((Faith C. Marshal-Mackenzie, memory one))
Current Mindworm:
CaspianReport - Geostrategy of the India-Pakistan standoff in Kashmir
Playing the role of nanny state to the tyranny of Aurora Bay's majority was actually an overhated lot in life, Faith's honest opinion. Or maybe the laggards like Miss Piña Colada spending most of their time sleeping on the job made it seem like nobody took their civic duty seriously. Counterfactual: even most of the kids who did take their job seriously did it wrong anyways. Classic lefty activist mindset: get the job for the clout, not for the work. SMH her head, etc.
This year student council had, through a torturous process of pointless bureaucracy, had agreed after three weeks of meetings to be functional enough to offer weekly office hours for students to collate potential flashpoint issues and petty greivances and everything in between. Mostly though, the petty greivances, especially those student council had no constitutional ability to do anything about.
Faith was proud of relaxing the rules around bathroom permissions for the year though. That one had been a long back and forth between the council and the teachers, and the wheelchair-bound students who had petitioned for it had just wheeled out, thanking her for the job well done. One thanks, cursory, but more than enough by Faith's standards. They'd gotten the job done, all that mattered and everything else was white noise.
Well, minus the part where she had to log the remainder of the minutes of their debrief. Secretarial role and all that. She sat at a stool beside one of the chemistry lab's benches, the classroom Student Council usually sequestered after school hours. She was dead still, focus heavy on her relaxed yet intense scrying of the neatly scrawled page of notes under her nose. The atmosphere of the classroom was swollen ripe with idle conversations Faith wasn't part of, a few of the other Student Council kids who were still around doing whatever it was they were wont to do, degrees of productivity unknown.
on and on and on it goes (your heart is black and mine is gold)
early-Junior year, Student Council office hours. Open, tagging Fiori!
on and on and on it goes (your heart is black and mine is gold)
Upcoming:
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
"...and THAT is why I think it's imperative that the school council takes action immediately! There's so many ways a sports mascot can serve as an antifascist icon without implicitly endorsing neoliberal imperialism!"
Vera took a moment to catch her breath, looking up from her tablet into the bathroom mirror. That was the third time she had rehearsed her upcoming soapbox routine, seventh if one counted the various practice runs she did the night before. And despite it all, she still felt ill prepared for what was to come next.
She stared at her reflection, tilting her head slightly to observe the way her long blonde hair draped over her shoulders. Part of her had been meaning to get a haircut for a while now, maybe even try out a new style. Perhaps even go so far as changing her hair color, go for something dramatic like... Black? No, god forbid, wouldn't want people to start thinking she'd gone goth all of a sudden. Maybe... Red? Not ginger, but a bright vivid red. That could work...
Either way, best to put those thoughts aside, stop distracting herself from the task at hand. Vera wasn't looking forward to the path she was about to undertake, knowing full well that it was unlikely to make her many friends at Aurora High. But... Gosh dangit, something had to be done, and she seemed to be the only one willing to say anything. She couldn't be the only one who felt strongly about this, so maybe others would speak up too after she'd made her case? That's what she was hoping for, anyway.
Vera sighed, taking a deep breath as she looked herself in the eyes. "Showtime."
On that note, she spun on her heels and swiftly exited the school bathroom, striding towards the chemistry lab with her tablet in tow. All she needed to do was walk in, go through her notes just as she had practiced, and get the ball rolling. Simple, right?
She stopped once she reached the classroom door, keeping her chin up and back straight as she took a moment to compose herself, before confidently making her way inside.
"Heello? Is it too late to..." Vera began, stopping in her tracks once she saw who was sitting behind the desk ahead of her.
Vera took a moment to catch her breath, looking up from her tablet into the bathroom mirror. That was the third time she had rehearsed her upcoming soapbox routine, seventh if one counted the various practice runs she did the night before. And despite it all, she still felt ill prepared for what was to come next.
She stared at her reflection, tilting her head slightly to observe the way her long blonde hair draped over her shoulders. Part of her had been meaning to get a haircut for a while now, maybe even try out a new style. Perhaps even go so far as changing her hair color, go for something dramatic like... Black? No, god forbid, wouldn't want people to start thinking she'd gone goth all of a sudden. Maybe... Red? Not ginger, but a bright vivid red. That could work...
Either way, best to put those thoughts aside, stop distracting herself from the task at hand. Vera wasn't looking forward to the path she was about to undertake, knowing full well that it was unlikely to make her many friends at Aurora High. But... Gosh dangit, something had to be done, and she seemed to be the only one willing to say anything. She couldn't be the only one who felt strongly about this, so maybe others would speak up too after she'd made her case? That's what she was hoping for, anyway.
Vera sighed, taking a deep breath as she looked herself in the eyes. "Showtime."
On that note, she spun on her heels and swiftly exited the school bathroom, striding towards the chemistry lab with her tablet in tow. All she needed to do was walk in, go through her notes just as she had practiced, and get the ball rolling. Simple, right?
She stopped once she reached the classroom door, keeping her chin up and back straight as she took a moment to compose herself, before confidently making her way inside.
"Heello? Is it too late to..." Vera began, stopping in her tracks once she saw who was sitting behind the desk ahead of her.
Kicking Akamatsu in the face since 2010
Her pen clicked softly, a single dry fingersnap sound as she set it on the lab bench.
Current Mindworm:
Zach Bryan - Oklahoma Smokeshow
In theory Faith was the last person in the room who should've been engaging a student in official business. She had something to do, nobody else in the room really did.
Faith's deep gray gaze efficiently drunk in the scene. Nobody bothering to drag themselves out of their idle conversations. Juliette nowhere to be seen. So yep, this one was one-hundred percent hers despite the theoretical wrongness of it. So Faith nodded once, leaned forward with her elbows resting on the cold.
"Council's still in session, not too late." A friendly nod, a cheerful tone. Polite, until she more casually slung her next assertion like she was trying to take out Goliath with small stones.
"This that mascot thing you've been on about recently?" Faith played it cool, but there was already a less-than-professional curl to the corner of her lip, cat-like.
Current Mindworm:
Zach Bryan - Oklahoma Smokeshow
In theory Faith was the last person in the room who should've been engaging a student in official business. She had something to do, nobody else in the room really did.
Faith's deep gray gaze efficiently drunk in the scene. Nobody bothering to drag themselves out of their idle conversations. Juliette nowhere to be seen. So yep, this one was one-hundred percent hers despite the theoretical wrongness of it. So Faith nodded once, leaned forward with her elbows resting on the cold.
"Council's still in session, not too late." A friendly nod, a cheerful tone. Polite, until she more casually slung her next assertion like she was trying to take out Goliath with small stones.
"This that mascot thing you've been on about recently?" Faith played it cool, but there was already a less-than-professional curl to the corner of her lip, cat-like.
Upcoming:
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
Typical. Out of everyone on the school council who could've heard her out, it had to be her.
Vera knew that was always a possibility, she wasn't exactly unaware of Faith's presence on the council. It was partly her fault that Vera was here in the first place. She'd hoped that she could take this directly to Juliette, or someone else entirely, avoid having to go through the secretary altogether.
But... C'est la vie.
"As a matter of fact, yes" Vera replied with a forced smile, making her way inside with her tablet in tow.
"As I'm sure you're aware, I've had some... Concerns, shall we say, with the school's decision to stick with The General as its mascot. And - as per your suggestion, I might add - I've decided to bring these concerns forward to see what the council can do to alleviate them."
She stood up straight, doing her best to project an air of confidence as she readied herself.
"Now then, I..." Vera began, before glancing down at her tablet to see that it had entered sleep mode. "Shoot, one moment" she sighs, brows furrowed as she tapped her fingers against the screen.
"How's your old man holding up? Heard there was an incident down at the range" she asks, in an attempt to break the silence as she rapidly typed in passwords.
Vera knew that was always a possibility, she wasn't exactly unaware of Faith's presence on the council. It was partly her fault that Vera was here in the first place. She'd hoped that she could take this directly to Juliette, or someone else entirely, avoid having to go through the secretary altogether.
But... C'est la vie.
"As a matter of fact, yes" Vera replied with a forced smile, making her way inside with her tablet in tow.
"As I'm sure you're aware, I've had some... Concerns, shall we say, with the school's decision to stick with The General as its mascot. And - as per your suggestion, I might add - I've decided to bring these concerns forward to see what the council can do to alleviate them."
She stood up straight, doing her best to project an air of confidence as she readied herself.
"Now then, I..." Vera began, before glancing down at her tablet to see that it had entered sleep mode. "Shoot, one moment" she sighs, brows furrowed as she tapped her fingers against the screen.
"How's your old man holding up? Heard there was an incident down at the range" she asks, in an attempt to break the silence as she rapidly typed in passwords.
Kicking Akamatsu in the face since 2010
Current Mindworm:
Jason Aldean - Dirt Road Anthem
Just a moment of looking like a jackass for the bantz. That was all Faith permitted herself, then she gladly snuffed out everything about herself but the professionalism.
Outwardly so, anyways. Her own mind was a place where free speech was paramount. Sort of free speech that went 'nice time waster you got for me here, jackass'. Typical lib bullshit job creation to siphon money to welfare queens, many such cases.
Faith's lips idled, barely opening and closing as she read off the checklists in her head, the student government handbook that existed both verbatim and in lived experience, a spaghetti pile of exceptions and 'nobody cares about enforcing this boomer crap' written in the margins of her mind in neat script.
"Glad you took my suggestion to heart."
And fully ignored the parts where she'd personally pointed out in excruciating detail the challenges to her crusade against all windmills ever.
"Dad's doing alright. He was actually talking about planning a trip with your dad at some point, some kinda dudes only hunting jaunt in Pueblo. Colorado." Tacked on at the end quick, very purposely passive aggressive while remaining plausibly information that was intended to help and not to jab at socialists not knowing maps. Lest any of them ever be capable of pointing out where their SJW cause was actually happening on the globe and not missing by a hemisphere.
"Pronghorn. I've never had the opportunity. Kinda ass for them to not have invited anyone else but I'm guessing cost per head would've gotten prohibitive for your dad to cover."
The small talk was much more for Vera's sake than because Faith was actually interested in reminding Vera that her own family existed and did things besides passively fund her lifestyle.
"So like I mentioned last time, did you do any sort of student body survey? To make a case we need signatures."
Jason Aldean - Dirt Road Anthem
Just a moment of looking like a jackass for the bantz. That was all Faith permitted herself, then she gladly snuffed out everything about herself but the professionalism.
Outwardly so, anyways. Her own mind was a place where free speech was paramount. Sort of free speech that went 'nice time waster you got for me here, jackass'. Typical lib bullshit job creation to siphon money to welfare queens, many such cases.
Faith's lips idled, barely opening and closing as she read off the checklists in her head, the student government handbook that existed both verbatim and in lived experience, a spaghetti pile of exceptions and 'nobody cares about enforcing this boomer crap' written in the margins of her mind in neat script.
"Glad you took my suggestion to heart."
And fully ignored the parts where she'd personally pointed out in excruciating detail the challenges to her crusade against all windmills ever.
"Dad's doing alright. He was actually talking about planning a trip with your dad at some point, some kinda dudes only hunting jaunt in Pueblo. Colorado." Tacked on at the end quick, very purposely passive aggressive while remaining plausibly information that was intended to help and not to jab at socialists not knowing maps. Lest any of them ever be capable of pointing out where their SJW cause was actually happening on the globe and not missing by a hemisphere.
"Pronghorn. I've never had the opportunity. Kinda ass for them to not have invited anyone else but I'm guessing cost per head would've gotten prohibitive for your dad to cover."
The small talk was much more for Vera's sake than because Faith was actually interested in reminding Vera that her own family existed and did things besides passively fund her lifestyle.
"So like I mentioned last time, did you do any sort of student body survey? To make a case we need signatures."
Upcoming:
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
"So I heard, yeah" Vera replied when Faith mentioned her father's upcoming hunting trip, idly tapping away at her tablet to get the appropriate documents up.
Ah yes, the mighty pronghorn. What better way for her beloved father to assert his masculinity than by gunning down some hapless beast. Faith's bitterness over not getting invited didn't surprise Vera in the slightest.
"Is that so? Think my brother got an invite, but might be thinking of something else..." she added with a quick shrug. "Suppose it'd be against the spirit of a 'dudes only' trip if the likes of us were welcome to tag along."
She looked up at Faith, her lips curling into a smug grin when she asked about the signatures. "Ooh, you betcha" she replied, sliding her tablet along the table to reveal a scanned copy of her petition. "Twenty-seven signatures, in total. Which might not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but I believe that's enough to prove my concerns aren't isolated."
Granted, most of those signatures were from freshmen. Hardly any of the seniors gave her the light of day, and most of her year group either ignored her outright or laughed her petition off. Even her more progressive peers seemed dismissive of her concerns, probably because they had bought into the idea that a militaristic figurehead somehow opposed fascism instead of promoting it.
Ah yes, the mighty pronghorn. What better way for her beloved father to assert his masculinity than by gunning down some hapless beast. Faith's bitterness over not getting invited didn't surprise Vera in the slightest.
"Is that so? Think my brother got an invite, but might be thinking of something else..." she added with a quick shrug. "Suppose it'd be against the spirit of a 'dudes only' trip if the likes of us were welcome to tag along."
She looked up at Faith, her lips curling into a smug grin when she asked about the signatures. "Ooh, you betcha" she replied, sliding her tablet along the table to reveal a scanned copy of her petition. "Twenty-seven signatures, in total. Which might not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but I believe that's enough to prove my concerns aren't isolated."
Granted, most of those signatures were from freshmen. Hardly any of the seniors gave her the light of day, and most of her year group either ignored her outright or laughed her petition off. Even her more progressive peers seemed dismissive of her concerns, probably because they had bought into the idea that a militaristic figurehead somehow opposed fascism instead of promoting it.
Kicking Akamatsu in the face since 2010
Current Mindworm:
One and a million 
#fyp #foryou #hunting #whitetail #fawn #deer #fearthedeer #bowhunting #foryoupage
"That's one way to put it," Faith idly replied. Funny, she'd figured that Vera might have had sharper words if she'd been less distracted. Knife in the back of hunting as a non-ethical practice, or a stab at hashtag toxic masculinity being when men occasionally didn't want to have other women around.
Faith was taking notes sporadically with efficient strokes of her pen. She recorded a few names from the petition PDF Vera was showing her, her mind parallel processing if any of them were familiar.
"That's a good amount," Faith nodded, without looking up from her work. "We can work with that."
Faith looked up and locked gazes. Her remained passively and respectfully blank. If Vera pulled this off, if being the word carrying the weight of the world on its shoulders, Faith had every intent to give respect where it was due.
"Given the magnitude of your cause-" Vera's crusade being a burden onto school administrators: budget, PR, and general good taste, "we'd want more weight behind the petition. To get eyeballs onto it from higher ups. To get to the negotiation room we need an actually open door, all that."
Faith gave Vera's cause serious thought, idly wondering if Vera herself had done the same.
"If you can get a couple of the people who signed off to agree to give personal testimony that should do it. Just signatures won't be enough for to get people seriously considering this big an ask, they'll conveniently lose the petition without a second thought." Big government, not even once. "Or if you managed to get anything else besides your own opinions in concrete form."
One and a million 
#fyp #foryou #hunting #whitetail #fawn #deer #fearthedeer #bowhunting #foryoupage"That's one way to put it," Faith idly replied. Funny, she'd figured that Vera might have had sharper words if she'd been less distracted. Knife in the back of hunting as a non-ethical practice, or a stab at hashtag toxic masculinity being when men occasionally didn't want to have other women around.
Faith was taking notes sporadically with efficient strokes of her pen. She recorded a few names from the petition PDF Vera was showing her, her mind parallel processing if any of them were familiar.
"That's a good amount," Faith nodded, without looking up from her work. "We can work with that."
Faith looked up and locked gazes. Her remained passively and respectfully blank. If Vera pulled this off, if being the word carrying the weight of the world on its shoulders, Faith had every intent to give respect where it was due.
"Given the magnitude of your cause-" Vera's crusade being a burden onto school administrators: budget, PR, and general good taste, "we'd want more weight behind the petition. To get eyeballs onto it from higher ups. To get to the negotiation room we need an actually open door, all that."
Faith gave Vera's cause serious thought, idly wondering if Vera herself had done the same.
"If you can get a couple of the people who signed off to agree to give personal testimony that should do it. Just signatures won't be enough for to get people seriously considering this big an ask, they'll conveniently lose the petition without a second thought." Big government, not even once. "Or if you managed to get anything else besides your own opinions in concrete form."
Upcoming:
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
Vera gazed right back, eyes maintaining contact with Faith's. She couldn't help but think back to the staring contests they engaged in as kids.
She blinked however at the mention of further testimonies, the briefest hint of nervousness in her eyes.
Asking someone to spend a few seconds signing a petition was one thing, but to ask that same person to elaborate in detail? That wasn't going to be an easy sell. Hell, it was hard enough finding 27 students who were willing to listen, let alone sign the damn thing. She had a horrible feeling that few if any of her signees were invested enough to put that extra bit of effort in.
The sad truth was, most of her classmates didn't really care one way or another. And in all honesty, there were times during this whole ordeal where she questioned whether it was really worth the effort herself. It was just a stupid mascot, after all. Was it really that big a deal?
But then she thought back. Back to when her father boasted about his hunting trophies, whilst teenagers were slaughtering one another in a sick tribute to social darwinism. Back to when her mother complained about her favourite boutique getting burnt to the ground, whilst reporters were being arrested live on television. Back to all the times her brother complained about Hollywood becoming woke and political, for the sheer audacity of casting women and POC actors in roles traditionally reserved for white men.
Vera had spent her entire life passively ignoring the things that bothered her. But unlike some of her peers, she had moved past her childhood ignorance. She was an adult now... More or less. She wasn't going to stay quiet, not anymore, even if it meant rolling that boulder up a hill all by herself.
So she smiled, and took back her tablet. "Consider it done."
She blinked however at the mention of further testimonies, the briefest hint of nervousness in her eyes.
Asking someone to spend a few seconds signing a petition was one thing, but to ask that same person to elaborate in detail? That wasn't going to be an easy sell. Hell, it was hard enough finding 27 students who were willing to listen, let alone sign the damn thing. She had a horrible feeling that few if any of her signees were invested enough to put that extra bit of effort in.
The sad truth was, most of her classmates didn't really care one way or another. And in all honesty, there were times during this whole ordeal where she questioned whether it was really worth the effort herself. It was just a stupid mascot, after all. Was it really that big a deal?
But then she thought back. Back to when her father boasted about his hunting trophies, whilst teenagers were slaughtering one another in a sick tribute to social darwinism. Back to when her mother complained about her favourite boutique getting burnt to the ground, whilst reporters were being arrested live on television. Back to all the times her brother complained about Hollywood becoming woke and political, for the sheer audacity of casting women and POC actors in roles traditionally reserved for white men.
Vera had spent her entire life passively ignoring the things that bothered her. But unlike some of her peers, she had moved past her childhood ignorance. She was an adult now... More or less. She wasn't going to stay quiet, not anymore, even if it meant rolling that boulder up a hill all by herself.
So she smiled, and took back her tablet. "Consider it done."
Kicking Akamatsu in the face since 2010
Current Mindworm:
Handguns VS Ballistic Torso!
'Dad taught me how to win any staring contest, watch! You just have to hold your head like this, and then, when you look at the other girl you have to look a little bit past their eye, its a trick!'
The intensity of their gazes didn't match, memories aside. Bright faced youth had become the off-brand used by politicans- though, Faith didn't like to think she was that fake. Just measured. She wasn't a city slicker woke Dem, after all.
Vera looked a bit taken aback, by what, Faith couldn't hazard a guess at. But it was Faith's job to help Vera, not to speculate at the shortcomings in her approach. Succeed or fail, Faith was in it for the long haul, if only because she doubted by this point that any of her peers in the room were going to suddenly develop the situational awareness for or interest in helping out a student in need.
Faith missed Juliette. At the very least Vera might have gotten some sense of the magnitude of what she was asking if it was a face she didn't pettily hate trying to process her case.
"Alright, so that's the petition." Faith held up a hand, trying to stall the vanishing of the tablet into Vera's bag of holding. "Do you have anything that, say, documents your thought process and provides evidence of your concerns about The General? We don't need MLA or APA or anything like that, but some links to sources and a proper write up to summarize and highlight key points. A petition like this is going to escalate up the ladder to school admin for sure, so we need as much in writing as we can have."
A pause for air, longer than the others, longer than brief. Paragraph format in real life.
"Wouldn't hurt-" and by that Faith meant without saying it, essential to have, "if you had a draft of your plans for replacement too. Estimated budget, actionables, so on."
Handguns VS Ballistic Torso!
'Dad taught me how to win any staring contest, watch! You just have to hold your head like this, and then, when you look at the other girl you have to look a little bit past their eye, its a trick!'
The intensity of their gazes didn't match, memories aside. Bright faced youth had become the off-brand used by politicans- though, Faith didn't like to think she was that fake. Just measured. She wasn't a city slicker woke Dem, after all.
Vera looked a bit taken aback, by what, Faith couldn't hazard a guess at. But it was Faith's job to help Vera, not to speculate at the shortcomings in her approach. Succeed or fail, Faith was in it for the long haul, if only because she doubted by this point that any of her peers in the room were going to suddenly develop the situational awareness for or interest in helping out a student in need.
Faith missed Juliette. At the very least Vera might have gotten some sense of the magnitude of what she was asking if it was a face she didn't pettily hate trying to process her case.
"Alright, so that's the petition." Faith held up a hand, trying to stall the vanishing of the tablet into Vera's bag of holding. "Do you have anything that, say, documents your thought process and provides evidence of your concerns about The General? We don't need MLA or APA or anything like that, but some links to sources and a proper write up to summarize and highlight key points. A petition like this is going to escalate up the ladder to school admin for sure, so we need as much in writing as we can have."
A pause for air, longer than the others, longer than brief. Paragraph format in real life.
"Wouldn't hurt-" and by that Faith meant without saying it, essential to have, "if you had a draft of your plans for replacement too. Estimated budget, actionables, so on."
Upcoming:
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
Vera blinked. "Not... Yet, but it shouldn't take me long to do a write-up."
A part of her expected there to be some extra paperwork required, mentally berating herself for that momentary hint of hesitation. Compiling her thoughts together and listing her key points would be easy enough, heck she'd already written a list of notes and prepared a speech of sorts if necessary.
What she lacked however were sources to back up her concerns. To a certain degree it hadn't occurred to her that they would be necessary for something like this, though in retrospect she could see how citing past incidents and examples would aid her case. Would she even be able to find any relevant sources about the negative effects of inappropriate school mascots?
Well, it was only the other day that she found herself watching a forty minute YouTube documentary about the alt-right's appropriation of Pepe the Frog. If people could write video essays about inanities like that, then surely someone out there must have something credible to say about a silly thing like this?
That was all well and good, but then came the part about drafting plans for a replacement...
"Uuh..." Vera responded, unable to hide the blindsided look in her eyes.
Was that normal? Was she really expected to be the one to figure out the logistics for a replacement? That would be the Student Council's job, surely?
A part of her wanted to protest, accuse Faith of misusing her limited authority to stifle Vera's cause, add needless barriers for her to cross... But in all honesty, she didn't know enough about the inner workings of the student council to tell if that was the case or not. Nor was she keen on the idea of jumping to conclusions, put her foot in her mouth and provide fuel for Faith's smug sense of superiority. This wasn't really her field of expertise. She was an artist, not a wannabe politician.
That did however give her an idea...
"...of course, yes. Yes, I... I can put together a draft, absolutely..."
Vera cleared her voice, doing her best to maintain her composure as she straightened her back.
"In fact... If you'd like, I can even provide some alternative designs for the council's consideration."
In her minds eye, she couldn't help but picture herself wiping a bead of sweat from her brow.
A part of her expected there to be some extra paperwork required, mentally berating herself for that momentary hint of hesitation. Compiling her thoughts together and listing her key points would be easy enough, heck she'd already written a list of notes and prepared a speech of sorts if necessary.
What she lacked however were sources to back up her concerns. To a certain degree it hadn't occurred to her that they would be necessary for something like this, though in retrospect she could see how citing past incidents and examples would aid her case. Would she even be able to find any relevant sources about the negative effects of inappropriate school mascots?
Well, it was only the other day that she found herself watching a forty minute YouTube documentary about the alt-right's appropriation of Pepe the Frog. If people could write video essays about inanities like that, then surely someone out there must have something credible to say about a silly thing like this?
That was all well and good, but then came the part about drafting plans for a replacement...
"Uuh..." Vera responded, unable to hide the blindsided look in her eyes.
Was that normal? Was she really expected to be the one to figure out the logistics for a replacement? That would be the Student Council's job, surely?
A part of her wanted to protest, accuse Faith of misusing her limited authority to stifle Vera's cause, add needless barriers for her to cross... But in all honesty, she didn't know enough about the inner workings of the student council to tell if that was the case or not. Nor was she keen on the idea of jumping to conclusions, put her foot in her mouth and provide fuel for Faith's smug sense of superiority. This wasn't really her field of expertise. She was an artist, not a wannabe politician.
That did however give her an idea...
"...of course, yes. Yes, I... I can put together a draft, absolutely..."
Vera cleared her voice, doing her best to maintain her composure as she straightened her back.
"In fact... If you'd like, I can even provide some alternative designs for the council's consideration."
In her minds eye, she couldn't help but picture herself wiping a bead of sweat from her brow.
Kicking Akamatsu in the face since 2010
"For the administration's consideration, to be clear." Faith took a few more notes without looking down- her handwriting slowed when she was splitting her attention, but not a letter escaped the line it belonged to. She searched Vera's expression, for a moment not registering the shock and awe spelled out over the meat of her peer's eyeball.
"We need to make sure your case is airtight. An ask this big involves a lot of money, media attention, all the things admin hates to deal with."
Faith was pretty sure that was evident from the get go, anyways. Vera's mission involved far bigger players than the Council, so she'd put the work in if she was serious. Was she? Not Faith's job to read between the lines. Off the clock Faith might have had an accusation or two up her sleeve: something something about 'libs can't fix their mental health problems but try to fix the world', plus a paraphrasing of Tocqueville's 'petty pleasures' line. The smaller the world view, the smaller the ability to project power. Something like that. But again, wrong time and wrong place.
'Vera you dummy, I totally won that one. Looking away from me doesn't count. You have to keep staring right at me. Don't be a coward!'
Current Mindworm:
What Is The Perfect AR-15 Setup?
In the present, Faith's unwavering gaze continued to steadily dissipate into the cosmic background radiation, so void she was of fucks to outwardly give.
"How much time will you need? I can schedule a tentative conference with a representative from the administration, I have a few people in mind who are more with it. They'll be more sympathetic to the cause." AKA, they were commie bootlickers, to reappropriate the termonology popularized by those terminally online. "No hard deadlines, and if you're not ready for it we can avoid committing a date for now. It'll reflect badly on you if we have to push things out."
She contemplated including anyone else from Council. If Vera actually managed to get things off the ground, at the very least Council would have to negotiate reprints of school spirit swag, change fundraiser plans, all that... But much like how Council did literally everything, Faith could assume any needed changes would be last minute, knee jerk long after the reflex hammer had stuck. As long as she kept tabs on everything the rest of the low energy (sad!) seatwarmers could get what they needed from her contributions to the meeting briefings. And they could also, of course, fail to do that.
At the very least, she'd send Juliette a text and a PDF of her notes.
"We need to make sure your case is airtight. An ask this big involves a lot of money, media attention, all the things admin hates to deal with."
Faith was pretty sure that was evident from the get go, anyways. Vera's mission involved far bigger players than the Council, so she'd put the work in if she was serious. Was she? Not Faith's job to read between the lines. Off the clock Faith might have had an accusation or two up her sleeve: something something about 'libs can't fix their mental health problems but try to fix the world', plus a paraphrasing of Tocqueville's 'petty pleasures' line. The smaller the world view, the smaller the ability to project power. Something like that. But again, wrong time and wrong place.
'Vera you dummy, I totally won that one. Looking away from me doesn't count. You have to keep staring right at me. Don't be a coward!'
Current Mindworm:
What Is The Perfect AR-15 Setup?
In the present, Faith's unwavering gaze continued to steadily dissipate into the cosmic background radiation, so void she was of fucks to outwardly give.
"How much time will you need? I can schedule a tentative conference with a representative from the administration, I have a few people in mind who are more with it. They'll be more sympathetic to the cause." AKA, they were commie bootlickers, to reappropriate the termonology popularized by those terminally online. "No hard deadlines, and if you're not ready for it we can avoid committing a date for now. It'll reflect badly on you if we have to push things out."
She contemplated including anyone else from Council. If Vera actually managed to get things off the ground, at the very least Council would have to negotiate reprints of school spirit swag, change fundraiser plans, all that... But much like how Council did literally everything, Faith could assume any needed changes would be last minute, knee jerk long after the reflex hammer had stuck. As long as she kept tabs on everything the rest of the low energy (sad!) seatwarmers could get what they needed from her contributions to the meeting briefings. And they could also, of course, fail to do that.
At the very least, she'd send Juliette a text and a PDF of her notes.
Upcoming:
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
Second Chances V3 (deconreconfirmed):
Relations Thread!
Olivia Fischer (original handler, Maraoone)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Faith Marshal-Mackenzie (original handler, Frozen Smoke)
Memories: 1 Pregame: 1
Sayuna Lewis (original handler, Cicada)
Princess McQuillan (original handler, Cicada)
Pregame: 1
Vera nodded her head, lips pursed as she quickly dotted down some notes into her tablet.
"Mm-hmm, riiight, right... Right" she responded, biting her tongue to resist the temptation to utter a snarky comment or two under her breath. Last thing she wanted right now was to lose face, moreso than she already has anyway, and feed Faith's inflated ego.
Faith was a particular flavour of conservative that rarely failed to rile her up. It was one thing when someone wore their ignorance on their sleeve, proudly displaying their confederate flags whilst spouting ill-conceived hate speech. Idiots like them were easy targets, low hanging fruit really.
But then you had the smug wannabe know-it-alls. The Ben Shapiros and Tim Pools of the world, who stick their noses up as they proudly declare themselves to be realists and rational thinkers, as if there was anything rational about being a conservative.
Faith unfortunately fit into the latter category. Someone who possessed enough canniness to appear well-informed, though alas not enough to realise just how rancid their worldview truly was.
Tempting as it was to make a snide remark, Vera was not interested in making a scene, despite how frustrating this endeavour was quickly proving to be.
"I shall... Get back to you on that, once I've finished compiling my notes" she said, struggling to think of when she could fit that into her already busy schedule.
"Anything else?"
"Mm-hmm, riiight, right... Right" she responded, biting her tongue to resist the temptation to utter a snarky comment or two under her breath. Last thing she wanted right now was to lose face, moreso than she already has anyway, and feed Faith's inflated ego.
Faith was a particular flavour of conservative that rarely failed to rile her up. It was one thing when someone wore their ignorance on their sleeve, proudly displaying their confederate flags whilst spouting ill-conceived hate speech. Idiots like them were easy targets, low hanging fruit really.
But then you had the smug wannabe know-it-alls. The Ben Shapiros and Tim Pools of the world, who stick their noses up as they proudly declare themselves to be realists and rational thinkers, as if there was anything rational about being a conservative.
Faith unfortunately fit into the latter category. Someone who possessed enough canniness to appear well-informed, though alas not enough to realise just how rancid their worldview truly was.
Tempting as it was to make a snide remark, Vera was not interested in making a scene, despite how frustrating this endeavour was quickly proving to be.
"I shall... Get back to you on that, once I've finished compiling my notes" she said, struggling to think of when she could fit that into her already busy schedule.
"Anything else?"
Kicking Akamatsu in the face since 2010