point of view as the little interview that she pushed Deguchi to do to not forget the opinion of the quirkless. "It's not bad to think about what to say and how to say it, to make sure that what you want to say comes over in the appropriate way. Do not underestimate the power of words and the message you try to confide." More she could not say and that's why she decided to leave as she was sure their conversation was over and Deguchi had a lot to think about. She shook the woman her hand when she seemed to understand the business and the need of time, she was sure Deguchi her time was valuable for herself as well, if she did a lot for the campaing. "I wish you good luck, I am sure you will do fine. You seem to know exactly already how to form your words and speeches and why it is so important." Because indeed, you could not reshape it and a sorry wouldn't provide enough and would be a disaster. She got up and paid for her drink and left shortly after.
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348 Posts
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"Busty"
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Post by Busty on Dec 14, 2019 15:42:49 GMT -4
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