Europeian Success Stories: Darkslayer
A Star of the Senate
Questions created by the Ministry of Interior, interview conducted by the Ministry of Radio
Though known for his contributions as minister of radio and attorney general, notable politician Darkslayer (Dark) is best recognised for his multiple terms in the Senate and serving as its speaker, achieving the latter role in just over 5 months after joining. But how does someone see such success in a remarkably short time? In a collaboration between the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Radio, Xecrio interviewed Dark live on Europeian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) Radio to find out.
Dark’s story is a relatively recent one, as he joined the region back on March 23, 2020, less than a year ago. He recalls himself being “a reserved type of individual": "I wasn't really involved in anything. The type of citizen who gets citizenship and isn't visible, disappears, and loses citizenship.” He persevered, however, and “started speaking to people, looking at areas to get involved in, messaging people, looking for advisors, and seeing where in the region [he] could go.” He joined the Ministry of Radio, the ministry he is most known from, marking the start of his career in Europeia.
Over the course of a few months, he started getting involved in government, “becoming more aware of positions, micro-managing, and contributing more thoroughly.” His hard effort was “rewarded” when he won a by-election to become a senator on May 28, and became minister of radio just a month later on June 24. Neither his work ethic nor his upward momentum slowed, causing him to become senate speaker on August 30, achieving the position with one of the quickest times to date.
For Dark, the journey of developing his knowledge and skills was not one he undertook alone. “Lloen[flys] was the first person I ever messaged in Europeia. When I was first elected senator in a by-election, Lloen was speaker at the time, and Lloen had to put up with me behind the scenes, asking questions, trying to get a grip on what I’m supposed to do, if my comments were appropriate etc.” Guidance from experienced members proved invaluable to Dark, crediting “Calvin [Coolidge], Pichto[nia], and many other senators” who helped him get a grip of working in the Senate in his first term. He recommends reaching out to other individuals, naming “Drecq and Malashaan” as two “acclaimed senators” who are willing to provide advice and critique arguments should you contact them.
Dark did not come to the Senate an inexperienced figure, however; he admitted to possessing a strong head start. “I personally think that, with me studying law in real life, I had a crucial advantage in analysing and studying law in Europeia.” He advises learning similar skills for any prospective senators: “If you get the chance, join the Ministry of Justice to become a Law Clerk to learn legal interpretation and the people there can help you analyse and utilise a huge variety of tools that will aid you in your career.”
As for his own career, Dark notes controversial moments in which he ended up conceding his initial thoughts, “the first [moment] being the AIC (Arnhelm Investigative Committee). I ran on a platform to set the committee, I was elected, and presented my plan to the Senate.” The situation was “calm” for a while, until significant pushback from members of the citizenry sparked a hot debate. ”In the end, it was not worth fighting for it, we'd be doing more damage trying to push it through than we could ever gain from it.” He also recalls his position on an amendment forcing the vice president to be a minister: “Two times the amendment got rejected, the final one the amendment got accepted because I changed my mind under great pressure from other Europeians; I got lobbied, quite hard.” He also acknowledges it “wasn’t a hill worth dying on” and ended up voting in favour. These experiences, though tough and stressful at the time, ultimately gave him important experience in dealing with divisive topics.
Such experiences have left Dark with a strong impression on how to serve in the Senate: “we all have our own definition of what a good senator is. From my perspective, it’s the ability to extract information in a logical way, and [being] able to put forward a view which is properly justified, and not based solely off of siding with another senator,” also acknowledging that “activity is always important.” He notes that even though there’s no “universal definition” of a good senator, following through with your “promises” from your campaign is vital to performing your role well.
For himself, he notes that, “teamwork was the most crucial thing that got me forward.” “Discussions” are a major part of a senator’s role, and, as he puts it, “it's a body of multiple senators, not just you.” Dark also values “being able to critically assess, logically reason your stance, and having leadership qualities,” naming “confidence” and “working under pressure” as essentials, especially for those considering the speakership. He also warns that the toll of being a senator is one that needs to be endured to truly succeed; “perseverance, motivation: the term is 70 days, it doesn't go by quickly. If you get a bad rating in the mid-term, fight through it, prove you deserve it, you can redeem yourself.”
As for his own experiences contributing to Europeia, Dark fondly recalls his interactions with other members: “I feel one of the best things I've ever been told was by Istillian, who always says I’m the reason why he’s so confident in [voice chats]. The feeling [of helping] someone feel comfortable socially in the region is a very warm one. Everyone should do this; we should [...] work together to make each other feel comfortable.” As for what others say about him, he is dismissive of such praise: “People credit me with the best ministry of radio terms, but I gave the credit to my deputies. The work was enormous, a lot of people doing work behind the scenes. I am happy to have been able to work with them,” stating that, “I do what I think other people would do in my position.”
This ties into his own views on what it means to be truly ‘Europeian’; “the ability to come into discord and know that you’re welcome and be able to have a good time, that's the social side” and “government-wise, being recognised for your potential. People will integrate you into their culture, they put their faith in you, they encourage you to rise up, that's when you know you've become part of Europeian culture. People want to see you in positions, want to talk to you, recognise your effort, work, commitment, sociability, passion.”
It is this spirit of recognition, self-improvement, and reward which forms the culture of the region for Dark and what makes the Europeian experience unique; the focus on “what we can achieve together as a community.”
