Miristioma vs. Izar [D11 Debate]

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Miristioma vs. Izar [D11 Debate] Jan 19, 2019 15:07:54 GMT -5

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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2019 15:07:54 GMT -5

Vasco Izar

'Think back on a time when you experienced great difficulty. How did you get through it?'

“I want to start by thanking you all for coming out tonight, and for my opponent, Ikaia, for putting his name forward to run. I think we can both agree that we want what’s best for the district, and for all of you, even if we might disagree about other things.” I looked to the young man with a smile. I spent the night with Emma in the kitchen over kerosene light going over all the issues. I barely slept thinking about whether or not what I was putting them all through was worth it. On stage in the town square, behind a fancy podium, all it took was thinking of her to get my head on straight.

“There’s folks that talk about hardships – not enough food, facing sickness, facing violence – I grew up seeing my brothers go hungry, and cousins sacrificing themselves to represent this district. Folks should know that I have felt just as you, even if it hasn’t been the same pain, that it’s helped me to better understand what it means to live for other people.”

“Hardest thing in my life was losing my daughter Raquel.” I paused, and took a breath. Just saying her name in front of all of them was like trying to lift a heavy weight. “As a parent, you expect to see all the firsts of your children – watching them take that first step, their first day of school, their first day after their last reaping. I had a bottle of whiskey for us to drink together that day.” She would’ve been old enough now. To drink. To marry. To be the adult she should’ve been. “Having to bury her was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. And I can honestly say it still hurts, each and every morning.”

“I could’ve fallen apart. I don’t claim to be that much stronger than anyone else – just a man that does the best he can. It was my wife that got me out of bed in the mornings when things were too heavy. My son Emmanuel’s hand on my shoulder when he caught me crying in the kitchen. The men in the fields, checking in to see that all of us were getting along.” I beamed down at the folks in the audience; sure as there were Izars in the seats, I could see the hard faced men and women who’d leant me their shoulders.

“Hardships like that are like a man caught between fifty feet waves in a storm. You think you’re going to drown. There’s no way that you’re going to make it. Except – I had folks telling me to hold on, to make it easier. Support from all sides so that I kept kicking, until the storm blew through, and the waves settled from fifty, to twenty, to none at all.”

“As mayor, I want to help you through the storm. I want you to know that I hear you, that there’s nothing that’ll keep me from being there for you. Because like I’ve said, this campaign isn’t about me – it’s about all of you. Making this place a better district. Whether that means better trade so we have more to eat, or new books for schools so our kids are learning what they need. And that starts with being a man for others.”

Knuckles
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Miristioma vs. Izar [D11 Debate] Jan 19, 2019 16:57:45 GMT -5

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Post by Knuckles on Jan 19, 2019 16:57:45 GMT -5

Ikaia Miristioma

He sighs trying to take it all in. Standing in the district square as his own man is something Ikaia isn't used to. Normally his brother, Kirito, is by his side, but today, Ikaia is taking control. Becoming mayor isn't exactly what he yearns for, yet making sure the Miristioma family stays in power is huge. Maybe it'll give a chance to prove he's more than capable of holding his ground.

He listens as Vasco speaks. Every single word bounces through his skull inch by inch piece by piece. The struggle of losing a family member is real.

Pa died when Ikaia was only a boy.

Iain died almost nine years ago.

It's nothing new, yet it carries a man forward.

Just standing there thinking of everything is almost impossible. The pain the suffering. Almost losing Ma too. He can't imagine the pain of losing a child, but his twins are reaping age, and it terrifies him more than anything.

When Vasco finishes speaking, Ikaia takes a moment giving himself a chance to come up with what he can say. Denying a man his struggles is wrong, but he needs to share some of his own.

His gaze turns towards his opponent first as the opening statement is directed mostly towards him; "I never lost a child, but I have lost some of my own family, and it's incredibly heartbreaking. You have my respects." His voice is calm and quiet, but soon he's turning towards the crowd of people gathered around. "I too have experienced the hardships of loss. I lost Pa when I was just a boy, and I didn't know what to do with my life. Ma became incredibly ill, and I thought I was going to lose her too. Every day after was a struggle. Just breathing and trying to get by. I was only eight years old, and I had to start working harder to make sure my family was capable of living. It all changed when Kirito was reaped for the seventieth hunger games. I didn't know a thing about caring for Ma. I didn't know how to help her because I spent all my times out in the fields working as much as I could while my brother stayed home caring for her. I thought she'd die then, but she didn't, and Kirito came home, and all should've been well. Only it wasn't."

His gaze drops until his eyes are locked on the ground.

"We spent every second of every single day fighting. It wasn't Kirtio and Ikaia anymore. It was just Kirito. Everywhere I went people saw me as him. I was forgotten, but we worked on patching things together, and two years later, my young cousin was reaped. I struggle with the fact that I didn't volunteer to save him. I should've been the one coming home in the body bag not him."

Slowly his eyes turn looking towards the crowd once more; "But through it all I never gave up. I've had people checking in on me constantly. I've worked harder and harder just to bring myself out of the slump I was in. We all face struggles. We all go through these hardships, but nobody should never give up. When you're feeling down, I'll be that shoulder you need to cry on. I'll be that person who just sits there and listens. I'll be that person who stands beside the citizens of district eleven to help them through their own struggles. I just want what's best for the district, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure this place is filled with love and happiness and joy. It'll take some work, but everyone has to climb the mountain, and I'll be there guiding you all through it."

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

Knuckles
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Miristioma vs. Izar [D11 Debate] Jan 19, 2019 16:58:03 GMT -5

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Post by Knuckles on Jan 19, 2019 16:58:03 GMT -5

Ikaia Miristioma

What’s the most pressing concern you have about our district, and how do you propose to fix it?

He takes a moment allowing the question to fill his mind because it's important to answer it in a way acceptable to the district while telling the truth. So many concerns come to mind. Poverty. Starvation. People being overworked. The hours people spend in the fields. Little pay. Pa died because of the hours he spent working on a hot sunny day.

"To me the most pressing concern is the hours people are spending working in the fields especially during the summer." He pauses clearing his throat trying to carry on. "I've watched my brother heal many who've suffered heat stroke from working under the hot sun with little breaks. I lost Pa to a heat stroke. Friends of mine have died from it. There's no need for us to spend every waking hour working in the fields without having a break or two."

He pauses taking a breath all while trying to figure out a way to fix it all.

"As Mayor, I will make taking breaks mandatory. For every two hours spent in the fields, each person will be granted a twenty minute break to cool down with an hour for lunch after working five hours. I will make sure that clean, cold drinking water is available at all times. I will make sure that people who are suffering from heat exhaustion are given the care they need. I will make sure healers are always on standby to help. Through the hottest hours of the day, nobody can work more than an hour at a time. The people deserve better, and as Mayor, I will put the safety of the citizens above everything else."

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

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Miristioma vs. Izar [D11 Debate] Jan 21, 2019 19:53:36 GMT -5

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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2019 19:53:36 GMT -5

Vasco Izar

I took a moment listening to Ikaia and nod along to his response. He’s a good young man – part of a victor’s family, and he’s seen trouble in the districts. Maya too – though I didn’t know her as well; we’ve all got stories that bring us to want change for our families and our district.

“Ikaia makes a good point – labor is hard in district eleven, especially for folks who aren’t lucky to be in good health. It’s a thoughtful answer that as someone who’s spent more hours in the fields than I can count, I can agree with.” I smiled at him and gave another nod. I stared out into the audience and shook my head.

“Except I think Ikaia’s missing the forest for the trees. Working hours in the district are bad, and jobs are either hard to come by or rough on us, too. But people are going hungry, and don’t have the type of work they need to satisfy their needs. When’s the last time you thought of being able to do anything other than being out in the fields? And wintertime isn’t any better. My hands and knees ache in this cold, sure enough.”

“We’re not getting what we’re owed for the hard work we do each and every day. It’s trade that is our biggest problem. And you might scratch your head wondering what I mean. Well – how little do we keep in what we grow? Do we have the right kind of doctors here, or technology? That’s why as Mayor, I’ve already developed a three point trade initiative to make sure we better address all the challenges our district faces, not just put a band-aid on one.” Emma’d been the one to push me on putting pen to paper (and bulleting each idea in a way folks could understand).

“First, we need to take advantage of this new capitol travel office, and by working with other mayors, we can better manage what comes in and out of district. My administration is committed to making sure that when you sit at your dinner tables there’s a chicken in every pot and a job for every person. Second, we are stronger working together – we ought to be sending out and bringing in folks that want to work. By bringing in talented people from district six who can show our doctors the best way to treat patients. Sending our folks to district three to learn how we can update our equipment. Third, we should be getting the right and reasonable wages our workers are entitled to.”

“Make no mistake – we need a leader willing to roll up his sleeves and not stop until you get your fair share. As mayor, that’s what I intend to do.”

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Miristioma vs. Izar [D11 Debate] Jan 22, 2019 15:23:01 GMT -5

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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2019 15:23:01 GMT -5

Vasco Izar

'If you were to design the next Quell twist, what would it be and why?'

“I don’t suppose I’m allowed to say the twist would be that there is no games, now can I?” It’s borderline treasonous, but I stop short of denouncing the capitol on the district’s biggest stage. It’s something a younger man would do, like Sampson, spouting off at the mouth without thinking of the consequences. It would be dishonest to recommend such a thing – an empty promise. Instead, I cleared my throat and collected myself behind podium, both hands placed on its edges.

“You’ve lost your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, cousins – the list goes on. My own daughter sits out there in a cemetery. I told her just the other day, I wish that it could’ve been me, instead of someone that had their whole life ahead of them. At least she’d have had my wife Emma left to teach her.”

“It’s the easiest answer I could ever give: that no one under the age of 18 would be able to participate in the 85th Hunger Games. Entering would be voluntary, but that we’d have at least one representative for our district. A man or a woman that would be brave enough to give up everything.” I look out at their faces, and take another deep breath.

“Maybe I’m a fool, but I’d gladly pledge that if it were to come to pass, I’d be the first to raise my hand. I have no doubt that for my family, for the good of the district, I’d put my life on the line.” It was in our blood, you know? Iago, Levi, Salome – their names sketched into my heart just as sure as their headstones. If our children could be so brave, there was no reason an old man like me could not.

“When you love something, you’re willing to give everything for it. Not a blind, uncompromising love, but one that understands that sometimes what’s best for something is to sacrifice a part of yourself for the greater good. That’s the whole reason I’m up on this stage tonight – to let you know that I’m the type of person that’s willing to put people before politics, and the needs of this district before my own.”