#did boone studies between finals.. resulting in this :3

[lostinalem]

"You need to leave."

what r u looking at 🤨🤨🤨🤨

[philliamwrites]

The Dawn Will Come [Chpt.3]

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

Pairing: Dimitri x Reader, Claude x Reader, Edelgard x Reader, Yuri x Reader, Edelgard x Byleth, lots of minor pairings

Tags: #gn reader, # platonic love byleth & reader, #reader is a tactical unit, #angst, #slow burn, #subplots, #unreliable narrator, #pining, #remporary amnesia, #reluctant herp, #canon divergence, #lost twin au, #many chapters, #original content

Words: 7.7k

Summary: Waking up in a forest without any knowledge of your past and who you are, you join the house leaders of the Officers Academy to search for a way to return your memories. Unfortunately, the church has different plans for you, and Fate places you in the centre of a cruel game with deadly stakes. It certainly doesn’t help to fall in love with a house leader who is doomed to be your demise.

Notes: Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

Chapter 03: Ties That Bind

Where war, and joy, and terror Have all at times held away; Where both delight and horror Have had their fitful day.

The happiest under heaven A king of powerful mind; A company so proven Would now be hard to find

Gawain put on a good cheer. ‘Why should I hesitate?’ He said. ‘Kind or severe, We must engage our Fate.’

[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]

    „Breathe,“ Hanneman says for the third time. At every tap of his pen against the table, you flinch as if someone is knocking right against the inside of your skull. “You have to feel the Crest, become one with it. Don’t think of it as an addition; see it as an extension of your very self.”

    You exhale but it’s hard to focus after you’ve been sitting in the same position for nearly two hours and your legs keep falling asleep.

    “Focus on it,” Hanneman continues. He starts to gesture with his free hand, an indicator that he’s just as frustrated with your lack of progress as you are. “Focus on the feeling that took hold of you when you fought the bandits. Imagine what you want. Ask yourself what it is you really want, and take hold of that picture.”

    Well, first of all, you really want a sandwich.

    For the past few weeks, you’ve been waking up before sunrise to attend private lessons with Hanneman to get a hold of your Crest’s power. Now the end of the month approaches, and still your body refuses to get accustomed to work at such an early hour, and more importantly without eating first. An hour ago, your stomach started growling, but Professor Hanneman has proved again and again to be very successful in ignoring factors that disturb his lessons. You continue breathing through what you consider hunger pains instead of the raise of new powers, but with the sound of screaming students outside and the occasional flapping of wings as Pegasus Knights fly by on their patrol, it’s anything but successful.

    “Focus!” Hanneman chides again as if he can read your mind and knows exactly you’re thinking of the pheasant roast with berry sauce on the menu today.

    “I’m trying,” you groan and slump into the chair, defeated. “But I don’t feel anything.”

    “Hmm hmmm,” Hanneman hums and looks at you like you were supposed to understand what he’s conveying with that sound. “Maybe we’re looking at it the wrong way,” he says once you don’t follow up on his inexplicable sound. “Maybe we should stop thinking of it as a common Crest, but approach it like it is something entirely different.” He quickly notes something on his paper, then proceeds to flip through the open books he’s splayed out on his desk. “There is so little we know about the Crest of the Herald. I am much frustrated no one thought of studying it a thousand years ago!”

    “I don’t understand. How can it be different?” Your first lesson solely focused on Crests. How they are thought to be power incarnate, bestowed upon humans by the Goddess countless ages ago. Today those who are descendants of Fódlan’s Ten Elites and Four Saints, who fought during the War of Heroes beside Saint Seiros, wear Crests, a sign of wealth and nobility.

    “Well, one possible explanation could be that for whatever reason, the first Herald was different from his fellow warriors, the Ten Elites,” Hanneman offers, leaning back into his chair and looking a lot more interested in the conversation now. “The Goddess must have found him worthy of her power just as she found Saint Seiros worthy.”

    “Then why wasn’t he a Saint?” you wonder. From your understanding, the Four Saints were special comrades of Saint Seiros, just as guided by the Goddess as their leader. What had made the Herald from back then different? “According to everything you told me, he sounds a lot like this Macuil person. Focusing on strategy and all that.”

    “Saint Macuil,” Hanneman corrects you, but there’s no bite in his voice. “And yes, perhaps he was akin to the Saints, but that clearly wasn’t what determined the final decision to name him Herald.”

    “Well, that’s just my kind of luck,” you mumble, but when Hanneman makes a puzzled sound, you ask instead, “And you’re sure I’m a descendant of him?”

    “Most likely! You bear a Major Crest, which means the Herald’s blood runs strong in your body. After he disappeared, he might have settled down and started a family. Unfortunately, nothing is recorded about him after the War of Heroes concluded.”

    “Then how come there was no one else in a thousand years who bore the same Crest?” You aren’t sure you fully understand how they work. Apparently, Crests grant special powers to those who hold them such as high aptitude for magic or enhanced strength. But you know better than anyone that the Crest of the Herald is special. It doesn’t simply give you a boon, it allows you to command the flow of battle. But is it really a blessing bestowed by the Goddess? You don’t remember a divine revelation or talking to a Goddess. Or did that maybe occur even before you were found by the Officers Academy’s students? Before your memory loss? You certainly don’t feel chosen by a deity.

    “Trying to explain the Goddess’ whims would wield about the same result as asking this question,” Hanneman says. “Sometimes a Crest may skip generations. No one can say with certainty who will be chosen. If it will be the first or third born. That is why we must further study Crests! For example, why, unlike other Crests, has your appeared physically visible?” Hanneman mutters more questions under his breath and notes them quickly on his paper. It’s remarkable how enthusiastic he approaches the topic if it only didn’t make you feel like an experiment lying on a dissection table.

    “I want to know so much more about the first Herald,” you mumble. “What was his name? Where was he from?” Why did he disappear and what were the costs he had paid for such a title. Only one month in and Lady Rhea already granted you an impressive room to reside. People treat you with respect and admiration even though you aren’t doing much besides wave at them on the streets or hold some conversations. If being the Herald only encompasses these tasks, you’ll gladly take on the role and speak to people. But that would be a dream too good to be true.

    “We can only speculate,” Hanneman says. “Some believe the Herald came when Seiros needed him most. Our Goddess’ answer to her cry of help. Others believe he was simply a general who originated form a farmer’s family. Other, smaller sources talk about a prince from a far off land who passed through Fódlan and decided to stay. But in all cases, the Herald was a great asset to win the War of Heroes and save Fódlan from the tyranny of the Fell King.”

    “Yeah, no pressure there,” you mumble, sinking further into your seat. Hopefully no one expects you to save Fódlan from evil monarchs. If yes, it certainly won’t happen on an empty stomach. When Hanneman releases you, there’s only one place for you to be. The Dining Hall is crowded at this time of hour. Students and faculty bustle everywhere, eager to get their favourite meal on a plate. Just like them, you are drawn in by the amazing smell of roasted meet and freshly baked pastries.

    The only thing you can live without is how once you enter the room several heads turn in your direction, and a ripple of “Look, it’s the Herald” goes through the crowd, spreading like a wave. Or a disease, you think with a sour taste in your mouth as you move through the parting sea. They want you to acknowledge them but Goddess forbid you actually engage in conversation with them and they flee like you’re the Herald of Pest.

    “Herald!” Well, not everyone escapes. Some seem to like living dangerous.

    Edelgard looks straight at you from between the other students from the Eagle class sitting at a table, removing any doubt she means anyone else but you. Running from her would be a sign of defeat, so you drag yourself over to the Eagle table and give the round an uncertain smile. “Hello.”

    “Herald, if you have time, please sit with us,” Edelgard offers but the look she pins on you doesn't give you any choice. The silence of her classmates speaks louder than words, and a quick glance to Hubert tells you that he very much would like for you to notsit with them.

    “Sure,” you say lamely and sit opposite from her where Bernadetta quickly shuffles to the side to make room, and then further down the bench until she jumps to her feet and flees from the hall. It’s a miracle she’s out of her chambers in the first place, undoubtedly Byleth’s work.

    “Did you manage any progress with Professor Hanneman?” Edelgard asks, carefully cutting her pheasant roast into small bite-sized pieces. She looks the complete opposite from someone capable of hacking away their enemies but you wouldn’t dare to underestimate her.

    “It’s slow,” you admit, solely focusing on shoving potatoes from one side of your plate to the other so you don’t have to look at anyone. “I’ve only grasped the basics of how Crests work and the Herald’s is so different.”

    “Research might prove more fruitful if you’d be called into action,” she says, and it’s difficult to determine if that statement is a simple observation or underlying critique towards Rhea’s decision to leave you out of the major education system. At least that’s something you’re sure of. Edelgard is difficult.

    “Maybe. But chances are higher I get myself killed somehow on the battlefield.” You’re already dreading the approaching noon hours. Byleth has worked out a special training programme for you and the house leaders. So far there hasn’t been a day without aching muscles and bruises for you. Thinking of Byleth, you can’t help but ask, “So how’s Byleth as a Professor?”

    Edelgard considers her plate with mild interest, but her index fingers start tapping against her cutlery. She has small, delicate hands. Cute hands. You gawk at them for two seconds before noticing Hubert starring daggers at you, and quickly avert your eyes to your cup of ginger tea like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world.

    “Our professor shows knowledge in the most curious things,” he says, surprising you by joining the conversation. “I think the Adrestian Empire will benefit greatly from that.”

    You aren’t sure how leading the class correlates directly to joining the Empire, but you don’t want to point that out. Hubert is still too much of a puzzle you’re adamant on not piecing together because whatever picture waits for you after the assembly might be one of horror.

    “She really is one to look up to,” Edelgard agrees, but she isn’t looking at anyone, so it seems she’s saying it more to herself. You want to try and read more out of her expression, but distraction comes quickly in form of more students from the Eagle class. Caspar is the first bouncing excitedly towards the table, and still he somehow miraculously manages to keep his food from flying everywhere. “Herald!” he calls and slides right on the seat right next to you. “How’s the head situation going?”

    “Caspar,” Linhardt chides and gives his friend the disappointed look of a parent that can’t bring his child to use a fork to eat. “Would you stop pestering the Herald with the same question every day?”

    Linhardt hits the mark. It was nice in the beginning to have someone show so much interest in your wellbeing, but now you don’t know if the daily reminder how you fail to regain pieces of your past is rude or just Caspar’s naive politeness.

    “Yeah well.” You try to stuff as much potatoes in your mouth as possible just to avoid talking about it. “Nothin’ yeff.”

    “Herald, please try to keep your manners in check, will you?” Ferdinand comments because of course he catches you with your mouth full and sauce dripping from the corners. Unlucky for him, you don’t really care.

    “Well, sorry.” Caspar frowns and scratches the remains from his plate. The two minutes you needed to finish your potatoes, he’s cleared his whole plate. “I just thought it might help.”

    “Help to be reminded what’s missing?” Linhardt doesn’t look convinced. “I think the Herald knows so better than anyone.”

    “Guys, drop the subject,” Edelgard intervenes. “Let us finish our meals now. Classes resume presently and I don’t want to hear any stomachs growling, understood?” The last part goes with a pointed look towards Linhardt, who answers with a lazy shrug while continuing to poke at his food, looking bored out of his mind. It lasts about three seconds before he brightens up and turns towards you while rummaging through his school bag. From that, he pulls out notes and a pen, and unceremoniously shoves them into your hands. “I have a question, Herald. Would you be so kind and look over these strategic proposals I’ve developed from the last lesson? I understand what you taught us were basics as we find them in the library. I simply took the time and applied those to the strengths and abilities of my classmates.”

    You raise your eyebrows. “You did?” Up until now, you didn’t know Linhardt was paying attention whenever you gave the students your sorry excuses of lessons. You feel like you’ve seen him asleep far more than actually looking at the board or writing, so him presenting his notes to you now is more than a surprise. He has a clean handwriting, small letters that curl into themselves and forget to take a break between words. You squint at the sentences, trying to make them out. It sure doesn’t help that half of it is crossed out by what looks like a strategy sketch with little circles and everyone’s names filling out the space.

    “This looks … elaborate,” you comment, unsure if you’ll ever be able to solve this enigma.

    “No worries.” Linhardt gives a little smile. “Please give me your answer report until tomorrow. And feel free to correct me on anything I’ve done wrong.”

    He’s probably done a much better job than you on your lesson notes, but you nod with a lopsided smile. “I will.”

    “Oh, and while we’re at strategy talk,” Caspar jumps right in, “any good ideas how to take on a taller opponent?”

    “A good kick to their shins?” you suggest.

    “A dagger to their liver?” Edelgard says.

    “Poison in their cup?” Hubert offers.

    “You’re all animals,” Ferdinand says.

    Linhardt groans. “I toldyou how to win in a fight like that, Caspar. Why won’t you listen to me?”

    You don’t want to be part of the argument breaking out between them, so you turn away and try to see what the other students are doing in the dining hall. At the opposite end, Claude catches your eyes and waves like he’s been waiting way too long to finally get your attention. He points at Edelgard and flaps his arms like a chicken. He points at you and spreads his hands behind his head, forming antlers with his fingers. When Edelgard follows your eyes, his head whips around and he pretends to agree with whatever Lysithea just said.

    “I hope you forgive Caspar’s enquiries,” she says, steering your focus back to her. She’s gently tapping the corners of her mouth with an embroidered napkin, and oh there they are again, her delicate fingers. You look away before Hubert catches you staring again and decides to put poison in your cup7. “I speak on behalf of everyone in the Black Eagle House when I say we wish for your full recovery to be soon.”

    “If wishing would only get the job done, I might have something to work with by now.”

    Edelgard doesn’t blink, her expression frozen. “Meaning?”

    “I thought I'd come here and one of the Church's healers would just wave their hands to return my memories,” you mumble, scribbling a tiny Claude with little, evil horns on his head in the corner of Linhardt’s notes.

    Edelgard looks at you like you've just insulted her whole noble lineage. “That isn't how magic works.”

    You throw your arms up in frustration to emphasise that yes, that's the point. You don't know how anything works in this place, and you doubt Byleth's four pages of lesson plans are going to help.

    “If no one comes to your aid, maybe it is time you take matters into your own hands.��� You flinch at the scornful sound in Edelgard’s voice. Judging the expression on her face, she seems just as surprised about her outburst. She gets up abruptly and bids farewell with a curt nod, followed closely by Hubert as always. Her classmates look after her, each more puzzled than the next.

    “Didn’t she seem … angry to you?” Linhardt thinks aloud, blinking into the empty space.

    Ferdinand harrumphes. “She’s always like this. Please excuse her, Herald.”

    You don’t think she’s done anything wrong, and yet she certainly doesn’t appear as always. Something about her last words strikes you as especially sharp; reproachful. Those weren’t meaningless words, but you don’t have any ways to decipher the message. A little voice tells you she isn’t wrong either. So far nothing has helped returning your memories—Manuela’s medicine, herbs from the Greenhouse, Hanneman’s spells. It seems like your brain has built defencive walls to repel any probing, which begs the answer to the question what is hiding in secret even more. But can you really do it on your own, like Edelgard suggests? It seems impossible.

    With newfound doubt you finish your meal, saying your goodbyes to the now scattering Eagle students as they scurry off to their next lesson. Two hours are left before you’re meeting with Byleth and the house leaders, and since you agreed to look over Linhardt’s notes, the library seems a good next stop. You still want to go over the seven classical manoeuvres of war, especially since the students didn’t really grasp the remaining two last time, and it gives you a good excuse to look over them again as well. At the beginning, you thought there was nothing you could teach those children, not with experienced colleagues at your side who have participated in countless battles themselves. Who could have thought that talking about tactics and strategies came as natural to you as breathing. Well, Rhea did for certain, and even the students drink up your every word like it is a message from the Goddess herself and you her chosen herald. The irony of it.

    But it isn’t only the students accepting your guidance. Something inside you changed in the last couple of weeks as well. When you started going through the books in the library, it was more stumbling and slipping on foreign terrain, but just in a couple of days, you moved through the matter like a fish following smoothly the currents of its native waters. It felt like home. Like building the foundation of a house from thousand variables, the result different each time but still the same: art. You build the art of battle, the last decision that will bring victory or death. You love every second of it. Which opens the possibility that it really isn’t your first time, but also more questions: Who taught you? What battles have you fought? How many of them did you win? Since those aren’t as simple to answer, you focus on fulfilling the first purpose, and hope that it will some day be enough for the students to survive battles.

    If only it would end there. Your second duty isn’t as easy or pleasant, and it lies in wait for you everywhere, stalking you like a dark shadow with monstrous fangs.

    “Herald.” A soldier gives a courteous bow, intercepting you in the Great Hall on your way to the library. “Pilgrims ask for you near the Entrance Hall. Please allow me to escort you.”

    Immediately, your nerves tingle with nervous anticipation. This is the scary part. Meeting the people, seeing the hope in their eyes. You’d gladly send them back where they’ve come from, but some have travelled for multiple days, and denying them audience would be cruel.

    “Don’t let me stop you from your duties,” you say, unconsciously tugging your clothes in order to appear presentable. “I will welcome them on my own.”

    The soldier nods and bows again, his expression barely readable under the helmet before he disappears as quickly as he came.

    Planning lessons is easy. You can find whatever you need in the library and work out the flow with the students. But nothing can prepare or teach you how to act like the Herald people wish for. Nowhere is anything written on the old Herald, how he talked to them and what promises he’d whispered when day broke. That is where you are on your own. Not even Rhea could answer that question. She only instructed that you see them, and remind them about their devotion to the Goddess—for she was the one who made it possible in the first place.

    The Entrance Hall is emptier than usual. Most of the students are in class, and a handful of knights and soldiers might be at the advanced training camp Jeralt and Alois hold in honour of the Blade Breaker’s return. So spotting the pilgrims isn’t difficult. Especially with the Gatekeeper waving his arms in wide arcs as if fearing you might overlook him.

    “Greetings, Herald!” His grin is blinding. “The pilgrims are waiting for you just at the at the foot of the stairs.”

    “Yeah,” you say. “I can see them.”

    “Oh, yes, of course! If anyone causes problems, count on me to help!”

    “Thanks.” You answer his thumbs up with one of your own before moving downstairs. What a refreshing young man. Certainly good looking under his helmet. Byleth seems to like talking to him a lot as well.

    Today’s pilgrims aren’t much different from other days. Old people are supported by their family members, who have brought baskets with sweets and flowers, presenting them at your feet.

    “Herald,” they breathe in awe, bowing. No matter how often you’ve seen it by now, it still feels incredibly wrong.

    “Raise your heads,” you tell them, helping an elderly woman up to hrer feet. She gasps at your touch, then clings to your hands. You try to swallow past the lump in your throat. “The Archbishop and I bid you welcome. The Goddess will smile upon your devotion.” Your cringe slightly when echoing Rhea’s words and wonder if any second the goddess might punish you by throwing lightning your way.

    “We are blessed to finally meet you,” a younger woman says, taking the old woman from your hands—mother and daughter maybe? “Please accept our gifts, and may the Goddess guide you on your path to light.”

    “She will answer your prayers and guide me so I can bring you peace,” you reply just so you can say something they might want to hear. Judging their delighted expressions this wasn’t the worst you could have said. Dorothea would probably be proud looking at your acting skills. Or point out your bad posture and how you’re avoiding their eyes. Dorothea would probably tell you how much you have to polish your acting skills.

    “Bring us peace?” someone from the last row spits, pushing to the front. “You know nothing, the Herald will bring chaos and ruin!” A man in his forties looms above you, an ugly, padded scar crossing his face from one temple to his chin. A war veteran? They way he holds himself looks like he’s been beaten up once too much to get up again.

    “You heathen, don’t you dare speak to our Herald like that,” the old woman barks, immediately doubling over in a coughing fit. Her daughter supports her, glaring at the man. “Go in peace, but go if you only came to talk ill about our Herald,” she says, clearly upset. "Doubting them is doubting our Goddess. How dare you."

    “First I want to see the Herald do something! What if … if this one is an impostor.” The man turns towards the others, throwing his arms in the air. “Bring forward proof that you are not here to ruin our lands, but to actually serve in the Goddess’ name!”

    This time his demand meets less resistance. Until now people were fine with seeing you and the Crest, but to want actual prove? You could easily threaten them and ask if they doubt the Goddess’ decision, but you’d rather leave that method to Rhea. You don’t want to sound like her. You don’t want to scare people. Yet admitting that you don’t really have a clue how to really use the Crest would surely support the man’s accusation. Diminishing the people’s trust in the Herald is the last thing you want, especially if it means facing Rhea’s scorn.

    “I—”

    “Herald!” A voice calls from the top of the stairs. When you turn around, Sylvain waves and jogs downstairs, looking like he’s been running for some time. “There you are. The Archbishop wants to see you.”

    Oh no, has she heard of your failure already? Giving the choice of facing a group of doubting people or Rhea, you’d immediately go to the people. You give him a curt nod, unable to speak because you don’t trust your voice.

    “I apologise,” you say to the pilgrims, clearing your throat when it comes out as a croak. “I will have something prepared for another time.”

    “No, you do not need to prove anything to us,” the elderly woman says. “We will always believe in you. Please tell Her Grace we are constantly praying to our Goddess and thank her for sending you to us.”

    “I will.” You squeeze her hand a last time. “Save travels.”

    The man still glares at you, but without a chance to keep you present any longer, he turns away and follows the rest. You can’t wait to leave all that behind, and as you steel your nerves for what’s waiting for you in the Audience Chambers, you look up to Sylvain and ask, “Did Lady Rhea say what it is about?”

    He looks over at you and blinks a couple of times, then seems to remember. “Ah ... yeah, about that. I lied.”

    You stop dead in your tracks. “You lied?”

    “Yup. I don’t know what Lady Rhea’s doing. But you looked like you were about to puke at those poor pilgrim’s shoes. As hilarious as that would have been, I wanted to spare you the embarrassment.” He stops now as well and smiles a boyish crooked grin. Sylvain knows exactly what to do with his face so girls fall over themselves to do him a favour, and boys grow jealous of all the attention he gets. Two weeks in, and you’ve figured out his game, keeping a respectable distance that wouldn’t birth the thought you’re avoiding him. In fact, this could be the very first time you’re actually holding a real conversation.

    “Well, I … thank you? But I had everything under control.”

    He looks like he doesn’t believe you. The gatekeeper you’re just passing looks like he doesn’t believe you. You press your lips into a thin line and dare any of them to disagree.

    “Okay.” Sylvain shrugs. “But now we’re here.”

    “Sylvain, what do you want?”

    “Cutting to the chase, huh?” He crosses his arms behind his head. “Why do you think I want something?” Your raised eyebrows seem to be answer enough. Sylvain laughs a little helplessly and returns his hands back to his front, raised as an offer of peace. “I promise, I want nothing. Just a little talking. A little talking hasn’t hurt anyone.”

    Something inside you wants to argue against it, but without a solid argument in hand, you follow him silently, wondering where his destination and intention lies. He belongs to the many students you can’t really read, nothing about his ambitions or goals. Sometimes he gives you this strange look through half lidded eyes, his gaze focused on your right eye—his interest in your Crest undeniable, and yet he’s been one of the few not to talk about it with you. It’s strange because whenever you come together, he looks like there’s something he’s dying to say. This time is no different.

    He leads you to the wooden pavilion in the gardens, but instead of offering you a seat, Sylvain leans his slim hips against the table, half sitting on it. Seteth would be furious seeing this.

    “How’s the Herald business doing for you?” he asks the one question you wouldn't expect from him. “Other than you having ‘everything under control.’” He has the audacity to air-quote. This isn’t a conversation you want to hold right now, leastwise with him. Sylvain must discern that you’re ready to bold from whatever your body is showing. With a quick step, he’s standing between you and the escape route, lazily leaning one arm against a column to uphold the illusion that you’re only having a pleasant talk when in reality his body stands between you and your freedom.

    “Do you talk to the other faculty members like that as well?” you say through gritted teeth, crossing your arms. Sylvain blinks like he doesn’t understand, but you’ve seen this act before, followed by an eerily precise repetition of a subject to one of his classmates when he thinks none of the teachers pay attention. Sylvain is playing dumb and deliberately hiding a sharp mind.

    “Oh, I didn’t mean to offend,” he quickly says, nothing about this crooked smile appearing apologetic whatsoever. “I’m generously curious. You’re holding up really good.”

    “In comparison to what?” you demand, your heartbeat picking up. Is he trying to call you out on something? That you aren’t heraldy enough? But to your surprise, Sylvain looks genuinely surprised by your reaction.

    “To nothing. In general?” He shrugs. “Back on the ceremony day, you didn’t look so good standing up there, and His Highness told us everything happened really uh … ‘suddenly.’’ More air-quotes, whatever they mean this time.

    “If you mean I wasn’t really asked to become the Herald, then yes.” Your arms drop back to your side. “It was suddenly.”

    Sylvain watches you for a moment, and again, there’s this look in his eyes; the need to say something he can’t. He kneads the back of his nape, avoiding your eyes. “All I’m trying to say is … having that Crest out of nothing is cool. Probably. And maybe terrifying? And just—”

    You grow impatient. “Come on, get the words out, Sylvain.”

    “A Crest isn’t just this nice letter of invitation to a privileged life. Just take care, is all I’m saying.”

    And there’s another page to the book of surprises with Sylvain’s name on it. The immediate lack of response catches him off guard; it’s like he only notices now that the vital part to understand this conversation is missing: The source of his doubt towards Crests.

    Sylvain’s body turns in a split second, his feet facing the direction he’s ready to bold towards, but this time you stand in his way and block him off. “Sylvain, are you okay?”

    He blinks in confusion, then furrows his eyebrows in deep thought like you demanded he recites the Ten Heroes from memory or else fails classes. His face contorts with the effort of looking fine. “Why, yes! Just peachy. Why would you think something is off?”

    “Because I have eyes in my skull.”

    “Very pretty eyes, if I dare say.” His answer comes out like a fire spell, hard and fast, seemingly more instinct than anything else. He clears his throat and scratches his chin, loosing momentum. “Goddess, I am bad at this.”

    “You are.” No need to sugar coat it. “If something happened, just say it.”

    “Nothing really happened, I just—” He exhales audibly and stares into space for a long minute, before side stepping you without difficulty. “Actually, I remembered Professor wanted to see me after class. Something about extra lessons about eh. Horse riding. Yeah. I’ll catch you later, Herald.” He winks and bolds away, darting under your outstretched arm before you can catch him. For someone this tall, he’s surprisingly agile and fast, already disappearing behind a tall hedge towards the main building.

    If that wasn’t the strangest conversation you’ve held with anyone, you don’t know what might excel that. Maybe it’s time you stop avoiding Sylvain.

    The Training Grounds smells of sweat and oil. Many students and knights train, which is surprising at this kind of hour, the short break between afternoon and evening classes. You’d like to know what they’re working on, but Byleth doesn’t tolerate inattention in a classroom or on the battle field, and demands you do push-ups each time your eyes wander somewhere off. You hate her a little for that. For whatever reason, Claude has taken on the role of your partner in crime, and does whatever necessary to make Byleth punish him as well.

    “What can I say, I like a good workout,” he said when you asked. He didn’t even try to hide his lie, looking as miserable as you felt. Probably hating Byleth a little as well.

    It’s the fourth week of private training with her and the house leaders, and so far you can definitely say that you were not meant to fight on the field. You see how your opponent moves, you can somehow predict what they’re going to do next—but your body simply protests to act accordingly. You stumble, you fall, you need a second too long to get up and before you can do anything, a training sword is at your throat. Byleth always looks like she wants to facepalm her fist through her forehead. Or yours.

    “Herald, this is not how you disarm someone,” she says, as always, and demonstrates it in one smooth, swift movement, as always. You blow hair out of your eyes, knowing you’re about to fail again. At least that gave Claude a reason to give you a new nickname, though if it’s better than the last is debatable.

    “You gotta twist your wrist, duckling!” he calls from the other side of the hall, immediately drawing Byleth’s attention to him. He and Dimitri are facing off, both wielding a spear which should give Dimitri the upper hand. So far, he hasn’t landed a single hit on Claude.

    “Keep your elbows in!” Byleth berates Claude. “Stop flapping them like some kind of chicken.”

    Claude lets out a disturbingly convincing cluck.

    You raise an eyebrow. “At least someone’s having fun.”

    Byleth sighs. “He’s going to get himself killed sooner than later.”

    “I don’t know. He’s managed so far, hasn’t he?”

    “I’m not sure if it’s a talent or a fault.” She turns back to you and nods her chin towards the side. “Take a break. I’m going to see how the boys are doing.”

    You nod, tensing all over because that’s where Edelgard is currently standing and picking out a training axe. You haven’t talked to her since lunch, and you can do without it for a couple more hours. She barely glances at you when you walk over, and instead checks out the edge of the wooden blade, turning it left and right.

    “Is she as strict in the classroom as in here?” you ask, unable to go on in awkward silence. Edelgard hums, throwing a quick glance towards Byleth from under her long, white lashes. “She’s systematic and consistent. Capable in both fields. I have no reason to raise any kind of complaint.”

    “That’s impressive.” You sure as heck still wouldn’t want her as a teacher. “Even though she’s been pushed into all this, she handles it like she’s never done anything else.”

    “I think as a mercenary, she is used to changing approaches depending on the employer.” Edelgard is still looking at Byleth. Reading her expression is impossible, and you don’t want to point out that sticking a sword into thieves and bandits is not the same as teaching kids how to fight in a battle. Her head whips to you suddenly, and she considers the training sword in your hand. “Speaking of different approaches,” she continues, “have you considered that your field of combat might be magic?”

    You have, so the answer comes immediately. “Chances are higher I set myself on fire.” You stare at her. “I didn’t mean it to rhyme.”

    Edelgard ignores your last comment. “But you haven’t really tried it out, have you?” Your lack of response is answer enough for her, and she nods like that proves a point.

    It’s complicated. You haven’t really tried it out because … the simple answer is, you’re afraid. It gets tricky once you try to search for the answer to that. There’s just a strange sensation when you try to use magic, like there’s a vast sea of possibilities and one step inside is enough to get you lost. It isn’t as bad with wind spells or white magic. You haven’t touched Fire spells because a crippling fear chills you to the bones every time you manage to nourish a small flame inside your palm—the complete opposite to Dark magic. When you tried a MiasmaΔ for the first time it felt strangely … secure. The rope tying you to a shore, it had felt like—

    There’s a loud crash when the spears collide and Claude knocks Dimitri off his feet. The whole room is silent as everyone watches how Claude taps the blunt end of his practice spear against Dimitri’s chin. “Steady on there, darling,” he says with a smug grin. Dimitri flushes bright red, and pushes with more force than necessary the spear away, quickly climbing to his feet.

    “That wasn’t bad.” Byleth quickly steps in before Dimitri can throttle Claude. “Dimitri, you rely too much on your brute strength. That’s a big disadvantage against someone like Claude. And you, young man,” she turns to Claude who’s been smiling victoriously, “are scheming too much and lose time to take action. In a serious battle, you won’t be as lucky as today.”

    “Noted.” Claude whirls his spear from left to right, almost dropping it when Dimitri drills his elbow into his side. “But in a serious battle, I won’t be upfront. I’ll be hanging back nicely, and skewing my enemies with a myriad of arrows.”

    “You can barely shoot three at the same time,” Dimitri grumbles, his cheeks still splotched with red specks.

    “You wanna bet—”

    “That’s enough, guys, save it for then next round.” Byleth ignores their sulky expressions and turns to you, raising a single eyebrow. The message is clear. What are you waiting for?

    Your feet feel like they’re glued to the ground. Edelgard doesn’t hesitate at all. “Let’s go.”

    She strides in the middle, training axe raised. It’s made out of wood, but you don’t doubt that she’s able to severe a limb from your body if she only tries hard enough—and what you know of Edelgard is that she alwaysexceeds even her own expectations. You grip your sword tighter. It’s a clear disadvantage, but better than anything else you can handle. Maybe it won’t be as bad.

    The fight lasts for about seven seconds. The moment you raise the blade, Edelgard is on you and unleashes fierce strike after strike, the power behind each hit forcing you back. She doesn’t bat an eyelash when she easily disarms you, the wooden sword flying over your heads and the edge of her axe on your throat. Somewhere behind her, you hear Byleth sigh. “Again.”

    The next hour is torture. Edelgard throws you to the ground, again and again. Byleth keeps telling you to get up, again and again. One might think they would cut you some slack, being the Herald and all, but it feels like Edelgard is so much more aggressive today because you’re the Herald. Or maybe it’s personal. Maybe she’s appointed you to be her sworn enemy, and won’t miss out any chance to make it as hard as possible for you.

    This isn’t fun. Being watched by Dimitri and Claude, who whisper conspiratorially to each other isn’t fun. Luckily, Byleth notices them gawking and bellows them to focus on working on their stances. Right now, you’re thankful nothing escapes her eyes and she calls her students out on their bullshit. It doesn’t make your current situation easier though. Every muscle burns, just raising the sword is exhausting and your feet feel like they’re about to give out any second. This must be hell.

    When Byleth finally ends lessons, you ignore everything and crumble to the ground, splaying your limbs out in all directions. Surely they can clean up without you, two hands less will barely make any difference.

    A shadow settles over you. You know who it is, and don’t bother to open your eyes. “Go away, Byleth. I don’t want to hear how bad I am.”

    “Personally, I think you have improved, Herald.” Your eyes snap open. Dimitri looks down at you, his forehead still glistening from perspiration. “But facing Edelgard as an opponent usually wields those results. Don’t let it bother you.”

    You want to point out that he and Claude don’t seem to have as much problems as you, even though yes, none of them have defeated her yet in practice. He goes down to your level and sits beside you, and you hate how this all barely made him breath hard, like it’s just a stroll around the monastery whereas you’re trying to climb the mountains surrounding it.

    “I think she hates me,” you blurt out. Luckily, most students have already left the hall, Edelgard included. Dimitri considers this a moment, and you don’t know what to make of his lack of immediate response.

    “I doubt she hates you,” he finally says.

    “But?”

    “But she has a hard time warming up to people. Give her time. Once the ice is broken, you will see that her personality is one you’d like to have around.”

    “Oh?” You watch him for a moment, but Dimitri doesn’t blush or look away. It was a heartfelt, sincere statement, which flusters you for some reason. No one should be that honest.

    “Talking about breaking ice. Do you know if something happened to Sylvain?”

    “Sylvain?” Dimitri raises both eyebrows. “Please don’t tell me he harassed you in some kind of way.”

    “No, no, he just—” You finally get up from lying on your back, and try to explain it by frantically moving your hands. Dimitri still looks puzzled. “He said some weird things about Crests in general?”

    “Hm.” Dimitri stares at your hands for a moment, then quickly raises his eyes back to your face. “It’s complicated.” Well, that answer is as good as none. “And I won’t go into details without his consent. I can only say that if he talked about Crests, in whichever way, his brother must have upset him again.”

    “He has a brother?” Now you’re wide awake. Many students have siblings. You know of Hilda’s brother and Raphael’s sister. It shouldn’t surprise you Sylvain has one as well even though he’s never mentioned it before.

    “Do you have siblings?” you ask, generously curious. As heir to a kingdom, it’s hard to imagine his parents would have settled with one child. But he hasn’t mentioned any sisters or brothers as well.

    “Hmm, I have a step-sister,” he says, although very hesitant and you can see if someone doesn’t want to talk about a specific topic. He doesn’t return the question, which is kind of him and makes you wonder … maybe you have a sibling as well. Somewhere. Maybe somewhere in Adrestia or Leicester a younger brother or an older sister is currently looking for you, unrelenting in their journey to be reunited at last. The thought alone brings a flicker of hope alive. Maybe they'll come once word of the Herald’s return travels far enough.

    “I guess as long as Sylvain doesn’t disturb classes or acts out of order, I would leave him to his brooding. I can tell out of experience, only Felix is capable of cheering him up.”

    “Felix?” Your eyebrows rise to your hairline. “Are we talking about the same Felix?”

    A smile forms on Dimitri’s mouth. “I understand why imagining that might prove difficult, but I assure you, Felix is one of the view exceeding in handling the mess Sylvain is from time to time.”

    “Felix and Ingrid?” you guess, earning a nod from Dimitri. “Ingrid is a very nice girl,” you continue, picking at a loose thread from your uniform. “But Felix seems detests me. Every time he sees me, he looks like he wants to throw his sword at me.”

    “That is—” Dimitri stops mid-sentence. “That might be not so far off from his true intentions.”

    You groan.

    “But I assure you it is for a different reason than you think. Felix is simply … difficult with people holding a commanding position.”

    “He doesn’t seem to have the same problem with Byleth,” you point out. No, whenever he trains with her, he manages something close to a smile and accepts her guidance. Then again, she isn’t his teacher.

    “I’m sure you’ll be able to make him consider his opinion on you during the Mock Battle. I as well am looking forward to how you will guide us.” Dimitri beams. You stare at him like he’s just lost his head.

    “What?”

    “The Mock Battle three nights from today?” Dimitri’s smile falters a little. “Have the Professor and Lady Rhea not told you yet? You are to participate in the Mock Battle as the commanding unit of the Blue Lions.” Now he’s pulling his eyebrows together in worry. “Herald?”

    “I—” You jump to your feet. “I have to go.” Go far far away. Just yesterday you introduced the students to the tactic called Feigned Withdrawal, which involves staging a retreat in order to induce the enemy to abandon its position and plunge ahead in an attack. Dimitri abandons his position, getting up to go after you, but instead of turning back to surprise him with an ambush, you flee the battle and hope the enemy doesn’t pursue.

[violethowler]

The Heroine’s Journey of Sora

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks writing out my thoughts on Kingdom Hearts and the way the series follows the framework of the Heroine’s Journey. Rather than a bunch of drabbles or a single long-winded post, I’ve decided to break up my explanations of the Heroine’s Journey and the way Kingdom Hearts fits into it as a series of ten essays posted weekly. I will put up a masterpost once all of them are finished, and in the meantime I will have all of them on my blog under the tag ‘Kingdom Hearts and the Heroine’s Journey.’

Due to the length of this essay, I will be putting the full thing under a cut. 

What many Kingdom Hearts fans do not realize is that while Tetsuya Nomura does sometimes make up the details as he goes when it comes to the writing of Kingdom Hearts, he does do things with a plan. 

In the KH3 Ultimania [1], he talked about how he’d had the conclusion of the Dark Seeker Saga outlined by the end of Kingdom Hearts II’s development. In an April 2012 interview [2] with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, he indicated that he’d had a general framework up to Kingdom Hearts II planned out when the original game was first announced. And in a 2004 interview after the original Chain of Memories was released on GameBoy Advance, he mentioned that he’d already come up with the “last scene” that would serve as the definitive ending of the entire series[3]. 

So while some details may be hard to predict because Nomura comes up with lore and backstory details as he goes, he does have a plan in mind where the overall story is going. And the central arc of the series is entirely predictable once you understand the framework that the story fits into. 

Since the late 1800s, scholars have been studying the common patterns that repeat in stories, legends, and myths across different cultures around the world. One of the most well known templates developed from such research is the Hero’s Journey. In his 1949 book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, literature professor Joseph Campbell published a 17 step formula of storytelling. Campbell held up this framework as the monomyth, an ultimate narrative archetype from which all other stories are derived, and in discussion of his work expressed his view of The Hero’s Journey as a universal framework that showed how people grow from youth into adulthood.

However in the 1980s, Maureen Murdock began work on her own narrative framework. Believing that Campbell’s view on the universality of the Hero’s Journey did not encompass the experiences of every identity like he claimed, Murdock developed what she called The Heroine’s Journey as a critique and response to Campbell’s monomyth. Other authors have shared their own variations of the Heroine’s Journey, but for the purposes of this analysis, I will be focusing on Murdock’s model. Hers is both the oldest one I know of, and the one that I personally have the most familiarity with. Though originally conceived as a therapy tool, the core concepts of Murdock’s template have resulted in its use in storytelling for narratives about protagonists overcoming the ingrained biases and preconceptions of society. 

Some notable examples of stories that follow the Heroine’s Journey template, albeit most with different formulas, include 

Beauty and the Beast

The Hunger Games trilogy

The Princess and the Frog

Tangled

Howl’s Moving Castle

Labyrinth 

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy*

Voltron: Legendary Defender*

*Note: Voltron: Legendary Defender and the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy are examples of 3-act narratives that followed the Heroine’s Journey framework in the first 2 acts only for behind-the-scenes conflicts to result in the formula being abandoned in the final act. 

Despite the name, it is possible in theory to have a male protagonist follow the Heroine’s Journey, much like how you can have a female protagonist in a Hero’s Journey.  While nearly every story I know that follows the Heroine’s Journey template has a female protagonist in the lead role, Kingdom Hearts is the first example that I’ve discovered of a male protagonist following this formula. Sora’s arc across the series follows Murdock’s framework so precisely that I was able to correctly predict the broad strokes of how Re:Mind would go three months before the DLC was released. 

Part I: The Beginning

While the Heroine’s Journey mimics the Hero’s Journey in its early stages, it ultimately goes in its own direction. I plan to go into further detail about the differences between the two in a later essay, but for now I will say that while Campbell’s monomyth describes physical plot points and the themes they represent, the Heroine’s Journey formula focuses on the emotional conflict of the narrative and the psychological development of its main characters. The pattern of the Hero’s Journey is fluid and doesn’t have a fixed central theme, while the core element of the Heroine’s Journey is a protagonist coming of age in a society that consciously or not regards them as lesser because they do not fit in with the expectations of the dominant social group. 

I know that some people who decide to read further will be put off by the fact that the names and descriptions of the Heroine’s Journey feature gendered language and focus on discussions of masculinity and femininity, so allow me to explain. The reason for this is that in a Heroine’s Journey, the protagonist is attempting to conform to a set of traits that the audience’s culture values. In pursuing this external validation, the main character has to suppress a vital part of who they are, cutting themselves off from achieving their full potential. The traits they are suppressing are the ones which are often regarded as feminine, while the ones they are trying to conform to are typically associated with masculinity. We see this pattern frequently in movies where the female lead tries to succeed in a male-dominated career field, only to feel lonely and unfulfilled when she finally gets what she wants because she sacrificed the parts of herself that made her who she is along the way. 

Now that I’ve given you a relatively brief summary of the Heroine’s Journey, I can get down to business and walk people through the steps to this template and how it fits with the story of Kingdom Hearts. Note that this is only a basic rundown of the steps of the Heroine’s Journey and how it relates to these games, and I will be posting additional essays shortly which go into greater detail on the themes, character archetypes, and other different layers of the framework that are present in the series. 

Murdock’s version of the Heroine’s Journey begins with the “Separation from the Feminine”. This is the stage where, as mentioned, the protagonist suppresses a core part of themselves in pursuit of external validation. It often takes the form of the protagonist sacrificing their emotional strengths and focuses exclusively on proving themselves in the physical sphere. Sora has demonstrated again and again that his greatest strength is his empathy and his willingness to make connections with others. It makes him a strong unifying force because of how well it complements the people around him. But because this isn’t something tangible in the same way that physical strength is, he doesn’t see the value of it, believing that without the strength of his friends he’s nothing. 

From the way the other kids on Destiny Islands talk about their competitions, Sora’s focus is on trying to prove that he’s just as strong and capable as Riku is. But he’s so focused on proving himself in physical challenges that he doesn’t notice the signs of Riku’s jealousy that lead his friend into the arms of Maleficent. And we see through Anti Form and Rage Form that Sora is still repressing his own negative emotions in Kingdom Hearts III. His narrow focus on external skills has cut him off from achieving the full potential of his internal ones. 

When Sora awakens in Traverse Town after the destruction of Destiny Islands, we come to the second stage of the Heroine’s Journey, “Identification with the Masculine and Gathering of Allies”. This is where the main character chooses to align with the traits and roles that the dominant social group sees as desirable in order to achieve their goal, and where they acquire the allies who will help them in their quest. With the adults around him focusing on his ability to destroy the Heartless, Sora latches onto the Chosen One status that implicitly comes with having a Keyblade. His interactions with Phil and his disappointment with the status of Junior Hero in subsequent games paint Sora as being focused on heroism in the sense of overcoming obstacles with force. Even Donald and Goofy, in the beginning, are focused on Sora’s value as a Keyblade Wielder in terms of how their fight against the Heartless can lead them to King Mickey’s location.

By setting off with Donald, and Goofy, Sora embarks on the “Road of Trials” stage of the Heroine’s Journey. This is one of the few points of similarity between the Heroine’s Journey and the Hero’s, corresponding to Campbell’s “Tests, Allies, and Enemies” stage. This is where the main character faces the initial obstacles and challenges of their quest. In the first few Kingdom Hearts games we have Sora face off against Maleficent, Ansem, and the Organization, before reuniting with Riku and Kairi in The World That Never Was. The final stages of Kingdom Hearts II correspond to the “Finding the Boon of Success” stage of both the Hero and Heroine’s Journeys. 

Part II: Interlude

In a Hero’s Journey, the Boon of Success is the end of the story. They slay the dragon, save the princess, and go home to live happily ever after. I suspect this is one reason why a lot of gamers in the KH fanbase tend to think of Kingdom Hearts 2 as the best game of the series - because in their minds Sora’s quest had been completed now that he had found Riku and Kairi like he set out to do in the first game. His journey, as far as they were concerned, was done. 

(This may also have an affect on how some fans reacted to Kingdom Hearts III, expecting it to be a grand epic finale that wrapped everything up with a bow and left a completely blank slate for the future of the series)

But in a Heroine’s Journey, the Boon of Success is not the end of the main character’s story. They have achieved their external goal, but they have not addressed their internal motivations for seeking that goal in the first place. And as their story continues, they find themselves facing challenges that their attitude thus far has failed to prepare them for. Finding The Boon of Success typically occurs early during the second act of the story. Usually it is achieved in the second half of Act II, but can sometimes happen as early as the end of the first act. For Sora, this was of course finding Riku and Kairi so that they could all go home to the Destiny Islands together.

But because the protagonist of a Heroine’s Journey has not addressed the underlying insecurities which set them on their current path, they “Awaken to Feelings of Spiritual Aridity”. 

They begin to learn that the conflict they find themselves involved in is not as clear cut as they previously believed, and the challenges that come with this new knowledge are ones that their current way of doing things has failed to prepare them for. They may have found their boon of success, but things quickly begin to go wrong until they are ultimately forced to sacrifice their reward. 

The first game already showed through Riku and Mickey that Sora was not the only person able to wield a Keyblade, but because of his heroic deeds the story still framed him as the Keyblade Master and treated him as having a more significant role to play in important events than anyone else. It’s only after he hears from Mickey of the Keyblade Wielders who came before him that it begins to sink in for him that being a Keyblade Master is not a special Chosen One status. He thinks that because of all that he’s accomplished, he doesn’t need the recognition that comes with the official title, and because of that he’s careless and almost gets himself Norted at the end of DDD. 

His failure in the exam is a blow to his self confidence and shows that despite what he had said at the start of the test, deep down he really does want that kind of external validation. His insecurities and doubts continue to eat at him over the course of KH3, culminating in his breakdown at the Keyblade Graveyard. Outside of battle, we see him bottle up his doubts and other negative emotions because his friends (Except for Riku. More on him later) brush his concerns and problems aside. It is very much like Joy from Inside Out doing everything to keep Rylee happy and refusing to let Sadness take the controls. 

When their current way of doing things ultimately costs them their boon, the protagonist tries to go back to the way things used to be. To return to a simpler time and avoid the pain of the present. When literally going back to where their journey began isn’t possible, a Heroine’s Journey story will use this stage symbolically. The main character will cling to a person, object, or relationship that they associate with a simpler time. But as comfortable as the sense of familiarity they get from that is, it ultimately cannot truly address their inner pain in the long run.

This is reflected in the Re:Mind DLC, where Sora goes back in time in order to find the pieces of Kairi’s heart and bring her back. One of Kairi’s most consistent character traits is her fear of change and desire for things to remain the way they were. 

At the end of the DLC, Sora compares his connection with Kairi to the bond between Ventus and Chirithy, a friendship explicitly strained by distance, time, and Ven’s amnesia. In an interview at E3 2018 [4], Nomura commented about Kingdom Hearts III tying into a theme of childhood friendships changing as one gets older, a plotline that Merlin calls attention to after Sora’s visit to the 100 Acre Wood. And in a 2006 book titled Character’s Report Vol. 1, Nomura specifically calls attention to Kairi’s anxiety about growing apart from Sora and Riku as they get older. [5] All of these details combined frame Sora’s quest to save Kairi as an attempt to symbolically recover the innocence he lost when he began his journey.

But while he is able to find a way to renew his connection to Kairi, it can never be the same as it was before, and attempting to go back to how things used to be is ultimately doomed to failure. By the time he brings her to The Final World at the end of Re:Mind, Sora has realized that he and Kairi cannot stay on the same plan of existence anymore as a consequence of his actions. So he takes her on a tour of the worlds to re-establish their connection before fading away at the end of KH3. Thus, we come to the final act of the Kingdom Hearts narrative. 

Part III: The Future Story 

It is at this point that the protagonist of a Heroine’s Journey begins the “Initiation and Descent to the Goddess” stage. Having failed to achieve meaningful success through their old way of doing things, they must look inward and examine the cause of their insecurities and accept that in order to move forward they need to heal themselves. In this step, the main character travels to either a dream world or a physical location that is closed off and forbidden to them, like the West Wing of Beast’s Castle in Beauty and the Beast. In Jungian psychology, this metaphorical dark cave represents the main character’s subconscious, and entering it triggers a dark night of the soul for our protagonist as they are forced to confront the parts of themselves they’ve been keeping locked away.

While Sora knows in his head that darkness is not inherently bad, he continues to rely entirely exclusively on light, on his connections to others, and has not properly accepted it in his heart. In order to truly finish his coming of age narrative, Sora must learn to balance his inner light and darkness the same way that Riku has. And to do that, he needs to look inside himself and figure out why he feels so badly that he needs his connections to others in order to be strong. And in order to achieve that level of understanding of himself, he needs to understand his Animus. 

Derived from the psychological theories of Carl Jung, the Animus in a Heroine’s Journey is an external representation of the protagonist’s masculine-coded traits in physical form. While not every Heroine’s Journey features an Animus, many of the stories I’ve seen that follow the formula do. Usually the Animus appears in the form of a deuteragonist who often functions as the protagonist’s Shadow, an archetypal character that embodies the aspects of the main character’s personality that due to their immaturity they either aren’t aware or don’t want to acknowledge that they have. 

In order to complete their character arc, the protagonist must symbolically integrate with their Shadow by learning to embrace the parts of their psyche that the Shadow represents. In many stories the protagonist has more than one Shadow figure, all of whom challenge the protagonist by forcing them to become faster or smarter to stay one step ahead, giving their interactions with the main character a push-and-pull dynamic as they drive the main character to grow. Shadow figures who fill the role of the Animus also challenge the protagonist to look inside themselves and examine their own emotional needs. With an Animus, the push to grow runs in both directions, with the main character motivating their Animus’ growth just as much as the other way around. 

In these types of stories, every aspect of the character is tailored to make the Animus and the protagonist fit together like Yin and Yang. In visual stories such as film, television, and video games, the Animus’ entire look is designed to complement the main character and they are framed in the narrative as the protagonist’s equal physically, intellectually, and spiritually. This serves to emphasize that despite their surface differences, much of the conflict between the protagonist and their Animus comes from the ways in which they are fundamentally similar. While their circumstances may have led them to drastically different lives, the characters are ultimately two sides of the same coin, and their character development is driven by learning to balance their contrasting traits.

And within the structure of the Kingdom Hearts series, there is only one character who fulfills all of these qualities in relation to Sora’s journey. 

The same character who Testuya Nomura said in the KH1 Ultimania was designed to balance Sora; [6]

Who series producer Shinji Hasimoto said was part of the core of the series alongside Sora [7], as has been repeatedly emphasized by the number of games where he is given a major focus and is a playable character alongside Sora. 

[Image Description: Riku walking towards a door to light in the opening of Kingdom Hearts III. End Description]

While Sora and Riku have addressed some of the latter’s behavior in the first game during their conversation on the dark beach at the end of Kingdom Hearts II, they have yet to truly dig deep into why Riku felt the way he did in the first game. Riku has not told Sora about how he felt like he was being left behind and forgotten. And since that conversation, Riku has gone to the opposite extreme, dealing with his emotional problems on his own instead of lashing out at others like he had done at the start. Likewise while Sora has accepted that darkness is not inherently evil he has yet to apply this to his own negative emotions, as seen in Kingdom Hearts III. Neither character has truly achieved an ideal balance yet, and they cannot until Sora completes his journey. 

After the protagonist returns from their spiritual journey, they experience an “Urgent Yearning to Reconnect with the Feminine.” As the main character recovers from their period of soul searching, they embrace the parts of themselves that they had neglected in their pursuit of outside approval. Their Descent allowed them to recognize their value as a person and an individual outside of their ability to fulfill the role that they were expected to fill. Following this realization, they go about “Healing the Mother/Daughter split”. Reclaiming the aspects of their personality they’ve been repressing gives the protagonist the clarity necessary to gain a different perspective on their old way of thinking. This new understanding is what will allow them to find the inner balance needed to truly complete their journey. 

The Japanese version of the “My friends are my power” mantra often repeated across the series is “Connected hearts are my power.” For Sora, who has long relied on his connections to others as a source of strength, he should come to realize that these connections go both ways: that his friends draw strength from him just as much as he draws strength from them. This should help him come to accept that he is still strong and worthy all by himself. Ven’s version of the mantra from the English version of BBS summarizes it best: “My friends are my power. And I am theirs.” After he accepts this, Sora will finally be able to use the full extent of his emotional abilities.

After achieving that new perspective, the protagonist’s next step is “Healing the Wounded Masculine Within”. This is the stage of the Heroine’s Journey where the main character, having come to understand themselves, reconciles with their Animus, thereby symbolically integrating the aspects of their psyche that the Animus represents and permanently healing the rift between the two characters. This will be where Sora and Riku need to have a longer, more in-depth conversation than the one they had on the Dark Magin at the end of KH2. Where they talk about why Riku acted the way he did and finally address the underlying reason for why he was so jealous of Sora in the original game. 

The final stage of the Heroine’s Journey is the “Integration of Masculine and Feminine”. This is the point at which the main character and their Animus finally achieve a perfect balance between them. They are united both internally and externally. There are no more secrets between them, and they are now free to move forward and overcome the main antagonist together. 

Part IV: Conclusion: 

While there’s too many different possibilities to completely predict every twist and turn of the series’ lore in future games, once you understand how Kingdom Hearts fits into the framework of the Heroine’s Journey, the broad strokes of how the story will go in terms of Sora’s growth and character development are entirely predictable. When Re:Mind first released and the rest of the fandom was reacting on Twitter, I was sitting back with a smug smile on my face thinking:

[Image Description: Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi sitting aboard the Death Star II with the caption ‘Good, Good. Everything is going according to plan.’ End Description.]

While I didn’t expect the precise mechanics of how Sora went about saving Kairi, Re:Mind was exactly what I expected it to be in terms of themes and its place in the Heroine’s Journey framework, and then the Secret Episode came along to reinforce that the next game is going to be Sora’s Descent.

While there isn’t a complete guarantee that the series will continue to follow the formula, I find it extremely unlikely that it won’t. Kingdom Hearts follows the stages of this framework too precisely for me to ever believe it happened by accident. So as long as there is no corporate interference from Disney like what happened to Voltron, I’m confident that Nomura’s plan for the finale of the series will be exactly what the Heroine’s Journey predicts it should be, no matter how unexpected future additions to the lore may be.

Special thanks to @dragonofyang and the rest of Team Purple Lion for everything I know about the Heroine’s Journey. I wouldn’t be as enthusiastic about analyzing the story of Kingdom Hearts if they hadn’t taught me the vocabulary to realize the kind of story that Nomura has been telling right under my nose for the last 18 years.

Sources:

[1] “Kingdom Hearts III Ultimania interview with Tetsuya Nomura”; March 12, 2019

https://www.khinsider.com/news/Kingdom-Hearts-3-Ultimania-Main-Nomura-Interview-Translated-14763

[2] “Iwata Asks: Nintendo 3DS: Third Party Game Developers, Volume 12: Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance], Part 3: Square’s Intentions”; April 2012.

https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/creators/11/2

[3] “2004 GMR Nomura Interview 2004!”; Translation by Kingdom Hearts Insider posted May 5, 2012. 

https://www.khinsider.com/news/GMR-Nomura-Interview-2004-2563

[4] “E3 2018: Tetsuya Nomura on If Kingdom Hearts 3 Is the End of Sora's Story”; June 14, 2018.

https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/14/e3-2018-tetsuya-nomura-on-if-kingdom-hearts-3-is-the-end-of-soras-story

[5] “Character’s Report Vol. 1 Translations”; Jul 16, 2014

https://www.khinsider.com/forums/index.php?threads/characters-report-vol-1-translations.195560/\

[6] “A Look Back: Kingdom Hearts Ultimania Gallery Comments Part 1″; August 30, 2019;

https://www.khinsider.com/news/A-Look-Back-KINGDOM-HEARTS-Ultimania-Gallery-Comments-Part-1-15519

[7] “How Kingdom Hearts III Will Grow Up With Its Players.” September 24, 2013

https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/25/how-kingdom-hearts-iii-will-grow-up-with-its-players

[X] “The Heroine with a Thousand Faces”; June 13, 2019;

https://www.teampurplelion.com/heroine-with-a-thousand-faces/

[X] Murdock, Maureen. The Heroine’s Journey. 1990.

[X] “Maureen Murdock’s Heroine’s Journey Arc”. The Heroine Journeys Project. https://heroinejourneys.com/heroines-journey/

[theonyxpath]

In advance of the upcoming release of Chicago by Night, please enjoy these story hooks from the upcoming Chicago Folios stretch goal:

V5 Chicago Folio illustration by Michael Gaydos

Dearest Club Member

We would be delighted to see you at the annual Evening of the Flesh this coming month. We, the Black Roses, will be arranging the meet-up this year, and can truly say, it will be even bigger, even better, and even more interesting than in years prior. We have special playtoys we cannot wait for you to get your hands on, and I am sure they will happily oblige your every desire. If not, we will make them — like we always do.

Per our code, this event must stay strictly confidential. We wouldn’t want any disturbances to ruin our night (no one could forget last year’s near slip-up). This year’s theme will be “The Blood”, so please dress accordingly — think of something that reminds you of what gives you life. Perhaps, a red dress? Maybe a burgundy tie? Even shoes count! As long as your appearance channels that which we all burn for.

The guests this year will be young, so please be on your best behavior. We don’t want to scare the poor things, at least not until reach the end of our little ordeal. After all, they are not used to the ways of our club. Still, they did not earn their blood, and make better meals than anything else.

Remember, you can always bring a plus one. But make sure this individual is ready for all the fun controversies we will be embarking on. Most importantly, they will have to keep quiet. We don’t want a certain royalty to hear about our games.

We look forward to seeing you,

The Black Roses

Exclusive Invitation

Cast: Annabelle (Chicago by Night, p. XX), Karyn Stanislava (p. XX), The Black Roses — a secret society within a secret society

What Happened:

Every year for the past decade, a group known as the Black Roses assembles in Chicago for a debauched party in which they enjoy every pleasure flesh and blood can give. Though many such parties take place across the States, the Black Roses’ events are a special kind of depravity, as the members of the secret group test each other’s Humanity and attempt to tease the Beast to the surface with every sinful act.

Though rumors of the Black Roses have extended beyond Chicago’s boundaries, few know the identities of vampires within the club. The Toreador Black Rose known as Karyn Stanislava is only known because she often organizes the more palatable entertainments and has to coordinate with other vampires to hire gifted retainers and Kindred-aware security. Karyn is sworn to silence on the matter of the remaining names on the guest list, and it’s possible she doesn’t even know them. The club insists its members wear masks and are forbidden from uses of their vampiric Disciplines (at least from using them on each other) when the Black Roses come together.

The group name implies a largely Toreador society, but Annabelle has voiced her displeasure with the vulgar club for its acceptance of diablerie. An invitation found from the last session discusses feeding from the young, which turned out to be thin-bloods imported into the city, one of whom escaped.

The Prince would like this group shut-down completely; while a secret society for now, the longer the festering debauchery remains contained, the worse the explosion when someone finally penetrates its shell.

What Could Happen:

•       A member of the coterie receives an invitation to attend a party with the Black Roses and finds themselves in an exclusive soiree where no sins are off-limits. Thoughts fly to the debased practices of the Sabbat and the Church of Caine, and any vampire experiencing these “pleasures” runs the risk of falling to their Beast.

•       Annabelle recruits the coterie to infiltrate the Black Roses’ next party, reasoning that if everyone remains masked, they should find doing so no trouble at all. The party is horrific in every way, compelling vampires with higher Humanity ratings to burn the whole thing down before leaving. During the party, it’s possible one of the members of the coterie might discover a known (and ostensibly humane) Kindred is one of the other guests. Keeping their identity a secret is enough to command a boon or gain a Contact, though that vampire might subsequently become an antagonist.

•       One of the coterie’s thin-blooded associates disappears, with rumors abounding that the Black Roses are snatching up thin-bloods for party food. Annabelle tips the coterie off to Karyn Stanislava’s location, giving them the opportunity to get even or gain information.

Attribute Focus: Social

Karyn Stanislava

Clan: Toreador

Sire: Hathaway, “The Menshevik”

Embraced: 1930 (Born 1907)

Ambition: Make the Black Roses more impressive year after year

Convictions: Never let them know your true power

Touchstones: Arturo — loyal, long-time retainer

Humanity: 2

Generation: 9th

Blood Potency: 2

Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2; Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 2; Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 3

Secondary Attributes: Health 5, Willpower 5

Skills: Athletics 3, Melee 2, Stealth 1; Animal Ken 2, Etiquette 4, Insight 2, Intimidation 1, Performance 3, Persuasion (Seduction) 4, Subterfuge (Innocence) 5; Awareness 1, Finance (Investments) 3, Medicine 1, Politics 1

Disciplines: Auspex 2, Celerity 2, Obfuscate 1, Presence 2

Help for Hire — Warehouse Rebuild

Several able-bodied and robust younger people are needed for a complete rebuild of my warehouse in Lincoln Park. The warehouse was previously used to store auto-parts but has been empty since 2001. It is now needed for a new project, and therefore, I seek help to spark life into the old halls once again. The warehouse refurbishment needs to be ready in a very short span of time. In order to be a part of the project, you need to meet certain requirements:

•       You will need to be available sixteen hours a day every day for two weeks. This may seem intense, but I need this job done as soon as possible. You will be paid very well for your time and effort. Therefore, I seek individuals who do not have immediate family to attend to and are currently unemployed.

•       You will need to be between the ages of 18 and 40.

•       You will need to be in a physically good condition to perform the job. My only requirement is you are not currently sick.

•       You cannot bring any cellular devices or means of communication. This is simply because I need your full attention while you are here, and I do not tolerate sloppiness or distractions.

These requirements must be met for you to seek this position. In return you will get:

•       Full housing and accommodations during your two weeks. A trailer with everything you need, including kitchen and bath will be available to you.

•       $50/hour + an additional $10/hour during night and weekend shifts.

•       A starting bonus of $1,000 with a signed work contract.

If this catches your interest, please contact me on the enclosed cellphone number or send a letter to my PO Box. My personal assistant will be answering your calls during daytime since I am often busy or out of the office. I will be available for brief questions or any other inquiries typically from 9 PM – 11 PM, as I will be in office.

Kind Regards,

Amelia Locke

Seeking Employment

Cast: Amelia Locke (p. XX)

What Happened:

It’s a simple enough sounding ambition: Amelia Locke, childe of Joseph Peterson, wants to create a new Elysium.

She has the property, which was an old warehouse near Lincoln Park gifted to her by her exiled sire. Now, she just needs to figure out what to turn it into. Her lover, Tatyana, suggested a club, but there are already plenty of those in the city. She’s reached out to Annabelle and Kathy Glens, who suggested a gallery or an auditorium, respectively, but neither prospect appeals.

This vampire journalist is hard-nosed but willing to listen to ideas. All she needs is a good one. Something that might leave a new mark on the Chicago map. It’s the kind of enterprise any aspiring Camarilla vampire might get behind.

What Could Happen:

•       The coterie provides Amelia with financial backing for whichever venture she decides to undertake. Doing so earns them Amelia as a one-dot Mawla, but the investment takes a long time to yield results as the Ventrue’s many advisors suggest everything from a theatre to a board game café.

•       The coterie attempts to directly influence Amelia’s decision, living their fantasies through her. Unless they’re subtle, she rebukes any attempts at control and becomes a one-dot Adversary for each member of the coterie. She’s not interested in being someone’s puppet. If they are subtle, they may convince her to invest in a business that matches their interests.

•       The one idea Amelia hasn’t considered but would gain the backing of the Hellenes and the Tremere of the city, is a new city library. It would appeal to her journalistic desires, and if other vampires get their way, could even provide a secret study and reading room for Kindred texts. It wouldn’t make a massive splash on the social scene but would provide a place of quiet contemplation for vampires of the city.

Attribute Focus: Mental / Social

[mikotyzini]

Boundless - Ch. 5 (Mythological/Fantasy AU)

Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3  Chapter 4

Sighing into the mirror, Weiss reached up and removed her dangling, diamond earrings - which were far too heavy for her liking. After setting them down on the chest of drawers, she removed the sparkling tiara from atop her head and set it beside the earrings.  

It had been a long day, but it was finally over. Now the healing could begin.

The sound of footsteps approached her room, but stopped just outside the open door.  The person who owned the sound was far too polite to come any further without a formal acknowledgment, even though an open invitation had been granted several times.

Two soft knocks rapped on the doorframe, representing the polite request for recognition.

“Do come in, Glynda,” Weiss said, stepping to the side so that her view in the mirror now included the stern woman standing in the doorway.  

Removing a set of jeweled bracelets from around her wrist and pulling off a glittering ring that symbolized nothing more than wealth, Weiss set everything in front of the mirror before turning around as Glynda strode across the room.

“What is it?” Weiss asked, noticing the trademark furrowed brow her closest advisor was wearing.

“I wanted to say that I’m truly sorry for your loss, Your Majesty.”

When Glynda bowed her head, Weiss huffed in disbelief.

“Save your sympathy, Glynda,” she replied. “What are you sorry for?  That tyranny has ended?  That people will no longer be forced into suffering so that we may live in excess?”  Letting out another scoff, she shook her head.  “There’s no need for sorrow.  I’m glad he’s gone - we’re better off without him.”

“He was still your father…”

“Which only means I was closest to his ire,” Weiss pointed out, feeling not an ounce of sympathy for the miserable life that had finally ended.  “Truthfully, Glynda, I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine.  I’m looking forward to making changes for the better.”

Only after studying Weiss closely did Glynda accept the words, giving a curt nod that would be the end of the matter for good.

“What will you do first?” Glynda asked, back to business now that the emotional checkup was complete.

“There’s much to be done - much that needs to be changed for the better.  I’ll need your help correcting his mistakes, but first...reach out to the Kingdom of Vale - I’d like to arrange a meeting as soon as possible.”

“Vale?” Glynda asked, her eyes widening in surprise. “But -”

“I want to discuss a truce.  It’s time to negotiate an end to this pointless war.”

For a long time, Glynda stared - trying to read the intent behind Weiss’ words.  Finding that Weiss was speaking the truth, Glynda nodded again.

“When would you like to leave, Your Majesty?”

“Right away.  Tomorrow, if it can be arranged.”

“We won’t be able to send a messenger there and back in time -”

“Then I’ll set out without their response,” Weiss replied, knowing that Glynda wouldn’t enjoy that idea in the slightest. “I feel strongly that they’ll want an end to this, as well.  There’s no point in risking further bloodshed due to logistics.”

Again, that nod - which meant Glynda would do as instructed even if her pursed lips and furrowed brow gave away her true feelings on the situation.

“I’ll get started on that right away,” she said, backing towards the exit of the room, practically buzzing with restless energy now that she had multiple objectives to accomplish.  “Expect to leave tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll be ready.”

Without another word, Glynda turned and disappeared through the door, making sure to close it on her way out.  

Left in solitude, Weiss walked away from the extravagant jewelry and sat on the end of her bed to think about recent events and what her future might hold.  And - for the first time in what felt like ages - she smiled.  

She’d wanted to visit Vale for years, but hadn’t found an opportunity that wouldn’t result in her father having her hunted down and executed as a traitor.  Even if she managed to make it - and even if Vale was willing to provide her sanctuary - he would have no qualms sending legions of assassins after her or Ruby for the rest of their lives.

Now that he was gone, Weiss could finally go - she could find Ruby and hopefully win her heart.

That night as she got ready for sleep and mentally prepared for the following day, she felt lighter than she had since she was a child - maybe even lighter, as during her younger years she’d been ruthlessly aware of the expectations placed upon her.

There were days she never expected to make it this far.  There were days she thought her life would be cut short - another victim of her father’s uncontrollable frost and anger.  The only thing that helped her through was Ruby.  Ever since her eighteenth birthday, Weiss knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  One day, her father would be gone and, when that happened, she could find Ruby.  

She’d dreamed of that moment for so long...and she would dream of it again tonight, on the eve of setting out in search of her happily ever after.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt again…”

Coming back to the table in the midst of a restaurant, Weiss focused on Ruby and smiled.  “It’s ok,” she said, her attempt at reassurance doing nothing to ease the deep crease of concern in Ruby’s brow.

“It sounds like your dad was a bit of a...jerk?”

Weiss sighed at the question and sadly shook her head.

“He was extremely powerful and extremely volatile. You never knew what would send him into a rage, and you never knew what he might do when that happened.”

“That sounds really scary.”

“It was,” she answered honestly.  “But this was a different world, Ruby.  It was a more dangerous world, and the people reflected that.”

When Ruby bit her lip, Weiss added, “And we made it through just fine.”

Finally appearing somewhat relieved, Ruby smiled again.

“But your dad now…?”

“Is much nicer,” Weiss answered with a smile that removed the rest of Ruby’s worries.  “He’s driven and almost solely focused on work, but he tends to grow frustrated rather than angry - a much better situation, in my opinion.”

Comforted by the knowledge, Ruby nodded and waved a hand in apology.

“Sorry, I just wanted to know,” she said.  “I’m excited to hear what happens next!”

Ruby’s concern over Weiss’ father was heartwarming, so much so that Weiss felt the incredible urge to give Ruby a kiss for being so caring.  That would have to come later though.  There were more stories to tell first...

The next morning was bright and sunny, but not warm.  Atlas was hardly ever warm anymore, but the chill bothered Weiss very little as she was led towards the escort for her trip to Vale.  Multiple carriages lined the front of the palace steps - some carrying advisors and negotiators while others carried various gifts of treasure to be used as an offer of peace.  The largest of these carriages was reserved for her, built to provide as much comfort as possible over what would only be a few day trip.  

The legion of soldiers accompanying the carriages was large, numbering near a thousand men and women clad in extravagant silver armor.  It was surely more than necessary, but Weiss understood Glynda’s precaution. Relations with Vale had soured long ago thanks to her father’s demands of fealty.  Hopefully, that would change soon.

Approaching the caravan while flanked by her most loyal guards, Weiss examined the soldiers set to accompany her.  They stood in crisp, straight lines with their weapons at their sides, while those on horseback sat rigid in their saddles. Each had plumes of icy breath billowing from their lips - the mark of Atlas and its frigid warriors.  These men and women proudly displayed their element for her inspection, each of them assuring her through sight that they were capable of protecting her on this journey.

She wished that the display of force was unnecessary, but until she spoke to Ruby there was always a possibility they would be attacked on sight.

Satisfied with what she saw in front of her, Weiss called upon the ice running through her veins - the constant cold that never went away.  The cold deepened, approaching what would be a painful freeze if she wasn’t used to the feeling by now.  Drawing out this power and projecting it in front of her, she summoned ice to do her bidding - pulling shards into the loose shape of a towering soldier that dwarfed them all.

The figure moved like a swarm of crystals, coalescing and breaking apart as he walked to the front of the caravan while Weiss was escorted to her carriage.  Once she was situated inside, she commanded the figure to point the way with his giant sword, spurring the soldiers to motion before she scattered the crystals by the wayside.

With the journey underway, she leaned against the window and sighed.  She loathed the posturing, but it was the way of life in this realm - a subtle reminder to those serving her that, while they may wield some semblance of power, it was her family that controlled the ice within them.

Their voyage would take several days, with most of the delay caused by the slow progress leaving Atlas.  High mountains and snowy corridors at the edges of the kingdom were a boon as protection from invaders, but treacherous when it came to traveling between kingdoms - especially when traveling in such a large group. Of course, with the war going on, very little traveling was happening anyway.

Settled in for the long road ahead, she had plenty of time to think about what she wanted to say, and what response she might receive.  She already knew she needed a way to calm Yang’s fire - the older sister being notoriously hotheaded and fueled by flames.  But what would Ruby be like?  How had this world shaped her?  Weiss was excited and anxious to find out.

The first two days of travel were uneventful and long, but a commotion outside the carriage in the early hours of the third morning disrupted Weiss’ breakfast.  

As she went to the window to see what was happening, but the door to the carriage abruptly opened and one of her elite guard jumped inside.  He shut the door behind him as the windows were shuttered and locked from the outside.

“What’s going on?” she asked, her heart beating fast as fear and confusion flooded through her.

“Someone slipped into camp,” he explained, on high alert while listening to the shouts and motion outside the walls.  Weiss understood his caution.  They’d left Atlas and entered the no-mans-land between Atlas and Vale - The Badlands, as it was called.  In this place, they were susceptible to attacks or assassins.  Her family didn’t have the most highly regarded name, after all.

After a few minutes spent waiting on pins and needles, the commotion died down, and the windows opened back up.

“Sir,” someone called, knocking in a very specific pattern on the door.  When the guard immediately relaxed, Weiss did too, and she followed him out the door to see what was going on.

“She claims to be a thief, Sir,” one of the soldiers explained as the lead guard approached him.

“Your Majesty, I advise you stand back,” the lead guard said, pointing to a spot on the ground before continuing forward. Weiss didn’t listen to him - because she didn’t have to - and several guards moved to her side as protection while she walked towards the source of the uproar.

As soon as a split in the crowd opened up, allowing her clear view of their new prisoner, Weiss’ heart sped up in surprise.

Kneeling on the ground, surrounded by more soldiers than necessary, was Blake.  She was immobilized - her wrists and ankles bound with cuffs of ice - but she still held her head high.

This was the Blake that Weiss knew - and that Blake would never be foolish enough to attempt stealing from such a heavily-guarded caravan.  

“Who sent you?” one of the guards demanded, glaring down at her while she refused to meet his eyes.

“No one.”

Thinking the answer was a lie, the guard raised one hand in the air, prepared to level it across Blake’s face.

“Stop!” Weiss ordered, encasing the man’s arm in a large block of ice.  He yelped in shock when he was dragged to the ground by the dead weight, but she paid him no mind while shoving through the soldiers and kneeling in front of Blake.

Their proximity made every guard nervous, causing them to inch forward in fear, but Weiss looked into Blake’s eyes knowing that the girl would never hurt her - even if that had been Blake’s initial intent.

“Blake?” Weiss asked quietly, watching confusion swirl in Blake’s eyes at the sound of her name.  

“How do you -” she began to ask, but Weiss smiled.

“You have impeccable timing, don’t you?” she said before standing.  With a small glance, she cast away the ice binding Blake’s arms and legs and freed the guard of his block of a hand.  

“Has she been searched?” Weiss asked, finding it prudent to take a little precaution.  Knowing Blake, there was a high probability that she’d allowed herself to be caught for a reason - which meant she might very well be an assassin, after all.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good.”  Looking down, Weiss extended a hand to help Blake to her feet.  “I’m going to need your help with something,” Weiss explained. “Please come with me.”

Ignoring Weiss’ hand, Blake stood on her own.

“What could you possibly need my help with?” she asked, disbelief and incredulity seeping into her tone.  Something about this situation wasn’t playing out as she expected, which was good.  Weiss needed to keep Blake curious - that was the only way she would put her original plan on hold.

“You’ll see soon,” Weiss replied, raising a brow at the idea Blake thought she was in a position to decline the request.  “I think you’ll find it preferable to your other options.”  After nodding towards the soldiers, Weiss waved towards her carriage and took a step in that direction.  The silent invitation took everyone by surprise, but Blake accepted it with narrowed eyes and a hesitant nod.

While Blake walked towards the carriage, Weiss held onto a higher sense of caution.  She knew Blake was crafty in ways others were not.  But Weiss wasn’t defenseless, and she’d been smart enough to hide the depths of her powers from her father and anyone else.

It was still a risk, but a calculated one.

“Your Majesty,” the lead guard said, reaching out to stop her before she followed Blake into the carriage.  Blake paused with one foot on the lower step, turning around and watching the interaction closely.  

The guard’s eyes were fearful - approaching panic - as he glanced at Blake and then looked down at Weiss.  “I strongly advise you not to trust her -”

“I’ll leave the window open,” Weiss replied, attempting to allay his fears.  “If I need your help, you’ll know.”

He wanted to disagree, but knew that he shouldn’t. Instead, he nodded and straightened his posture.

“I’ll be right outside.”  After giving Blake one last look, he rallied the soldiers back in order so they could resume their journey.  Blake looked at Weiss for direction and stepped into the carriage when Weiss gestured that way.

When Blake took the seat on the far wall of the cabin, in plain view, Weiss wasted no time following.  The door shut behind her, and the windows were opened on both sides for the anxious guards outside.  Thankfully, the weather here wasn’t nearly as frigid as in Atlas, and provided a nice, cool breeze that swept across them.

Sitting down opposite of Blake, Weiss couldn’t help but smile at the surly girl across from her.  If she had to guess, Blake’s life had probably been difficult up to this point, but that would change now.  Soon, the four of them would be together once again.

But first...silence.  Blake said nothing, and Weiss said nothing as the carriage spurred to motion once more.  It was normally like this between the two of them, but Blake’s curiosity always won out in the end.

“Where are we going?” she finally asked, glancing out the window before looking at Weiss.

“Vale.”

“Vale?  Why would you go to Vale?”

“Your Majesty!”

Hearing the voice, Weiss left the question unanswered as she looked out the window and found a man on horseback riding up beside them. Based on his more casual clothes, he wasn’t a soldier.  He was a messenger - the one Glynda sent ahead to Vale.

“Your Majesty!” he called out again, looking through the window and spotting her.  “I bring news from the high court in Vale!” he said, his breathing labored from what had likely been a long, sleepless journey.

“What is it?” Weiss asked, knowing that this was the first moment of truth.  If the response was bad…

“The sister queens agreed to meet upon your arrival to discuss a truce!” the messenger said with a smile.  “They await your presence and wish you safe travels into Vale!”

Sighing in relief, Weiss gave the man a nod of appreciation.  “Thank you for that message,” she said.  “Please return to Atlas and let Glynda know.”

Nodding, the man spurred his horse off for the final leg of his journey.  Upon receiving the good news, Weiss sat back in her seat and smiled.  If Ruby and Yang agreed to a meeting, maybe relations weren’t as poor as they seemed.  Maybe there was hope that a valuable alliance could be formed.

“You’re negotiating a truce?”

The question brought Weiss out of her thoughts and back to the carriage, where Blake was staring at her - clearly surprised by the information.

“I’m going to try,” Weiss answered, watching Blake’s eyes widen in response.  “This isn’t my war,” she added.  “And I have no desire to keep fighting it.”

Knowing what she did about Blake, the words would make an impact.  At the very least, Blake would be willing to stay if she thought that doing so would help the greater good.

“You want to end the war,” Blake repeated, sounding very much like she didn’t want to believe the statement.

“Yes, I do.”

After saying the words, Weiss watched Blake’s demeanor change - from pent-up anxiety to confused and befuddled...relief.

“If Vale agrees...what will you do next?”

“Hopefully, fix what my father destroyed.  Rebuild Atlas.”  

“What about The Badlands?”

In one question, Blake laid down her cards for all to see.  That was the cause she’d attached herself to this time. That was what drove her forward, and what brought her into Weiss’ life.

“The Badlands also need healing, which I mean to help with...if they’ll allow it.”  Looking out the window and thinking about how ruined the world had become, Weiss sighed and shook her head.  “There’s so much work to be done…”  Pausing, she sent a glance at Blake.  “That’s one of the reasons I need your help.”

The Badlands had grown lawless as war ravaged the small towns and cities located there.  The citizens now operated under their own rules - or lack of them.  They wouldn’t take lightly to the kingdoms stepping back in, even if it was an attempt to help restore order.  But with an advocate...there might just be hope of healing the damage her father had caused.

“Why me?”

“You seem like someone they’ll listen to,” Weiss replied, shrugging as if she didn't understand Blake’s importance to this world. But, based on lives past, Blake was likely already a leader in this rouge area of society - earning respect by following her morality through thick and thin.  

“Do you have any ideas on how we can make things right?”

The question lit a spark in Blake’s eyes, saying without words that it was the right one to ask.  

“I have a few.”

“I’d like to hear them,” Weiss added, nodding once to encourage Blake to speak.

And speak she did - launching into a list of suggestions both detailed and ingenious - so much so that Weiss actually found a pen and paper to write them down while Blake spoke.  

For hours, the two of them discussed the state of the kingdoms, and what could be done to repair their way of life.  When Blake asked questions, Weiss answered honestly - even if that meant saying she didn’t know the answer.  But Blake appreciated the candor, and her walls were lowering by the time Vale came into view.

“Your Majesty,” one of the guards said, appearing by the window and pointing up ahead.  Following the direction, Weiss found herself staring at a sprawling metropolis hemmed in by towering walls that glowed red from the sunset.  The palace was easily viewable in the distance, rising above the rest of the city and glittering in opulence.

“Have you been to Vale before?” Weiss asked, her heart fluttering when she realized that Ruby was right there, tucked somewhere inside those walls.

“Not in a long time,” Blake answered, looking out the window before turning to Weiss.  “What about you?”

Shaking her head in response, Weiss stared out the window as their caravan stopped outside the city gates.  The soldiers up front conversed for several seconds before the gates opened and they were admitted inside, but with a large contingent of Vale soldiers joining them as they traveled through the city streets towards the palace.

Their grand entrance garnered the attention of everyone they passed - the citizens of Vale curious as to who was the cause of such a large procession.  Weiss’ attention was solely for the palace though, watching it grow larger as they neared it.

Her heart, which had remained quiet for so long, now loudly announced its presence - determined to control her actions as her moment of destiny quickly approached.  She had no idea what to expect inside the palace, but she expected Ruby...and that was enough for her hands to shake with nerves.

“I’d like you to come with me,” she said as the first of the carriages arrived in front of the palace doors.  Turning away from the window, she looked at Blake. “I’d like you to participate in our discussions as my advisor,” she elaborated.

The request took Blake by surprise, but she nodded in agreement.  Satisfied that she had one pseudo-ally with her, Weiss took a deep breath and turned towards the door as it was opened for her.

“Your Majesty,” the soldier said, bowing his head while holding one arm in the direction of the palace entrance.

Not showing any hesitation, Weiss left the carriage behind and stepped into the cool, Vale air.  It was nowhere near as cold as Atlas, which was a relief to the ice running through her veins.  But while her element warmed, her nerves tripled while following her elite guards through the towering entrance to the palace.  She glanced over her shoulder once, making sure Blake was close behind as they entered a grand foyer that was comparable to Atlas’ own palace in terms of grandeur.

Spotting a group of people standing up ahead, Weiss’ palms grew sweaty as they approached  - knowing that the moment was almost upon her.  As the opposing party neared, however, she realized she would have to wait a little longer, as the only person she recognized was tall, blonde, and wearing a smirk.

“The Ice Queen arrives,” Yang said, stopping several paces away from Weiss with a group of red-hued soldiers surrounding her.

In four words, Weiss knew this was going to be more difficult than she’d hoped, for a couple of reasons.  One, Yang was cockier than average, as evidenced by the way she folded both arms over her chest and smirked.  Two, Ruby was nowhere in sight.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Weiss replied as politely as possible before glancing around and finding nothing but soldiers and more soldiers.  “May I ask whether or not your sister will be joining us?”

“She’ll get here when she gets here,” Yang answered, waving a hand as if she could care less about Ruby’s whereabouts before nodding towards the large throne room beside them.  “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

With Yang waiting for her to enter the room first, Weiss turned towards her royal guard.

“Wait out here,” she directed them - the unanticipated demand making Yang’s brow raise.  

“No guards?” Yang asked before grinning and shooing her own guards away.  “l like where this is going.”

“I’d like my closest advisor to come with me though,” Weiss added, gesturing to Blake.  If Blake was surprised by the term, she did an excellent job hiding it. Instead, she returned Yang’s questioning gaze with an impassive expression.

Eventually, Yang shrugged and waved them both through the doorway.

“After you, then.”

Blake and Weiss shared a look before walking into the throne room, which was just as cavernous as Weiss would have expected. The ceilings towered over their heads, their footsteps echoed off the highly polished floors, yet it was the sight of the twin thrones sitting ahead of them that really caught Weiss’ attention.

Where was Ruby?  This conversation was almost destined for failure without her presence.

“So -”  Clapping her hands, Yang stood in front of the thrones and sent Blake and Weiss a grin.  “What’s this I hear about a ‘truce’?  Doesn’t make much sense coming from someone like you.”

The words were intended as an insult, but Weiss tried not to let them annoy her.  If she let Yang get under her skin too early, they’d be at each other’s throats in no time.

“I want to discuss a truce,” Weiss replied as calmly as possible.  “This war has done nothing but harm - it’s time we put a stop to the needless fighting and focus on rebuilding the damage that’s been done.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss saw Blake nod in agreement - and that small gesture assured Weiss that she had at least one person on her side.  

However, Yang scoffed and shook her head.

“Righttt...so after years of fighting, you suddenly just wanna up and quit?”  Again, Yang scoffed in disbelief.  “What terms are you trying to negotiate then - you want the crown off my head?  You want to march your armies into the city and take over?”

“That’s not at all what I’m suggesting.”  Weiss lifted her hands - trying to show she wasn’t playing a trick - but Yang stared her down, sending tendrils of uncomfortable heat across the room.  “I want to end the war,” Weiss repeated.  “Your soldiers can return home, and so will ours.”

Yang frowned at the words.

“But…” she said, intuitively picking up that Weiss had more to say.

“But we’ll need to work together to repair the damage.  Especially in The Badlands -”

“Oh that’s just ripe,” Yang interrupted, her frown turning into a full-fledged scowl that rang alarm bells in Weiss’ mind. “We’ll work together to fix The Badlands.  Vale and Atlas will unite to fix the problems that we caused.  Maybe you don’t remember that you’re the ones who marched your armies through there, killing innocent people -”

“And your armies started torching villages!” Weiss retorted, her voice rising with a spike of indignation.  Quickly shaking her head, she struggled to calm down - which would be easier to do if Yang’s inner fire wasn’t burning so hot.  The element was pulling at Weiss’ ice, bringing it to light.

“Those weren’t my decisions,” Weiss added firmly. “I had no say in the matter -”  

“Bullshit!”

As Yang shouted the word, flames shot from her. Weiss reacted with a wall of ice to deflect the anger, but in front of that ice a mountain of stone appeared, erupting from the ground as an impenetrable boulder.  The flames hit the rock and dissipated, dealing no damage before disappearing completely.  

The entire incident lasted no more than a second, but left Weiss staring at Blake - stunned by the display of power - while Yang laughed.

“l knew it!” Yang said.  “Belladonna - the earth assassin!  Walked right into my castle!”  Yang laughed again, her eyes trained on Blake while pointing to Weiss.  “Are you here to kill her or me - or both?  Because I think you’ll find that more difficult than you’re expecting.”

Undeterred by Yang’s response, Blake stood straighter and never looked away from Yang’s gaze.

“I’m not an assassin.”

“Really?” Yang asked, tilting her head in clear skepticism.  “Because they say you are.”

“And they say you’re hot-headed and reckless,” Blake shot back.  “It appears the rumors were right about one of us.”

Weiss expected Yang to scowl at the fiery response, but instead she let out a short huff - looking almost amused by the quick wit aimed back at her.

“You’re still an outlaw,” Yang pointed out.  “And what - you hitched a ride here?”  Gasping for effect, Yang leaned closer and lowered her voice.  “Were you planning to off the Queen of Atlas on the way?”  Dropping the act and chuckling, she leaned away and waved towards Weiss.  “Because feel free - I won’t stand in your way.”

Weiss scowled at the response, but dropped the expression when Blake turned towards her - eyes begging for forgiveness.

“I’m sorry,” Blake said, confirming Yang’s words to be true.  “When I heard your caravan was stopped nearby, I knew I had to take a chance - in hopes it would stop the fighting.”  

“Forgiven,” Weiss replied before Blake could feel too badly about it.  “I figured it was a possibility, anyway.”

Again, Blake was surprised by Weiss’ reply - pleasantly so.  With a smile that felt like the beginnings of friendship, she continued.

“After hearing your plans, and what you hope to accomplish, I knew I wanted to help.” Pausing, Blake turned back to Yang.  “l believe her,” she said, not at all intimidated by the raw power emanating from Yang.  “And I have no reason to believe either of you.”

“You believe her?” Yang asked, pointing towards Weiss and scoffing.

“Yes,” Blake said, unafraid to use emphasis in the face of the Queen of Vale. “You try to place the blame entirely on Atlas, but Vale hasn’t cared about us either.  The people at the fringes were left to fend for themselves - free to starve to death while both kingdoms ignored us or destroyed what little we had left.  Why do you think we organized?  Why do you think we fought back?  You’re deciding your politics on our land, our homes.  We might never recover from the destruction, but you won’t care about that, either.”

When Blake’s impassioned rant ended, Yang stared - her mouth open as she searched for a response.  But she wasn’t given the opportunity as a giggle broke through the silence in the room.  Weiss’ heart leapt at the sound - because she would know that giggle anywhere.  It was everything she remembered it to be and more...even more incredible to hear in person than to imagine in a dream.

A breeze swept across the room, and Ruby finally joined her sister - playfully shaking Yang’s shoulders to remove the angry stiffness from them.

“She’s got you there, Yang,” Ruby teased, her lighthearted voice working wonders in dispelling the rising tension.  But then Ruby shook her head sadly, understanding the situation far better than her years would suggest.

“We knew people would suffer, but we had to protect those we could.  Now Atlas wants a truce - why would we keep fighting?”

“l - because -” Searching for an answer and coming up empty, Yang shook her head and pointed at Weiss.  “Because I think she’s lying!”

“Hmm...”

Thinking about Yang’s concern, Ruby met Weiss’ gaze and walked over.  Weiss’ skin tingled the closer Ruby drew, buzzing with an energy unlike anything she’d experienced in this life.  When Ruby was close enough, Weiss broke every custom she’d learned and curtsied.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Queen Rose,” she said, her inner ice melting under Ruby’s warm, silver gaze.

“You too,” Ruby replied, responding with her own curtsy that made Yang frown.  “You can call me Ruby.”

“Ruby...” Weiss savored the name on her lips before smiling, fending off the waves of happiness that wanted her to kiss Ruby right then and there.  “Please call me Weiss.”

Ruby was enjoying the interaction, and enjoying every bit of royal protocol Weiss was willing to break with her.  

If that’s what Ruby wanted, Weiss would willingly break every rule she’d ever learned.

“Are you lying, Weiss?” Ruby asked, her expression serious but a smile threatened to break at any moment.  “Are you pretending to want a truce - to trick us?”

“I’m not lying,” Weiss replied, willing Ruby to believe her.  “My father craved power and was willing to fight to take it.  I’m not my father.  I want nothing but peace.”

For the longest time, Ruby looked into Weiss’ eyes as if reading her very soul.  It made her feel vulnerable, exposed, and...alive - alive in a way that only came from sharing everything with another person, trusting them to treat what they learned with confidence and security.

Finding whatever she was searching for, Ruby smiled and turned around.

“l believe her!” she said, walking back to Yang’s side - leaving Weiss wishing that the moment hadn’t ended so soon. “Why don’t you?”

Staring at Ruby, Yang opened and closed her mouth several times before finally snapping her jaw shut and shaking her head.

“Because her father was an ass,” she grumbled, looking extremely unhappy with the turn of events.

Hearing the comment, Weiss burst out laughing. When everyone stared at her in surprise, she held up one hand and quickly pulled herself back together.

“I’m sorry,” she said, chuckling several times before clearing her throat and shaking her head.  “I’m sorry, but that might be the most succinct description of him I’ve ever heard.”

“Well at least we can all agree on something...” Blake muttered under her breath.

Having found common ground - in despising her despot of a father - Weiss discovered an opening, a chance to present her case to Yang and Ruby.

“l understand your hesitancy,” she said, her gaze inevitably drawn back to Ruby.  “And I understand you have no reason to trust me, but please feel free to suggest some way I can assure you that my intent is pure.”

Weiss waited, looking between Yang and Ruby while hoping one of them had a suggestion she could willingly agree to.  It didn’t matter what it was - as long as it was somewhat reasonable, she would do it.  

“l have an idea,” Ruby spoke up, smiling at Weiss and melting her heart in the process.  “I’ll go back to Atlas with her.”

“What?!” Yang shouted, while Weiss stared at Ruby in shock.

“I’ll go to Atlas with her,” Ruby repeated. “That way I can make sure she’s keeping her word.”

“I’m more than willing to accommodate that,” Weiss replied, still in a state of dumbfounded disbelief at the pleasant turn of events.  This was actually turning out far better than she could have hoped for.

“And if she - I don’t know - tries to kidnap you and use you for ransom?” Yang asked, but Ruby merely giggled at the serious question.

“l don’t think they can catch me.  And if they do, we know she lied and can unleash our secret weapon.”

“Secret -?”  When Ruby gave Yang a pointed look, Yang paused and slowly nodded.  “Ohhh, right - uh, that secret weapon.”

Weiss wasn’t sure if they were serious or if this was some long-standing joke between them, but she felt compelled to add her thoughts.

“l would never do that,” she said, again searching out Ruby’s gaze in an attempt to assure her.  “You have my word that you’ll be treated as the Queen you are and given access to the decisions our court makes.  Atlas needs to rebuild itself - we could use someone with experience to help shape our future.”

“I’d love to help,” Ruby replied, dipping her head in acceptance of Weiss’ response before turning to Blake.  “And maybe you’d be willing to stay and help Yang restore The Badlands to what it was before it became...you know...bad.”

Weiss could kiss Ruby for the suggestion, which took Yang completely by surprise.  From the interaction so far, it was obvious Yang was used to getting her way - unless Ruby overruled her.  Knowing Ruby, Weiss had to assume this hardly ever happened, which was the cause of Yang’s current consternation.

Blake, however, was hesitant but willing to try to make this work for the better.  Her inner desire to help the less fortunate normally led her decisions, and it continued to do so today.

“If you’d like my input, I’m willing to offer it.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Yang, who stared at Blake for a few seconds before laughing.  “Sure,” she replied with a shake of her head.  “I don’t mind an assassin moving in.”

“I’m not -”

“Not an assassin,” Yang interrupted with a wave of her hand.  “l get it. I’ve heard the other stories - how people look up to you, follow you.  You might not have a crown, but you’re a leader - like us.”  

The compliment left Yang’s lips easily, and she failed to notice Blake’s blush at the praise while sharing a long look with Ruby - the two of them conversing without words.  Weiss wished she understood what they were secretly discussing, but knew she’d develop that ability as she and Ruby spent more time together.  Today, she was simply happy to see Ruby give a slight nod and smile once more.

“Ok, if Ruby’s going to Atlas,” Yang began, meeting Blake’s eyes and - for the first time - looking pleasantly agreeable.  “I could use the help.”

When Blake nodded - looking both relieved and excited by Yang’s acceptance - Ruby giggled, the sound drawing Weiss’ intent gaze.

Ruby was as joyful as ever, but had just navigated a room full of explosive egos with aplomb.  Beyond that, she’d crafted solutions that would benefit the multitudes of people depending upon them.  

Blake staying with Yang meant that Vale could provide aid and resources to The Badlands without it being rejected outright. And Atlas needed to recover from the tyranny from which they’d just been freed.  The citizens needed to trust in leadership once more - and what better way to foster this trust than by bringing in someone as sweet as Ruby, who they would love in no time?

“I guess that’s settled then?” Yang asked, looking at Blake and Ruby before her eyes landed upon Weiss.  “The war is over?  We’ll call the troops back?”

“As soon as possible,” Weiss agreed.  “I’ll send a messenger right away.”

“Alright.  We will too.” Yang and Ruby shared a look before nodding in unison.  With that answer, Yang broke into a big smile - one that reflected her true personality. “It’ll probably take Ruby a couple days to get ready...you’re more than welcome to stay here while you wait.”

“That would be very nice.  Thank you,” Weiss answered, appreciative of the hospitality.

“Don’t mention it,” Yang replied with a wave. “So...how about a tour?”  With the question, she turned her attention back to Blake.  “Have you been to Vale before?”

“A long time ago,” Blake replied, moving to follow when Yang motioned towards her.  “But I can’t tell you what for.”

The teasing comment succeeded in making Yang laugh as the two headed out of the throne room, leaving Weiss and Ruby behind.

It was strange to think that it was that easy - that the four of them just ended the war and were now on speaking terms, that the four of them would work together to bring peace and prosperity to their kingdoms.  Of course, none of this would have happened without one person’s influence.

“I appreciate your help,” Weiss said, turning to the side and giving Ruby a sincere smile.  The situation would’ve ended far differently if not for Ruby’s timely arrival.

“I appreciate your honesty,” Ruby replied with a smile of her own.  “Please forgive Yang.  She tried to reason with your dad quite a few times, and...it never ended well.”

The disclosure wasn’t a surprise to Weiss, but she still shook her head in shame, wondering when she’d ever dig her way out of the hole her father had dug for her.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but I mean to change things.  And you’ll always have my honesty.”

“I know!” Ruby replied.  The certainty in the response cause Weiss to tilt her head in curiosity.

“How are you so sure about me?” she asked, unable to escape the feeling that Ruby could see right through her.

“You can learn a lot about a person by watching them,” Ruby commented, lightly swinging her arms while never losing that hint of a smile.  

“And what did you learn about me?” Weiss asked, willing her heart to stop beating so quickly at the thought that Ruby had been watching her.  

But it only beat faster when Ruby leaned close and whispered, “I learned...that I want to learn more about you.”

Leaning away and giggling, Ruby had no idea she’d just given Weiss a small heart attack - or she knew exactly what she’d just done, and that’s what she was giggling.  

“Can I show you around Vale before we leave?” Ruby asked, taking a step towards the door before turning back to Weiss with a heart-stopping smile.

This version of Ruby was...majestic.  Maybe it was the air fueling her - flowing through her like a breath of freshness in a world of uncertainty - or maybe it was her upbringing as royalty, but her traditional kindness was layered with an elegance that Weiss found impossible to resist.

“I’d love that,” she managed to reply, spurring her feet into motion as they left the throne room and rejoined Yang and Blake.

All these years, Weiss had dreamed of meeting Ruby - of finding the person she was destined to be with.  Now that they’d finally met...she was dreaming of a kiss.

“Did we fix things?”

Weiss smiled - at the question and at the fact that Ruby had listened to the second half of the story with a French fry halfway to her mouth.

“We did.  There were trials along the way, but the four of us always worked together to solve them.  And we were...happy.”

The memory spread like a warm ray of sun through Weiss’ chest.  They’d formed a bond comparable to the one they’d shared in their very first life together.  It was that closeness and trust that led them through all the evils the world threw at them. And, through it all, Ruby stayed by Weiss’ side - a constant source of love and devotion that got them through.

“You were a queen, too,” Ruby commented, finally biting off half of her French fry before chewing thoughtfully.  “And your family owns some businesses this time...it sounds like you’re usually pretty rich?”  

Fortunate in wealth, never in love.  That’s how Weiss’ lives worked - until she met Ruby, then her fortunes changed.  But she would gladly forego her wealth to stay by Ruby’s side, and in some instances she’d done just that.

“Usually,” Weiss answered.  “I like to think it provides me with the resources to find you. But that’s not always the case. There are times when we both have nothing - but in those lives, it seems like we find each other far earlier.” Leaning forward, she smiled. “Those are some of the best ones.”

This time there was no hesitation in Ruby’s eyes. Instead, there was a sparkle of excitement as she picked up another French fry and leaned closer to the table.

“Will you tell me about one?”

The question was music to Weiss’ ears.

“I’d love to.”

[patriotsnet]

What State Has The Most Republicans

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-state-has-the-most-republicans/

What State Has The Most Republicans

Republicans Try To Pull Off A Major Political Coup While Democrats Aren’t Paying Attention

Larry Elder and Gavin Newsom

Last spring I wrote an optimistic piece about the attempted recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom, concluding that it wouldn’t go anywhere because “California is the beating heart of blue America and this time the Terminator isn’t going to be on the ballot, the state isn’t in a perpetual state of crisis over funding and the California Republican Party is a joke.” All of that remains true, but three weeks out from election day, it’s clear that unless Democrats get out the vote, Newsom could actually be in trouble and that means the U.S. will be in trouble too. 

It is absurd that Newsom is being recalled in the first place. California has money in the bank, the pandemic has been handled well, especially compared to some of the other big states such as Florida and Texas which are buckling under the onslaught of the Delta surge and are suffering far more hospitalizations and deaths. By today’s polarized standards, Newsom is very popular with a 57% approval rating and 60% approving of his handling of the COVID crisis according to the latest CBS News poll. Moreover, he’s up for election next year anyway and the state will have to spend over $270 million for this unnecessary charade.

So why is such a thing happening?

Here’s a look at his thinking, so thoroughly out of step with the majority of Californians, he might as well be from outer space:

The Most Republican County In Each State

In less than a month, the United States will finally elect its next president after close to two years of campaigning, fundraising, scandals, and debates.

Republican candidate Donald Trump is considered an outsider to politics and the party. As a result — and because Trump’s views have sometimes clashed with the party’s vision — some have wondered whether this election might be less divided along party lines than in recent elections. Despite the division within the Republican Party, most major polls suggest that the majority of states will vote the same as in the past several elections. It seems that a portion of the population will always vote Republican or Democrat no matter who is running for president.

Based on voting data compiled by political news organization Politico and a review of current and historical representation in the U.S. Congress, 24/7 Wall St. created an index to measure the political leanings of U.S. counties’ residents. The index is based on the political party of the countys elected representatives to the Senate and House of Representatives through the last five election cycles, as well as the results of the 2012 presidential election.

These are the most Republican counties in every state.

1. Alabama

Reddest county: Blount County

2. Alaska

Reddest county: N/A

3. Arizona

Reddest county: Cochise County

4. Arkansas

Reddest county: Boone County

5. California

Reddest county: Amador County

6. Colorado

Reddest county: Teller County

7. Connecticut

Map 1 And Table 1: Party Registration Totals By State July 2018

Democrats no longer control the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, or for that matter most of the governorships or state legislatures. But they still maintain a toehold in the political process with their edge in the realm of voter registration. At least that is the case in the 31 states and the District of Columbia that register voters by political party. As of this month, 13 of these states boast a Democratic plurality in registered voters, compared to eight states where there is a Republican plurality. In the other 10 states, there are more registered independents than either Democrats or Republicans, with Democrats out-registering the Republicans in six of these states and the GOP with more voters than the Democrats in the other four. They are indicated in the chart as I or I. Nationally, four out of every 10 registered voters in party registration states are Democrats, with slightly less than three out of every 10 registered as Republicans or independents. Overall, the current Democratic advantage over Republicans in the party registration states approaches 12 million.

Political Party Strength In Us States

Political party strength in U.S. states is the level of representation of the various political parties in the United States in each statewide elective office providing legislators to the state and to the U.S. Congress and electing the executives at the state ” rel=”nofollow”>U.S. state governor) and national level.

The Republican Party Has Turned Fascist And Is Now The Most Dangerous Threat In The World

Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

The meeting focused attention on many challenges facing the world, but it did not address the most dangerous threat of them all, which is the transformation of the Republican Party in the US into a fascist movement.

When Donald Trump was in the White House there was much debate about whether or not he could be called a fascist in the full sense of the word, and not merely as a political insult. His presidency showed many of the characteristics of a fascist dictatorship, except the crucial one of automatic re-election.

But Trump or Trump-like leaders may not have to face this democratic impediment in the future. It was only this year that the final building blocks have been put in place by Republicans as they replicate the structure of fascist movements in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s.

Two strategies, though never entirely absent from Republican behaviour in the past, have become far more central to their approach. One is a greater willingness to use or tolerate violence against their opponents, something that became notorious during the invasion of the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters on 6 January.

American fascism differs from its European, Middle Eastern and Latin American variants because of the history of America, with its legacy of slavery, and the Civil War still remaining as a great divider. Slavery was abolished, the Confederacy lost the war, but in many respects the civil war never ended.

Strongest Republican Party States In The Us

In a trend that has been noted for some time now, the further one moves in from either coast of the United States towards, coming across geopolitical Republican strongholds becomes more and more frequent. The advantages represented below are in terms of % Republican-leaning minus % Democrat-leaning. For example, 59% of Wyoming’s populace leans Republican, compared to 23% Democrat, to give a 36% absolute differential advantage. This data is according to Gallup Daily Tracking Polling conducted across all 50 states.

Key Point From This Article

Altogether, there are 31 states with party registration; in the others, such as Virginia, voters register without reference to party. In 19 states and the District, there are more registered Democrats than Republicans. In 12 states, there are more registered Republicans than Democrats. In aggregate, 40% of all voters in party registration states are Democrats, 29% are Republicans, and 28% are independents. Nationally, the Democratic advantage in the party registration states approaches 12 million.

Chart 1 And Table 2: Nationwide Party Registration Trends Since 2000

Since 2000, the nationwide proportion of registered Democratic and Republican voters in party registration states have both gone down, while the percentage of registered independents has steadily grown. The latter has nearly reached the nationwide percentage of registered Republicans, which has long been second nationally to the Democrats. Altogether, the combined number of registered Democrats and Republicans, which was 77% in October 2000, is now down to 69%, while the proportion of registered independents over the same period has increased from 22% to 28%.

Note: Based on active registered voters in states where the number of active and inactive registrants is listed. In the election-eve 2000, 2008, and 2016 entries, Independents include a comparatively small number of registered miscellaneous voters who do not fit into a particular category. Percentages do not add to 100 since the small percentage of registered third party voters is not included.

What To Watch For

The PRRI survey suggested religion could play a role in encouraging more Americans who are opposed to or hesitant about the shot to get vaccinated. The poll found 19% of vaccine refusers think faith-based approaches would help encourage them to get vaccinatedsuch as appeals from trusted faith leaders or communities, or making vaccines available at places of worshipas well as 32% of white evangelical Protestants who regularly attend church services and are hesitant about the vaccine. The recent rash of entreaties from Republican leaders encouraging the vaccines, which largely took place after the PRRI poll was conducted, could also have an effect. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America found vaccine endorsements from Republican Party elitesin this case, former President Donald Trumpmade unvaccinated Republicans 5.7% more likely to signal their intention to get vaccinated than if they hadnt seen any endorsements, or 7% more likely to signal their vaccination intentions than if they saw an endorsement from President Joe Biden.

The Most Republican And Democratic Counties In America

With the 2016 presidential primaries less than 12 months away, campaign season is well under way for candidates of both parties. In the last election, President Barack Obama won with about 51% of the popular vote, winning 26 states and the District of Columbia to capture 332 of 538 electoral votes. Despite the Democratic victory, an analysis of the reddest and bluest counties in each state shows stark differences between them.

Cook Partisan Voting Index

Another metric measuring party preference is the Cook Partisan Voting Index . Cook PVIs are calculated by comparing a state’s average Democratic Party or Republican Party share of the two-party presidential vote in the past two presidential elections to the nation’s average share of the same. PVIs for the states over time can be used to show the trends of U.S. states towards, or away from, one party or the other.

Map 2 And Table 4: Party Registration And The 2016 Presidential Vote

Of the 31 party registration states, 24 were carried in the 2016 presidential election by the party with the most registered voters in it. Donald Trump swept 11 of the 12 states with a Republican registration advantage, while Hillary Clinton won 13 of the 19 states which had more registered Democrats than Republicans. Four of the Democratic registration states that Trump took were in the South, led by Florida and North Carolina. He also overcame Democratic registration advantages in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to win both. The only state with more registered Republicans than Democrats that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016 was New Hampshire, where the outcome was very close.

Notes: An asterisk indicates states where there were more registered independents than either Democrats or Republicans in October 2016. Independents include a comparatively small number of registered miscellaneous voters who do not fit into any particular category.

Most Conservative Us States

The following is a list of the most conservative states in the United States. These findings are based on a Gallup 2018 tracking poll. States with a gap of 20 points or greater are considered “highly conservative.”

1. Mississippi

Mississippi is the most conservative state in the U.S., with 50% of the population being conservative. 29% of Mississippi residents are moderate, and 12% are liberal, the smallest percentage of every state. With a gap of 38 points, Mississippi is considered to be “highly conservative.” In the 2016 election, 57.9% of Mississippi voters voted Republican, which came as no surprise considering that Mississippi has not voted Democratic since 1976. Unsurprisingly, Mississippi has a high concentration of church-goers, which is significant as conservative politics are tied with traditions in the Bible.

2. Wyoming

Wyoming is the second-most conservative state in the U.S. 46% of Wyoming residents identify as Conservative. Wyoming has low taxes across the board, including no state income tax. Wyoming has elected a Republican Party candidate for every presidential election since the 1950s, except for the 1964 election. About 68% of voters voted Republican in the 2016 presidential election.

3. Alabama

4. West Virginia

5. South Dakota

6. Tennessee

7. Oklahoma

8. Louisiana

9. Utah

10. South Carolina

Most Conservative States 2021

What states are conservative in the United States? What are conservative politics?

The Republican Party is the major conservative party in the United States. Conservative politics aims for a smaller, deregulated government and desires to preserve the political philosophy and regulations articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. There is an aversion to rapid change and a strong belief that traditional morality, such as articulated in the Bible, needs to be preserved. Additionally, conservatives also emphasize the importance of free-market capitalism and free trade.

Conservative politics generally opposes liberal politics, which generally places a greater value on social justice, ensuring access to healthcare, regulating economic activity, and social equality. A few of the most liberal states in the U.S. are Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California. The Democratic Party is considered to be the liberal political party of the United States. U.S. citizens typically identify as either Democratic or Republican, or liberal or conservative.

Conservative states are those states with a predominantly conservative population that consistently elect conservative-leaning legislation. Conservative states often have low taxes, limited gun laws, high religious participation, and limited business regulations.

Lots Of Consistency Elsewhere

In the rest of the country, there was much more consistency between party registration totals and the 2016 election outcome, with only three non-Southern states voting against the grain. On election eve in Pennsylvania, there were 915,081 more registered Democrats than Republicans; Trump carried the state by 44,292 votes. In West Virginia, there were 175,867 more registered Democrats; Trump won by 300,577 votes. And in New Hampshire, there were 24,232 more registered Republicans than Democrats in the fall of 2016, but Hillary Clinton took the state by 2,736 votes. Thats it. The other 22 party registration states outside the South were carried in the presidential balloting by the party with more registered voters than the other.

And in many of these in sync states, the registration advantage in recent years has grown more Republican or Democratic as the case may be, augmented by a healthy increase in independents.

The registration trend line in California is a microcosm of sorts of party registration in the nation as whole. Democrats are running ahead and the ranks of the independents are growing. Yet registered voters in both parties appear to be widely engaged. That was the case in 2016, and likely will be again in 2018, with Trump flogging issues to rouse his base. In short, this is a highly partisan era when party registration totals, and the trends that go with them, are well worth watching.

Republican State Legislatures Are Winning Their War On American Democracy

Texas Democrats scored a stunning victory in the nationwide legislative battle over voting rights last weekend when they walked out en masse to prevent state House Republicans from passing yet another sweeping package of voting restrictions.

But even that episode underscored a reality facing voting rights groups and their Democratic allies: Right now, Republican state legislatures are broadly winning their war against voting access and American democracy. And stopping them is going to take far more drastic action than many Democrats especially Democrats in Washington have been willing to consider.

Fueled by lies that widespread voter fraud cost Donald Trump the 2020 election, Republicans have passed new voter suppression laws at the fastest pace in a decade. They have advanced legislation and in some states, passed bills into law that would make it easier for local officials and legislatures to overturn future elections. Republican officials who questioned the results of the 2020 election are lining up to run for secretary of state positions and other elected positions that would give them more control over elections. 

Democratic state legislatures have pushed to expand voting rights, and Democratic leaders made major voting rights and election reform packages a top priority at the beginning of this Congress. 

Party Affiliation By State

Party affiliation by state Switch to:State by political party

% of adults who identify as

Democrat/lean Dem. Sample Size

Sample size = 511. Visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.Sample sizes and margins of error vary from subgroup to subgroup, from year to year and from state to state. You can see the sample size for the estimates in this chart on rollover or in the last column of the table. And visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. Readers should always bear in mind the approximate margin of error for the group they are examining when making comparisons with other groups or assessing the significance of trends over time. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.

Alabama

Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds In America

In large cities, where were densely populated, we focus on getting along with each other and emphasize collective interests. Not in places like Wyoming, North Dakota and Idaho.Government policies those states are increasingly compelled to oppose are the ones that cause them to lose their health insurance, feel subject to government spying, pay more for their electricity bill, lose their jobs, or wonder if Americas borders are actually secure in an increasingly tumultuous world.As Americans continue to battle over education and health care reform, gender equity and even the damn wall, itll be interesting to see if these trends hold up for the next 8 presidential elections.God bless America.Heres a quick look at the most liberal states of the list:

Hawaii

Most Democratic States In America

Do you know which are 10 most Democratic states in America?  Thanks to Gallups survey we have answer to this question, but before we list most Democratic states in America, lets start with the entire country and find out how America ranks among the most Democratic countries in the world. According to Democracy Ranking Association from Vienna, Austria the US is not among the first 10 most Democratic countries in the entire world. It is in 16th place, behind Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and France. How did they rank most Democratic countries? By considering many factors such as press freedom, political stability, civil liberty, corruption, the political right, etc. So, if youve believed that America was the most Democratic country in the world, then this ranking must have been quite unpredictable for you. Keep reading to find out  if the list of most Democratic states in America is also going to be surprising for you.

Before we finally list you 10 most Democratic states in America, we will also present you the other side of the spectrum the list of 10 most Republican states, created by Gallup as well. And they are:

Wyoming 35,5%

Nebraska 10,9

Percentages show the Republican advantage.

And finally 10 most Democratic states in America in 2014, by Gallup, in reverse order are:

The Best And Worst States According To Democrats

Hawaii won 80% of its matchups when shown to Democrats, closely followed by California , Oregon , Virginia , and Colorado . Every state in Democrats top 17 voted for Joe Biden in the presidential election the first departure comes with North Carolina, which narrowly went for Donald Trump, but had a win percentage of 55% among liberals. 

Democrats consider the worst states to be Iowa , North Dakota , Mississippi , Alabama , and Arkansas . Each state in Democrats bottom 20 voted for Trump in the presidential election. The lowest-ranked state among Democrats that voted blue in 2020 is Arizona .Washington, D.C. is the notable outlier among Democrats. This could be due to respondents rejecting D.C. as not a state in an exercise about which state is better, or it could represent a disdain for the political system it represents. Washington, D.C. won 45% of its matchups among Democrats, compared to 35% for Americans overall. 

You can hover over the dots in the figures below to show which state each refers to. 

Florida Vs California: How Two States Tackled Covid

The researchers theorized that one reason for the change is that Democrats were in charge of states where people who had the virus first arrived in the country but Republicans were less stringent about safeguards, which could have contributed to their states’ ultimately higher incidence and death rates.

“The early trends could be explained by high Covid-19 cases and deaths among Democratic-led states that are home to initial ports of entry for the virus in early 2020,” the researchers wrote. “However, the subsequent reversal in trends, particularly with respect to testing, may reflect policy differences that could have facilitated the spread of the virus.”

The study, which which was published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Preventive Medicine, examined Covid-19 “incidence, death, testing, and test positivity rates from March 15 through December 15, 2020,” when there were 16 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and 300,000 deaths. It focused on per-capita infection and death rates in the 26 GOP-led states and 24 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., and made statistical adjustments for issues such as population density.

But “policy differences” between the Republican and Democratic leaders emerged as a big factor for the reversal of the states’ fortunes, the study suggests.

One of the most concerning things last year is the politicization of public health restrictions,” Lee said. “Theyre not opinions, theyre based on evidence.

Data: How Many Mississippi Students Are Not Required To Wear Masks In School

Granted, most crime is committed in urban areas where there are denser populations. And most large American cities, though not all, are run by Democrats.

But is it fair to place all the blame for crime on local officials Democrats or Republicans? Most experts on crime cite poverty, lack of opportunity and various other environmental and social factors for crime problems. Most of those issues require help from the state and federal government to solve.

And according to the National Center for Health Statistics, Mississippi also led the nation in 2018 in the number of gun deaths, and most of the other states at the top of that list were Southern states that generally have the most lax gun laws.

When legislative leaders asked Tindell about the high homicide rate in Mississippi, he cited the breakdown in the family where people are coming up in a world where the taking of a human live does not mean anything to them.

Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, asked Tindell if he would ensure that the Department of Public Safety, which includes the state Bureau of Narcotics and Bureau of Investigations, would work with Jackson and Hinds County in an effort to reduce the murder rate and to reduce other violent crimes in the capital city area.

Tindell said his agency would try to expand those efforts.

The Best And Worst States According To Republicans

Republicans tended to favor states that voted for the GOP in the 2020 presidential election. Republicans picked Florida as the best state 82% of the time it was shown to them, followed by Arizona , Alaska , Kentucky , and Texas . Many states in Republicans top six voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, with Arizona narrowly going for Biden.The worst states according to Republicans include Massachusetts , Oregon , Wisconsin , New Jersey . The worst state according to Republicans is California . Washington D.C., which is not a state despite Democrats recent efforts ranked below them all . 

[statetalks]

What State Has The Most Republicans

Republicans Try To Pull Off A Major Political Coup While Democrats Aren’t Paying Attention

Larry Elder and Gavin Newsom

Last spring I wrote an optimistic piece about the attempted recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom, concluding that it wouldn’t go anywhere because “California is the beating heart of blue America and this time the Terminator isn’t going to be on the ballot, the state isn’t in a perpetual state of crisis over funding and the California Republican Party is a joke.” All of that remains true, but three weeks out from election day, it’s clear that unless Democrats get out the vote, Newsom could actually be in trouble and that means the U.S. will be in trouble too. 

It is absurd that Newsom is being recalled in the first place. California has money in the bank, the pandemic has been handled well, especially compared to some of the other big states such as Florida and Texas which are buckling under the onslaught of the Delta surge and are suffering far more hospitalizations and deaths. By today’s polarized standards, Newsom is very popular with a 57% approval rating and 60% approving of his handling of the COVID crisis according to the latest CBS News poll. Moreover, he’s up for election next year anyway and the state will have to spend over $270 million for this unnecessary charade.

So why is such a thing happening?

Here’s a look at his thinking, so thoroughly out of step with the majority of Californians, he might as well be from outer space:

The Most Republican County In Each State

In less than a month, the United States will finally elect its next president after close to two years of campaigning, fundraising, scandals, and debates.

Republican candidate Donald Trump is considered an outsider to politics and the party. As a result — and because Trump’s views have sometimes clashed with the party’s vision — some have wondered whether this election might be less divided along party lines than in recent elections. Despite the division within the Republican Party, most major polls suggest that the majority of states will vote the same as in the past several elections. It seems that a portion of the population will always vote Republican or Democrat no matter who is running for president.

Based on voting data compiled by political news organization Politico and a review of current and historical representation in the U.S. Congress, 24/7 Wall St. created an index to measure the political leanings of U.S. counties’ residents. The index is based on the political party of the countys elected representatives to the Senate and House of Representatives through the last five election cycles, as well as the results of the 2012 presidential election.

These are the most Republican counties in every state.

1. Alabama

Reddest county: Blount County

2. Alaska

Reddest county: N/A

3. Arizona

Reddest county: Cochise County

4. Arkansas

Reddest county: Boone County

5. California

Reddest county: Amador County

6. Colorado

Reddest county: Teller County

7. Connecticut

Map 1 And Table 1: Party Registration Totals By State July 2018

Democrats no longer control the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, or for that matter most of the governorships or state legislatures. But they still maintain a toehold in the political process with their edge in the realm of voter registration. At least that is the case in the 31 states and the District of Columbia that register voters by political party. As of this month, 13 of these states boast a Democratic plurality in registered voters, compared to eight states where there is a Republican plurality. In the other 10 states, there are more registered independents than either Democrats or Republicans, with Democrats out-registering the Republicans in six of these states and the GOP with more voters than the Democrats in the other four. They are indicated in the chart as I or I. Nationally, four out of every 10 registered voters in party registration states are Democrats, with slightly less than three out of every 10 registered as Republicans or independents. Overall, the current Democratic advantage over Republicans in the party registration states approaches 12 million.

Political Party Strength In Us States

Political party strength in U.S. states is the level of representation of the various political parties in the United States in each statewide elective office providing legislators to the state and to the U.S. Congress and electing the executives at the state ” rel=”nofollow”>U.S. state governor) and national level.

The Republican Party Has Turned Fascist And Is Now The Most Dangerous Threat In The World

Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

The meeting focused attention on many challenges facing the world, but it did not address the most dangerous threat of them all, which is the transformation of the Republican Party in the US into a fascist movement.

When Donald Trump was in the White House there was much debate about whether or not he could be called a fascist in the full sense of the word, and not merely as a political insult. His presidency showed many of the characteristics of a fascist dictatorship, except the crucial one of automatic re-election.

But Trump or Trump-like leaders may not have to face this democratic impediment in the future. It was only this year that the final building blocks have been put in place by Republicans as they replicate the structure of fascist movements in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s.

Two strategies, though never entirely absent from Republican behaviour in the past, have become far more central to their approach. One is a greater willingness to use or tolerate violence against their opponents, something that became notorious during the invasion of the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters on 6 January.

American fascism differs from its European, Middle Eastern and Latin American variants because of the history of America, with its legacy of slavery, and the Civil War still remaining as a great divider. Slavery was abolished, the Confederacy lost the war, but in many respects the civil war never ended.

Strongest Republican Party States In The Us

In a trend that has been noted for some time now, the further one moves in from either coast of the United States towards, coming across geopolitical Republican strongholds becomes more and more frequent. The advantages represented below are in terms of % Republican-leaning minus % Democrat-leaning. For example, 59% of Wyoming’s populace leans Republican, compared to 23% Democrat, to give a 36% absolute differential advantage. This data is according to Gallup Daily Tracking Polling conducted across all 50 states.

Key Point From This Article

Altogether, there are 31 states with party registration; in the others, such as Virginia, voters register without reference to party. In 19 states and the District, there are more registered Democrats than Republicans. In 12 states, there are more registered Republicans than Democrats. In aggregate, 40% of all voters in party registration states are Democrats, 29% are Republicans, and 28% are independents. Nationally, the Democratic advantage in the party registration states approaches 12 million.

Chart 1 And Table 2: Nationwide Party Registration Trends Since 2000

Since 2000, the nationwide proportion of registered Democratic and Republican voters in party registration states have both gone down, while the percentage of registered independents has steadily grown. The latter has nearly reached the nationwide percentage of registered Republicans, which has long been second nationally to the Democrats. Altogether, the combined number of registered Democrats and Republicans, which was 77% in October 2000, is now down to 69%, while the proportion of registered independents over the same period has increased from 22% to 28%.

Note: Based on active registered voters in states where the number of active and inactive registrants is listed. In the election-eve 2000, 2008, and 2016 entries, Independents include a comparatively small number of registered miscellaneous voters who do not fit into a particular category. Percentages do not add to 100 since the small percentage of registered third party voters is not included.

What To Watch For

The PRRI survey suggested religion could play a role in encouraging more Americans who are opposed to or hesitant about the shot to get vaccinated. The poll found 19% of vaccine refusers think faith-based approaches would help encourage them to get vaccinatedsuch as appeals from trusted faith leaders or communities, or making vaccines available at places of worshipas well as 32% of white evangelical Protestants who regularly attend church services and are hesitant about the vaccine. The recent rash of entreaties from Republican leaders encouraging the vaccines, which largely took place after the PRRI poll was conducted, could also have an effect. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America found vaccine endorsements from Republican Party elitesin this case, former President Donald Trumpmade unvaccinated Republicans 5.7% more likely to signal their intention to get vaccinated than if they hadnt seen any endorsements, or 7% more likely to signal their vaccination intentions than if they saw an endorsement from President Joe Biden.

The Most Republican And Democratic Counties In America

With the 2016 presidential primaries less than 12 months away, campaign season is well under way for candidates of both parties. In the last election, President Barack Obama won with about 51% of the popular vote, winning 26 states and the District of Columbia to capture 332 of 538 electoral votes. Despite the Democratic victory, an analysis of the reddest and bluest counties in each state shows stark differences between them.

Cook Partisan Voting Index

Another metric measuring party preference is the Cook Partisan Voting Index . Cook PVIs are calculated by comparing a state’s average Democratic Party or Republican Party share of the two-party presidential vote in the past two presidential elections to the nation’s average share of the same. PVIs for the states over time can be used to show the trends of U.S. states towards, or away from, one party or the other.

Map 2 And Table 4: Party Registration And The 2016 Presidential Vote

Of the 31 party registration states, 24 were carried in the 2016 presidential election by the party with the most registered voters in it. Donald Trump swept 11 of the 12 states with a Republican registration advantage, while Hillary Clinton won 13 of the 19 states which had more registered Democrats than Republicans. Four of the Democratic registration states that Trump took were in the South, led by Florida and North Carolina. He also overcame Democratic registration advantages in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to win both. The only state with more registered Republicans than Democrats that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016 was New Hampshire, where the outcome was very close.

Notes: An asterisk indicates states where there were more registered independents than either Democrats or Republicans in October 2016. Independents include a comparatively small number of registered miscellaneous voters who do not fit into any particular category.

Most Conservative Us States

The following is a list of the most conservative states in the United States. These findings are based on a Gallup 2018 tracking poll. States with a gap of 20 points or greater are considered “highly conservative.”

1. Mississippi

Mississippi is the most conservative state in the U.S., with 50% of the population being conservative. 29% of Mississippi residents are moderate, and 12% are liberal, the smallest percentage of every state. With a gap of 38 points, Mississippi is considered to be “highly conservative.” In the 2016 election, 57.9% of Mississippi voters voted Republican, which came as no surprise considering that Mississippi has not voted Democratic since 1976. Unsurprisingly, Mississippi has a high concentration of church-goers, which is significant as conservative politics are tied with traditions in the Bible.

2. Wyoming

Wyoming is the second-most conservative state in the U.S. 46% of Wyoming residents identify as Conservative. Wyoming has low taxes across the board, including no state income tax. Wyoming has elected a Republican Party candidate for every presidential election since the 1950s, except for the 1964 election. About 68% of voters voted Republican in the 2016 presidential election.

3. Alabama

4. West Virginia

5. South Dakota

6. Tennessee

7. Oklahoma

8. Louisiana

9. Utah

10. South Carolina

Most Conservative States 2021

What states are conservative in the United States? What are conservative politics?

The Republican Party is the major conservative party in the United States. Conservative politics aims for a smaller, deregulated government and desires to preserve the political philosophy and regulations articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. There is an aversion to rapid change and a strong belief that traditional morality, such as articulated in the Bible, needs to be preserved. Additionally, conservatives also emphasize the importance of free-market capitalism and free trade.

Conservative politics generally opposes liberal politics, which generally places a greater value on social justice, ensuring access to healthcare, regulating economic activity, and social equality. A few of the most liberal states in the U.S. are Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California. The Democratic Party is considered to be the liberal political party of the United States. U.S. citizens typically identify as either Democratic or Republican, or liberal or conservative.

Conservative states are those states with a predominantly conservative population that consistently elect conservative-leaning legislation. Conservative states often have low taxes, limited gun laws, high religious participation, and limited business regulations.

Lots Of Consistency Elsewhere

In the rest of the country, there was much more consistency between party registration totals and the 2016 election outcome, with only three non-Southern states voting against the grain. On election eve in Pennsylvania, there were 915,081 more registered Democrats than Republicans; Trump carried the state by 44,292 votes. In West Virginia, there were 175,867 more registered Democrats; Trump won by 300,577 votes. And in New Hampshire, there were 24,232 more registered Republicans than Democrats in the fall of 2016, but Hillary Clinton took the state by 2,736 votes. Thats it. The other 22 party registration states outside the South were carried in the presidential balloting by the party with more registered voters than the other.

And in many of these in sync states, the registration advantage in recent years has grown more Republican or Democratic as the case may be, augmented by a healthy increase in independents.

The registration trend line in California is a microcosm of sorts of party registration in the nation as whole. Democrats are running ahead and the ranks of the independents are growing. Yet registered voters in both parties appear to be widely engaged. That was the case in 2016, and likely will be again in 2018, with Trump flogging issues to rouse his base. In short, this is a highly partisan era when party registration totals, and the trends that go with them, are well worth watching.

Republican State Legislatures Are Winning Their War On American Democracy

Texas Democrats scored a stunning victory in the nationwide legislative battle over voting rights last weekend when they walked out en masse to prevent state House Republicans from passing yet another sweeping package of voting restrictions.

But even that episode underscored a reality facing voting rights groups and their Democratic allies: Right now, Republican state legislatures are broadly winning their war against voting access and American democracy. And stopping them is going to take far more drastic action than many Democrats especially Democrats in Washington have been willing to consider.

Fueled by lies that widespread voter fraud cost Donald Trump the 2020 election, Republicans have passed new voter suppression laws at the fastest pace in a decade. They have advanced legislation and in some states, passed bills into law that would make it easier for local officials and legislatures to overturn future elections. Republican officials who questioned the results of the 2020 election are lining up to run for secretary of state positions and other elected positions that would give them more control over elections. 

Democratic state legislatures have pushed to expand voting rights, and Democratic leaders made major voting rights and election reform packages a top priority at the beginning of this Congress. 

Party Affiliation By State

Party affiliation by state Switch to:State by political party

% of adults who identify as

Democrat/lean Dem. Sample Size

Sample size = 511. Visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.Sample sizes and margins of error vary from subgroup to subgroup, from year to year and from state to state. You can see the sample size for the estimates in this chart on rollover or in the last column of the table. And visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. Readers should always bear in mind the approximate margin of error for the group they are examining when making comparisons with other groups or assessing the significance of trends over time. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.

Alabama

Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds In America

In large cities, where were densely populated, we focus on getting along with each other and emphasize collective interests. Not in places like Wyoming, North Dakota and Idaho.Government policies those states are increasingly compelled to oppose are the ones that cause them to lose their health insurance, feel subject to government spying, pay more for their electricity bill, lose their jobs, or wonder if Americas borders are actually secure in an increasingly tumultuous world.As Americans continue to battle over education and health care reform, gender equity and even the damn wall, itll be interesting to see if these trends hold up for the next 8 presidential elections.God bless America.Heres a quick look at the most liberal states of the list:

Hawaii

Most Democratic States In America

Do you know which are 10 most Democratic states in America?  Thanks to Gallups survey we have answer to this question, but before we list most Democratic states in America, lets start with the entire country and find out how America ranks among the most Democratic countries in the world. According to Democracy Ranking Association from Vienna, Austria the US is not among the first 10 most Democratic countries in the entire world. It is in 16th place, behind Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and France. How did they rank most Democratic countries? By considering many factors such as press freedom, political stability, civil liberty, corruption, the political right, etc. So, if youve believed that America was the most Democratic country in the world, then this ranking must have been quite unpredictable for you. Keep reading to find out  if the list of most Democratic states in America is also going to be surprising for you.

Before we finally list you 10 most Democratic states in America, we will also present you the other side of the spectrum the list of 10 most Republican states, created by Gallup as well. And they are:

Wyoming 35,5% Nebraska 10,9

Percentages show the Republican advantage.

And finally 10 most Democratic states in America in 2014, by Gallup, in reverse order are:

The Best And Worst States According To Democrats

Hawaii won 80% of its matchups when shown to Democrats, closely followed by California , Oregon , Virginia , and Colorado . Every state in Democrats top 17 voted for Joe Biden in the presidential election the first departure comes with North Carolina, which narrowly went for Donald Trump, but had a win percentage of 55% among liberals. 

Democrats consider the worst states to be Iowa , North Dakota , Mississippi , Alabama , and Arkansas . Each state in Democrats bottom 20 voted for Trump in the presidential election. The lowest-ranked state among Democrats that voted blue in 2020 is Arizona .Washington, D.C. is the notable outlier among Democrats. This could be due to respondents rejecting D.C. as not a state in an exercise about which state is better, or it could represent a disdain for the political system it represents. Washington, D.C. won 45% of its matchups among Democrats, compared to 35% for Americans overall. 

You can hover over the dots in the figures below to show which state each refers to. 

Florida Vs California: How Two States Tackled Covid

The researchers theorized that one reason for the change is that Democrats were in charge of states where people who had the virus first arrived in the country but Republicans were less stringent about safeguards, which could have contributed to their states’ ultimately higher incidence and death rates.

“The early trends could be explained by high Covid-19 cases and deaths among Democratic-led states that are home to initial ports of entry for the virus in early 2020,” the researchers wrote. “However, the subsequent reversal in trends, particularly with respect to testing, may reflect policy differences that could have facilitated the spread of the virus.”

The study, which which was published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Preventive Medicine, examined Covid-19 “incidence, death, testing, and test positivity rates from March 15 through December 15, 2020,” when there were 16 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and 300,000 deaths. It focused on per-capita infection and death rates in the 26 GOP-led states and 24 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., and made statistical adjustments for issues such as population density.

But “policy differences” between the Republican and Democratic leaders emerged as a big factor for the reversal of the states’ fortunes, the study suggests.

One of the most concerning things last year is the politicization of public health restrictions,” Lee said. “Theyre not opinions, theyre based on evidence.

Data: How Many Mississippi Students Are Not Required To Wear Masks In School

Granted, most crime is committed in urban areas where there are denser populations. And most large American cities, though not all, are run by Democrats.

But is it fair to place all the blame for crime on local officials Democrats or Republicans? Most experts on crime cite poverty, lack of opportunity and various other environmental and social factors for crime problems. Most of those issues require help from the state and federal government to solve.

And according to the National Center for Health Statistics, Mississippi also led the nation in 2018 in the number of gun deaths, and most of the other states at the top of that list were Southern states that generally have the most lax gun laws.

When legislative leaders asked Tindell about the high homicide rate in Mississippi, he cited the breakdown in the family where people are coming up in a world where the taking of a human live does not mean anything to them.

Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, asked Tindell if he would ensure that the Department of Public Safety, which includes the state Bureau of Narcotics and Bureau of Investigations, would work with Jackson and Hinds County in an effort to reduce the murder rate and to reduce other violent crimes in the capital city area.

Tindell said his agency would try to expand those efforts.

The Best And Worst States According To Republicans

Republicans tended to favor states that voted for the GOP in the 2020 presidential election. Republicans picked Florida as the best state 82% of the time it was shown to them, followed by Arizona , Alaska , Kentucky , and Texas . Many states in Republicans top six voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, with Arizona narrowly going for Biden.The worst states according to Republicans include Massachusetts , Oregon , Wisconsin , New Jersey . The worst state according to Republicans is California . Washington D.C., which is not a state despite Democrats recent efforts ranked below them all . 

source https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-state-has-the-most-republicans/

[pierrehardy]

The Looming Tech Schism

We rely on global cooperation to innovate on modern technology. This is because most modern tech relies on network effects: the product gets better only if more people use it.  Think, Facebook. It’s useless if you’re the only one using it, but awesome when all your friends do; at least it was awesome. The same goes for setting standard formats and conventions. Like, say, electricity. It would be insane if every country has its own different voltage coming out of their sockets.

But what we see now is a trend away from this kind of integration. The most significant tech leaders now are the West and China, and if you’ve seen the news, you’d know that they haven’t been the best of buds for a long time now, especially with America. People have been predicting that their souring relationships will lead to two disconnected tech bubbles in the world: a Chinese one and a Western one.

But is it, though?

If you look at how things are right now, it’s hard to believe that statement. The world is burning, but that’s precisely what enabled the tech industry to have its own golden age. Both the Chinese and Western tech companies are enjoying rising stocks, with the global market capitalization of tech industries reaching ¼ of the pie worldwide.

Apple sales in China are still going strong. Huawei has been posting record revenues. The adoption of 5G and sudden demand for telecommuting has been a boon to the tech industry. So are we really sure that we’re headed to such a gloomy outlook technologically? Well, maybe. Hear me out. 

The cracks

Let’s start to enumerate the little things because they do add up. A lot of tiny cracks can make a house collapse.

Let’s start with a couple of small ones: Facebook and Microsoft temporarily suspended cooperation on data sharing with Hong Kong police after China passed their draconian National Security Law over HK. Facebook doesn’t stand to lose much since they have little business there, but more so for Microsoft. The other crack is America’s mulling over banning TikTok, a Chinese app. India also banned TikTok plus other Chinese apps in retaliation to their little Himalayan skirmish.

Here’s a bigger crack, and also what spurred me to write this piece: the British are reversing their earlier commitments to let Huawei build some of their 5G networks. This U-turn is not an easy decision since Huawei is the leader in 5G technology. The next alternative would be Nokia or Ericsson, who are pretty behind and would delay everything by a few years.

The UK’s official reason is that its Government Communications Headquarters recommended canceling the plans because of upcoming American sanctions towards China. These sanctions, they say, will make Huawei’s supply chains more vulnerable and would make them less confident that they can fulfill their contract to the UK. Reasonable, but that’s probably not the only reason.

Lately, relations between the UK and China have been bumpy. The British offered Hong Kongers paths to citizenship after the passage of the National Security Law. They also bolstered the screening of foreign investments to prevent or hamper the Chinese shopping spree of international companies. Some lawmakers also wanted to put Carrie Lam, the CEO of Hong Kong, into the country’s own version of the Magnitsky list.

The Magnitsky Act is an American bill dedicated to Sergei Magnistky, who was a thorn in the side of corrupt Russian oligarchs. He was arrested and tortured to death in prison. The Magnitsky Act sanctions individuals with gross human rights violations. People in this list, mostly Saudia Arabian and Russian, can have their assets frozen in the country and be barred entry.

There has also been more mounting pressure for the British to go cold on Chinese relations. As mentioned, China’s law in Hong Kong was a blatant violation of the handover treaty between the two countries. British politicians were also appalled by the repression of Muslims in Xinjiang. There’s pressure from allies (the Five Eyes, an Anglo intelligence alliance, between America, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).

Historically, when James Cameron was the prime minister of the UK, and when Boris Johnson was the mayor of London, they were warm and optimistic towards China. By being closer to them, the British thought they can influence China to be more liberal, just like a girl wanting to be with a bad boy because she can change him. Sorry to disappoint, but China just got more repressive since then.

To be fair, China also assumed wrongly about the UK. After Brexit, Chinese negotiators mentioned that they expect the British to be more billable and malleable. They expected the British to be scrambling and desperate to make trade agreements with the rest of the world and are easier to bend to their will. Safe to assume that’s now unlikely to happen. China has already started to react angrily, regarding the Huawei reversal and the Hong Kong citizenship thing.

China will probably follow its usual thing whenever a country displeases them. Step one, cancel all meetings with that country. Step two, apply the pain through economic sanctions, which is potent given China’s trading heft. They were never afraid to use it to bully other nations. Especially with the fact that 5% of British trade is with the Chinese, making it their 3rd largest trading partner. China has plenty of leverage.

Probable targets are British whiskeys, cars, and insurance. But most vulnerable would be big British banks with colonial ties with China like HSBC and Standard Chartered. Those two earn more than or equal to half of their profits in China.

Personally, however, I hope this doesn’t deter the British from standing their ground on morals they personally value. After all, these pains are usually temporary. Profit is profit to businessmen, even to the Chinese. The real costs though, are the opportunity costs and the blunting of British competitiveness in the world. They do have the virus, Brexit, and now a spat with China going for them.

Before I end this part, I want to talk about another sizable crack: the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMCI). This company is China’s bet on being the champion for Chinese semiconductors. It recently delisted in the New York stock exchange and instead raised capital in the Shanghai stock exchange. That’s a pretty obvious sign of the oncoming division. 

The capital raised by SMCI is defense from the sanctions that America imposed on the company. America just cut off its American supply of high tech components. This move is to hurt Huawei, which uses SMCI chips for their phones. This is also disastrous for SMCI since if they can’t provide for Huawei, that’s 20% of their revenue source is gone.

So its fate depends on whether SMCI can catch up to the leaders like the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Investors seem to think it has a chance. Last time I checked, it has a high Price/Earnings ratio of 73 (industry average is 21).  This means that investors believe in its idea and its future benefits even though it’s not earning a lot at the moment. It does have the complete backing of China, and others seem to interpret US attacks against it as acknowledgement of a real threat.  

How bad will it hurt?

The next thing to talk about is how technologically entangled China and  the West is in the first place? In other words, how badly will it hurt?

Well, software-wise, not so much. American stocks only earn 3% of their profits in China. Banning TikTok won’t hurt any workers, except the teens who use it. I mean, really, China censors the internet from the very start. They never had the chance to couple together from the very beginning.

Maybe except Google. They did offer Android for Huawei until America said nope to that. This spurred Chinese developers to make their own marketplace and apps, though, further dividing the world.

Hardware would be another thing, though. The supply chains of computers are so entangled all across China. Most prominent is Apple, with its Chinese made iPhones. But as with the SMCI push, works are underway for a slow untangling.

What will happen to us?

So what even is going to happen if all of these predictions come true? Why should you care? 

Firstly, technological advancement will take a hit. Innovation, as I mentioned, benefits from network effects. Just imagine this extreme example, if everybody in the world used  Tesla, this will give Elon a buttload of data to improve their products. If more researchers are studying a particular field and are on the same page and are freely sharing notes, we get new technology faster. And also better technology as everyone works and improves on the same thing.

Second, the resulting world will be more divided. There would just be a giant wedge between all the computers in the world. Like half of the world’s networks can’t speak to the whole other half. This is an extreme case, but we can expect something like that. Incompatibilities would be rampant, giving us inferior tech. Network effects are prevalent today, and it affects this too. Your future technology would suck more than it should.

Finally, this will be another source of geopolitical issue, as if we needed another one. Smaller countries would have to pick which side to go to. Maybe India will make their own sphere since they don’t like America so much either. But smaller and weaker countries won’t have that choice. Separating countries into allegiances are literally what separates wars from world wars. Do we really need to increase the chances of getting another one of those?

[shirlleycoyle]

Ajit Pai Still Thinks Killing Net Neutrality Was a Brilliant Idea

Ajit Pai continues to double down on the claim that net neutrality was a huge boon for American consumers, even if supporting evidence for that claim remains largely nonexistent.

Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, Pai once again insisted that his decision to ignore the public and repeal net neutrality protections resulted in faster broadband speeds for consumers—and a spike in overall network investment.

“Since we made the decision in December 2017, broadband speeds are up 60 percent according to Ookla, infrastructure investment is up, more Americans are getting connected to the internet than ever before,” Pai said during a stage panel with Gary Shapiro, CEO and President of the Consumer Technology Association, the producer of CES.

While broadband speeds have increased over the last few years, there’s little to no evidence suggesting Pai’s unpopular policies had much to do with it.

Last September, a massive study reviewed telecom earnings reports and SEC filings between 2009 to 2018 and found absolutely no evidence that the repeal helped spur US broadband network investment. The findings mirrored another major study by consumer group Free Press, which found some ISPs actually invested more while the rules were active.

Numerous journalists have come to the same conclusion after digging through industry earnings reports. Even telecom industry CEOs have admitted repeatedly to investors—who by law they can’t lie to—that the rules had no impact on their broadband investment strategies.

Yet Pai remains undaunted in his claims that his net neutrality repeal, which a large bipartisan majority of the public opposed, directly resulted in faster, better, U.S. broadband.

“More fiber was laid in 2019 to homes and businesses in the United States than in any year since they’ve been keeping records, breaking the record we set in 2018,” Pai told conference attendees.

But much of the recent fiber growth Pai cites was thanks to frustrated towns and cities building their own broadband networks, something his FCC actively opposes. Other fiber growth was thanks to conditions affixed to AT&T’s 2015 merger with DirecTV by the previous FCC, which required it deploy fiber to 12.5 million homes that otherwise would never have received it.

With those conditions expiring, AT&T told investors last October that its network investment in 2020 would actually be shrinking by around $3 billion, despite the net neutrality repeal and the billions of dollars the company received from the Trump tax cuts.

Consumer groups have been quick to note that the FCC’s Orwellian-named “restoring internet freedom” order did far more than just kill net neutrality. It eroded the FCC’s ability to police internet service providers (ISPs), shoveling that responsibility over to an FTC former FCC officials say lacks the authority or resources to adequately police big telecom.

The resulting oversight vacuum was the telecom lobby’s entire goal, but has created a number of problems Pai has been keen to ignore. The FCC still has done nothing to address the location data scandals plaguing the wireless sector. Nor has it stepped in to stop ISPs from charging numerous bogus fees, including a “rental fee” for modems they already own.

Pai’s fealty to the telecom sector was so total, the FCC’s repeal order even tried to ban states from stepping in to protect consumers, something recently slapped down by the courts as an overreach by the FCC.

So while the FCC’s repeal did a wonderful job killing oversight of some of the least popular companies in American industry, supporting evidence that it actively improved U.S. broadband remains largely nonexistent. Worse, the repeal process itself was rife with fraud and identity theft, another problem Pai’s FCC hasn’t been particularly keen to address.

In 2018, Pai had to cancel his visit to CES due to death threats over the net neutrality repeal. In 2019, Pai cancelled his scheduled appearance due to the government shutdown. This year Pai finally attended the event, with the apparent goal of trolling the American consumer.

“I would like to say that thanks to our efforts, more Americans than ever before, faster than ever before, are able to hate-tweet their favorite FCC chairman,” Pai told the crowd.

Ajit Pai Still Thinks Killing Net Neutrality Was a Brilliant Idea syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[ntrending]

Astronomers just made one giant leap in solving a bizarre cosmic mystery

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/astronomers-just-made-one-giant-leap-in-solving-a-bizarre-cosmic-mystery/

Astronomers just made one giant leap in solving a bizarre cosmic mystery

A view from CSIRO’s Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope antenna 29, with the phased array feed receiver in the center, Southern Cross on the left and the Moon on the right. (CSIRO/Alex Cherney/)

What comes to mind when you try to picture the most powerful object in the universe? Maybe an atomic bomb, or an ultra-powerful sun, right? Well, let me introduce you to the Fast Radio Burst: a strange phenomenon that stretches for just a few thousandths of a second, but can emit more energy than the sun does in 80 years. Thousands of FRBs flash throughout space at any given moment, yet for something so ubiquitous and so powerful, we know almost bupkis about how and why they’re formed. Much of that has to do with the fact that, since first discovering them in 2007, scientists have never been completely sure where they’re coming from. Are they expelled by black holes? Are they extensions of erratic stars running amok? Are they signs of intelligent extraterrestrials trying to communicate with us?

We’ve just taken a massive step forward in resolving that question. In a study published Thursday in Science, an international team reports the first-ever localization the origin point of a non-repeating FRB. “This was the first [FRB] where we both found it and had the right type of data to localize it,” says Keith Bannister, an astronomer with Australia’s Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and the lead author of the new paper. “We had to build what we called the ‘live action replay’ mode in the telescope to localize this FRB.”

That ‘live action replay’ system could be the groundbreaking innovation we need to finally uncover which bizarre cosmic phenomena are producing and firing off FRBs into the rest of the universe.

“It’s a really great discovery,” says Brian Metzger, an astrophysicist at Columbia University in New York City, who was not involved with the study. “I don’t want to compare them directly, but in some ways, a localization is worth 100 events where we don’t know from where they’re coming from. There’s so much context you can get.”

The focus is on FRB 180924, now the 86th FRB detected by astronomers. Such signals are notoriously transient, and this one was just 1.3 milliseconds long—barely a blip to the human mind.

Theories on what’s producing these signals include conventional explanations like black holes or neutron stars or highly energetic supernovae, along with more offbeat options like blitzars (a hypothetical version of a pulsar) or dark matter collapses. And yes, sometimes people suggest they might come from aliens. One of the most lauded theories in recent years was pitched by Metzger and a couple of his colleagues, who suggested that the FRBs were effects of hyperactive flares from young magnetars (neutron stars accompanied by extra-powerful magnetic fields).

To be fair, this is actually not the first FRB ever. In 2017, scientists managed to pinpoint the home galaxy for a repeating FRB, FRB 121102 (one of only two observed on record). While still a difficult task, the repeated detections gave astronomers clues for where to look, and they ended up tracking it down to a weak dwarf galaxy 3 billion light-years away with a high rate of star formation.

As you can imagine, a one-off FRB is even more difficult to source. “The key is to have a telescope that can both find FRBs and is big enough, in terms of distance between antennas, to localize them,” says Bannister. “Previous telescopes have had one or the other, but not both.”

CSIRO has a trick up its sleeve that makes this task possible: the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), a 36-dish radio telescope array located in Western Australia. In the past, all of ASKAP’s dishes were typically pointing in different directions, throwing a wrench into efforts to more accurately characterize the signal, including its point of origin.

Obviously, the simple remedy to this problem was to rearrange ASKAP’s dishes so they all pointed toward the same part of the sky. But Bannister and his team also took extra steps into improving the systems that make FRB data collection possible, customizing the hardware so it could make a billion different measurements per second, and creating novel software that could crunch those numbers in real-time.

The Milky Way galaxy stretches above the core group of CSIRO’s ASKAP. (CSIRO/Alex Cherney/)

So here’s how the “live action replay” system works: once ASKAP detects an FRB, data collection halts and the software proceeds to download all the raw data collected by each dish in the last three seconds. The original signal will actually arrive at each radio dish at different times, and astronomers can use these fraction-of-a-nanosecond lags to assess the position of the FRB with a precision of about 0.1 arcseconds—“equivalent to a human hair at a distance of 200 meters,” says Bannister.

The team then imaged the origin point and measured out the distance using three of Earth’s most powerful ground-based telescopes (The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, the Keck telescope in Hawaii, and the Gemini South telescope in Chile).

As a result, we now know FRB 180924 sits on the outer rim of a galaxy 3.6 billion light years away in the constellation Grus, comparable to the size, shape, and luminosity of the Milky Way. As with other FRBs, interstellar gas caused FRB 180924 to slow down occasionally, through an effect called “dispersion.” Astronomers can actually use dispersion as a way to gauge what sort of gas and how much of it an FRB has zipped through on its way to Earth, giving us some sense as to what kind of matter lies between point A and point B and what kind of journey the signal took.

“For a non-repeating FRB, we get one shot to find it and measure its position, and the ASKAP team has done it beautifully,” says Shriharsh Tendulkar, an astronomer at McGill University in Montreal who was not involved in the study.

There is some confusion arising in trying to reconcile this new origin point with the dwarf galaxy that’s home to FRB 121102. it’s hard to fathom both galaxies producing the same type of inexplicably high-energy phenomena when the difference in size and luminosity between them is 1,000-fold.

“If anything, this discovery has thrown open more questions,” says Bannister. “We now know that FRBs can happen in quite passive parts of the universe. We previously thought you needed a lot of vigorous star formation to make FRBs.” He thinks the new findings disfavor a few models: the fact that FRB 180924 is coming from the outskirts of its galaxy raises doubts about the theory that supermassive black holes lodged at the center of galaxies are the usual source. Very young stars, like young magnetars formed after supernovae, are probably counted out as well, as are any explanations that don’t require any sort of galactic body. “We have to go back to the drawing board to understand how FRBs can happen in such a wide range of environments.”

Not everyone is convinced the new findings necessitate a radical shift in our current FRB theories. James Cordes, an astronomer at Cornell University who did not participate in the study, thinks it’s still a safe bet that neutron stars, particularly magnetars, are the most likely source for FRB production. The most major implication, he says, has to do with the theory that FRBs are formed in super luminous supernovae that are preferentially formed in dwarf galaxies with low concentrations of metals. “That may still be true to some extent, but the new FRB and its galaxy present a possible counter example,” he says.

There’s also the possibility that repeating and non-repeating FRBs are simply governed by different models. “Finding a young magnetar in the outskirts of a massive galaxy with old stars is like finding a whale in the Sahara,” says Tendulkar. “It is very early in the field of course, but this might suggest that repeating and non-repeating FRBs come from completely different origins,” and that the magnetar model only holds true for the latter.

Metzger himself doesn’t think the findings exclude magnetars outright. It may just be that magnetars are more diverse and form in more cosmic scenarios than previously presumed. “There may be more possible ways to produce these FRB-producing magnetars,” he says. “And nature might have more than one way to produce a fast radio burst.”

We’ll only answer those questions once we collect more FRB data, and it’s quite clear Bannister and his team have paved a new path for probing these phenomena in great depth. Localizing the origin point provides a much narrower window for identifying what objects at the scene of the crime could fire things off. More immediately, scientists can use FRB dispersion as a more robust way to map out the distribution of matter throughout the universe—which ought to be a boon for answering some cosmological questions. “This type of approach is the wave of the future,” says Cordes.

(Just don’t hold your hopes out for anyone to come out and say it’s aliens. It’s never aliens.)

Written By Neel V. Patel

[apostleshop]

Protecting Youth in a Muddy Culture

Great News has been shared on https://apostleshop.com/protecting-youth-in-a-muddy-culture/

Protecting Youth in a Muddy Culture

Image credit: Cori Rodriguez (2018) Pexels.com, CC0 Public Domain

Our society is getting progressively muddier. What used to be seen as filth is now mainstream in books, movies, and music. Our cultural understanding of right and wrong is blurred and obscured. A few years ago, my husband and I were experiencing the effects of the modern moral messiness on our 11-year-old son. He was snarky, sassy, self-focused, and easily angered, and his attitude was clouded with lots of automatic negative thinking. Perhaps you have experienced this in your child or grandchildren?

As an experienced mother and educator, I sought a proactive solution. This young guy was also bright, funny, thoughtful, and kind. The challenge? How to keep bad interior habits from consuming him. How to keep the mud on the outside, and not on the inside. The following is the backstory of Virtue Works Media: a case study of the power of virtue to protect and strengthen a young soul.

A Motherly Motivation

I don’t know which drove my passion for this task more: my personal consecration to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary (yes, I’m a total “church lady”), or my background as an educator, professional children’s author, and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechist. I just knew that whatever I did, it needed to help other children also, not just our son. The hypothesis motivating the project was: “Can the power of imagination, the experience of positive storytelling (in books, movies, TV shows, music, and more), inform and motivate virtuous behavior?” Pop culture seemed glutted with titles for youth that were either spiritually empty or morally toxic.

My son was approaching the age for an onslaught of material saturated with increasing amounts of sex, violence, lying, and selfishness. Publishing companies and media giants have worked hard to condition Americans that such content is “age appropriate” for teens … through millions of dollars of very slick advertising. I needed a unique collection of titles that modeled virtuous behavior in ways an 11-year-old would want to emulate. I sensed the urgency of approaching adolescence. I knew my time was short.

Preparing a Plan

As an author, I had an inside connection to a community of authors, artists and film-makers who were creating quality content that was virtue-rich. I gathered a collection of book and video recommendations for all ages. My hope was to communicate to my son that mom’s project was not just targeted at him alone. I insisted that the stories affirm faith and virtue without being sappy or boring. I invited my entire parish to choose virtuous titles to enjoy over a summer. I enlisted my son as a test reader/watcher for a new virtue development program. I called it the Virtue Literacy Project. I created a rating system of 30 specific “everyday virtues” that could be applied to any kind of media. My son’s task was to read and watch … and try to identify the virtues in the content he consumed.

The Virtue-Immersion Summer

Over the course of that summer he experienced a steady diet of virtue-rich reading and media. There were still some “junk food” titles in the mix, but his free time was filled with the likes of Daniel Boone, Andy Griffith, Redwall, Will Wilder, and even some easy-reading Chime Travelers. We now call this the virtue-immersion summer, and our family experienced three important results.

1. Transformed Behavior

Patience, self-moderation, respectfulness, and cooperation were energized in his personality. We had continued our normal spiritual practices of faith (things like church on Sunday, mealtime prayers, talking about God, and so on). These had always been in the mix. However, it was clear he had become spiritually strong by the renewing of his mind. His imagination no longer languished as a selfish, and morally empty, playground. It had become a spiritual “dojo” in which he was enabled to visualize goodness and motivated to exercise it. The virtue “instruction” was effortless and natural. He was simply enjoying fun-to-read books and fun-to-watch videos that happened to be virtuous. He had become virtue literate. He had learned the language, the lexicon, of virtue. He had learned to recognize it in practice … and he was motivated to imitate what he had experienced.

2. Discernment

The second incredible result was that he had developed discernment. By simply giving him a way to look for the good content in what he read and watched, his awareness of noxiousness was sharpened. At times, he would start reading a popular title, then close it, saying, “That’s not so good.” If a movie or TV commercial with suggestive sexual images appeared, he would get up and leave the room. He would even assess his own misbehavior at times and say, “Mom, I think I need to read a virtue book.” It was amazing for me, as a mom, to witness.

An important key to his success was that the experience was not oppressively restrictive. If he wanted to watch a spiritually vacuous title here and there, we allowed some pop culture fare in the mix. The vast majority was morally rich, but he did not feel suffocated or imprisoned in the process. Our entire attitude was positive and upbeat. We were discovering great hidden gems together.

3. Receptivity to Faith

The final, critical result was an increased receptivity to the gift of faith. By consuming content with characters who valued family and lived with faith and trust in God as their lifestyle, he could imagine a faith-focused life as normal. Through the power of storytelling, Christian faith (and in our case, Catholic faith) was gently proposed to him, not imposed upon him. His heart remained soft and open toward God. When a vast number of young teens now experience spiritual atrophy in the transition time between middle school and high school, (even in private and parochial religious schools) here was a guy who was spiritually alive on the inside. Religion wasn’t just knowledge of God that he had learned. In the midst of a too-often filthy and fallen culture, through the experience of virtue modeled in what he read and watched, faith and virtue had been normalized in his world-view. God was inside both his head … and his heart.

From Past to Present

Our son, now a teen, is a great guy. He has lots of very normal ups and downs. He is not a saint. He still is a test reader and viewer for me, and is now part of a blogging team with several friends called the “Beyond the Trend Teens Recommend” (BTTR) who research and write about Catholic creatives who are making the world a BeTTeR place through writing, film and music. Check out the BTTR blog.

Since that summer, God has kept me busy. The virtue-immersion summer has become a ministry organization called Virtue Works Media. Our Virtue Literacy Project is now a non-profit effort working to replicate the results of our family that summer, and the results of our more recent virtue initiatives, in countless more lives … year in and year out. Our challenge was and continues to be how to build a methodology that could reproduce the positive results we experienced on a large scale?

As I researched an organizational plan, it became clear we didn’t need another education curriculum. There are many fabulous virtue curricula available. We didn’t need a list of titles to ban or boycott. There are many warning-based blogs and news organizations. So what DID families need?

We need an online tool for families to easily find morally solid book, video, and music titles identified by the virtues in them. Grownups needed to be able to match titles to their own age and interests, or to those of their children or grandchildren, in a search of 2 to 3 clicks.

All the information that we need about the (surprisingly) large array of great titles is available. But the the reviews and recommendations are largely buried in blogs and lost in book-based lists. With the miracle of modern technology, all that information can be aggregated and accessible in a way that is simple, enjoyable and powerfully transformative in thousands of families’ lives.

So, where is the Virtue Literacy Project now? In 2018, we achieved official non-profit 501c3 status from the IRS. I have continued to be a virtue-advocate and pilot test initiatives to offer information and motivation to help families discover the power of virtue-rich reading and media. Here are two examples:

VIRTUE FIRED UP! We gave middle-schoolers a fun way to learn to recognize virtue in what they read in the first-ever virtue-focused summer reading ”Club Teams.” The kids had a great time, discovered great virtuous books, and learned discernment. Surprisingly, both bookworms and reluctant readers found the competition equally enjoyable.

TOTALLY FEMININE GENIUS “DIY” BOOK CLUBS: We invited moms and grandmas to team up with daughters and grand-daughters to enjoy fun-to-read, virtue-rich novels together and discuss the virtues they noticed in the story. These conversations are low-key mentoring opportunities that build relationship.

Stuck in the Mud

The challenge before us is daunting. We CAN clean up the interior attitudes and values of youth culture through positive reading and viewing habits, but it requires US to be intentional in choosing better fare along side of them. Our example speaks volumes. When we habitually try to avoid the media mudbath, our children will often find strength to do the same.

We CAN clean up the interior attitudes and values of youth culture. -@PowerofParable Click To Tweet

Do we need some motivation? Here’s one example related to sexual virtue and vice. Do an online search of ministries world-wide that work to free victims of sex-trafficking. There are dozens and dozens of organizations. Why has sex slavery and abuse exploded in recent years? Normalized access to, and increased mainstream acceptance of, sexually explicit material, both narrative and visual has contributed in a huge way. Do we want our sons to grow up to be sexual users or abusers? Do we want our daughters to settle for being treated as objects or “eye candy”? Of course not. Let’s give young people opportunities to experience stories and images in which they can imagine respectful, life-sustaining love … based in self-mastery. This way, their imaginations can fuel their own spiritual strength and purity of heart, and help them raise the bar for their peers. Whether mud is thrown at them, or even if they fall in to the mud, their hearts will be protected with stories that show them how to be clean, and/or to get clean, from the inside out.

Cleaning Up Culture Together

We are still working on fundraising for the online search engine. It will be known as “The V List.” We are going to turn the entire notion of “A-List” actors, films, authors and entertainment upside-down. Literally. Culture is experienced in community. I want the culture that defines my son’s, and all our children’s, generation to be one where virtue becomes the standard for both art and life, and moral behavior becomes the new normal. God began this large and powerful task with a “regular” mom who did not have mountains of money or any powerful connections. He knows the end game, so we just work on being faithful in the process, and allow providence to guide us. Let me know if you want to be part of our team to help out in any way.

Copyright 2019 Cathy Gilmore

Source link

[jakehglover]

The Dark Side of the Global Tea Industry

By Dr. Mercola

Aside from pure water, drinking high quality tea can be a healthy beverage option. Many teas contain polyphenol antioxidants recognized for their disease prevention and antiaging properties. For example, research1,2 has shown long-term tea intake can improve your blood pressure.

One systematic review of 25 randomized controlled trials found those who regularly drank either green or black tea for 12 weeks had an average of 2.6 mm Hg lower systolic blood pressure and 2.2 mm Hg lower diastolic pressure compared to those who did not drink tea.

Green tea provided the best results, followed by black tea. According to the authors, this reduction "would be expected to reduce stroke risk by 8 percent, coronary artery disease mortality by 5 percent and all-cause mortality by 4 percent at a population level…" Just how much tea would you need to drink to get these kinds of benefits?

Research suggests an ideal amount is around three to four cups of tea per day.3 For example, one 2007 study4 found "clear evidence" showing that three or more cups of tea — in this case black tea — reduced the risk of heart disease.

But for all their health boons, tea has its dark sides. Erik Hane's 2018 DW documentary "Bitter Cup: The Dark Side of the Tea Trade," investigates some of the lesser-known facets of India's tea industry, which is typically staffed by underpaid workers forced to live under dismal conditions.

Few are also aware of the health ramifications these workers face, as they're frequently exposed to toxic pesticides — or that most teas, including the most prized, are contaminated with these chemicals. Quality certification also has its problems, and is no guarantee that workers are paid and treated fairly.

Darjeeling — The Champagne of Tea

"What is the true cost of tea?" the film asks, "And are Indian workers the ones paying the price?" In Germany, tea appreciation is on the rise. Tea taster Henning Schmidt holds weekly lectures, teaching people about the finer aspects of tea drinking. Whereas bagged tea used to be the norm, more and more people now want a more refined experience with their tea, and are moving toward loose teas.

"Aficionados brew tea according to a very strict ritual," Hane says — techniques that help bring out the flavor and aroma of the tea. Along with this new appreciation for tea comes a willingness to pay more for high-quality tea leaves. According to Schmidt, high-quality tea costs between 20 euros and 30 euros ($23 to $35) per 100 grams. The most expensive tea available can go as high as 60 euros ($70) for 100 grams.

One of the most prized teas in the world — often referred to as "the Champagne of tea" — grows in Darjeeling in Northern India. The tea is grown high in the Himalayan mountains, and many believe it's this unique growing location that makes Darjeeling tea so special. Because of the intense sun exposure, the leaves grow slower than in lower regions, and this slower growth rate is thought to be part of the formula that gives the tea its distinctive flavor.

It's steep price tag is also due to the fact that everything has to be done by hand. The steep hillsides cannot accommodate machinery, and the physical labor that goes into every facet of the tea's production adds to the final price. That, at least, is the justification offered by vendors in the West. In reality, locals in Darjeeling do not appear to be profiting from the region's tea production. In Darjeeling City, poverty and unemployment rates are high, and migrant workers live in the slums, located in the city center.

Darjeeling Tea Pickers Fight for Living Wage

Hane interviews Suraj Subba, the leader of the local tea trade union. According to Subba, Darjeeling tea pickers get paid just 1.70 euros ($1.98) per day. The union is pushing for a living wage, which would be at least twice as much. From this meagre income, workers must pay for housing, food, clothing, school fees and educational material for their children, health care and everything else a person might need for daily living.

Picking tea is backbreaking work. Seven o'clock each morning, the workers start picking tea leaves by hand, baskets suspended from their forehead across their backs to keep both hands free. A local tea picker comments, "Picking tea might not be a very complicated job, but it's extremely tiring."

To earn their daily wage, the workers must also reach the daily quota, which can range from 8 to 20 kilos (17.6 to 44 pounds) depending on the time of the season. Here in the mountains, there are no other jobs, so there's no competition for workers. Moreover, in order to have the privilege of paying to live on the plantation, you have to work there.

The highest quality teas are whole leaf, which have the best flavor and strongest aroma, followed by broken leaf. Bagged teas typically contain the lowest grade tea. Fraud exists in the tea trade as in most others, and large quantities of tea are fraudulently sold as Darjeeling each year. This only adds to the problems facing those trying to make a living in Darjeeling, as it affects both the price and reputation of their tea.

Can You Trust Quality Seals?

There are a number of different certifications meant to assure consumers that fair trade and environmentally friendly practices are observed, including:

Fairtrade certification, which stands for fair wages and good working conditions

Rainforest Alliance, aimed at conserving biodiversity and providing "sustainable livelihoods"

UTZ certification, which stands for sustainable farming practices and better working conditions

The question is, do these seals deliver on their promises? In Assam, India's largest tea growing area, Hane visits the Tonganagaon plantation certified by all three of these organizations. As noted in the film, the higher prices consumers pay for products carrying these quality seals should translate into higher pay and better working conditions for the workers. The reality, however, does not match such expectations.

On the Tonganagaon plantation, the pickers with the highest yields in a year receive a bicycle. Of the 1,286 workers, 11 had received bicycles. The others receive nothing over and above their daily pay and a tin for holding rice. Each family is allotted a portion of rice, as they do not receive a living wage. A typical dinner is plain rice, boiled with plenty of salt and washed down with tea. The workers live in fragile huts made of bamboo and mud, and drink unpurified water from wells they themselves dug by hand.

There's no sewage system; they must use dugout latrine pits when they go to the bathroom — a situation that breeds mosquitoes and promotes malaria. These open latrines also contaminate the ground water. And yet, the tea estate is by law responsible for providing and meeting basic needs such as housing, potable water and toilets. When workers try to file a complaint with the manager, "they make us wait all day long, then say the manager doesn't have time to see us," one of the workers says.

UTZ Suspends Tonganagaon Tea Estate's Certification

As you'd expect, children are hardest hit by the poverty, malnutrition and unsanitary living conditions on these tea estates. Professor Anup Kumar Das with the Assam Medical College and Hospital treats tea workers, noting child malnutrition and mortality are very high in this area. Unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation are primary causes of illness leading to death.

This is not the reality promised by Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ, the seals of which are supposed to ensure a living wage, social justice and humane working conditions. "How can this be?" Hane asks. In a written statement, Fairtrade replied: "Without a doubt, we are repeatedly confronted by massive problems in Assam.

But pulling out of the tea sector in Assam would only make the situation on the ground even more difficult …" Later, after the release of the film, Fairtrade withdrew its seal of approval for the Tonganagaon estate.

Rainforest Alliance responded to Hane's inquiry saying, "Insofar as they are confirmed by our own auditors, some of the grievances you depict will lead to the decertification of the plantations in question." UTZ was the only organization that took immediate action. It issued the following statement:

"Our staff in India have inspected the situation at the Tonganagaon tea estate and submitted their evaluation … As conditions there evidently remain inadequate and require further investigation, we have no option but to suspend the certification of the Tonganagaon tea estate with immediate effect."

Workers Exposed to Dangerous Pesticides

As it turns out, most tea plantations view these quality and social justice seals as little more than marketing tools, as many buyers will only purchase tea from estates with one or more of these certifications. As noted by Hane, "That's an approach that does the tea workers little good." Indeed, the plight of tea workers is not restricted to Tonganagaon. The situation is the same on most if not all quality certified tea estates in Assam.

Yet another plight of tea workers is having to apply toxic pesticides without even the most basic of protective gear. Acute poisoning and long-term health effects, including generational effects, are consequences these workers must face, whilst living in inhumane poverty. Consumers may also face health risks.

Testing of tea leaves taken directly from plantations in Assam and teas sold in German grocery stores, reveal the presence of pesticides in all samples — including some that aren't licensed for use in Germany. They even found a pesticide banned in tea farming in India. Whole tea from a plantation certified by Rainforest Alliance also had eight times the German legal limit of a particular pesticide. A take-home message here is that price and quality seals do not equate to a tea being pesticide-free.

"Pesticide residues in all tested samples, and the at-best dubious benefit of quality seals, the global tea trade has many losers, including European consumers, but no one has been left more vulnerable by its success than tea workers toiling in the estates of Darjeeling and Assam," Hane says in closing.

Matcha Tea and Tulsi — Two Superior Tea Choices

While Darjeeling may be the most popular, Matcha green tea from Japan may be a better choice if you're drinking tea for its health benefits and are concerned about pesticide residues. Matcha green tea has a wonderful flavor and superior nutrient content, as it has not been damaged through processing.

The best Matcha comes from Japan and is steamed rather than roasted or pan-fried. As a result, it retains all the nutrient-rich value possible from the tea leaf. As an added boon, the chlorophyll in Matcha acts as a natural detoxifier.

The whole tea leaves are ground into a fine powder, which you stir directly into hot water, resulting in a bright green beverage. A cold version option that is perfect for summer is Matcha lemonade. Simply dissolve the powder in hot water; chill, then add lemon or lime juice. A small amount of stevia can be added for sweetness. Serve with ice. The vitamin C from the citrus juice increases the benefits of green tea, as the ascorbic acid boosts the amount of catechins available for your body to absorb more than fivefold.5

Another delicious, healthy option is Indian Tulsi tea, which contains hundreds of beneficial phytochemicals. Working together, these compounds possess potential antioxidant, adaptogenic and immune-enhancing properties that can fight stress and help promote your general health in multiple ways, including:

Bolstering your immune system

Providing you with a calming effect and relief from occasional stress

Promoting healthy metabolism

Helping maintain optimal blood sugar levels

Different Types of Tea May Offer Different Benefits

Naturally, tea connoisseurs will want to experiment with a variety of teas. Just pay close attention to their sourcing, and remember quality seals don't always deliver on their promises to protect workers. Black and green tea (as well as oolong, dark and white teas) come from the same plant, an evergreen called Camellia sinensis. It is the processing method and degree of oxidization (exposure to oxygen) that create the different tea types.

While black tea is oxidized, green tea is not oxidized at all after the leaves are harvested. This minimal oxidation may help to keep the beneficial antioxidants in green tea intact, although both green and black teas have beneficial effects. Generally speaking, the less the tea is oxidized, the lower its caffeine content and higher its antioxidants. White tea is actually the least processed of all teas, while oolong is semi-oxidized, placing it between green and black teas in terms of caffeine and antioxidant levels.

There are also herbal teas, which vary quite dramatically in flavor and health effects (herbal teas are actually not considered "true" teas, as they do not come from Camellia sinensis, but they can be beneficial and enjoyable nonetheless). What types of benefits do different types of tea offer?

Green and black tea for your gut: Both green and black tea may alter gut microbes in a way that's beneficial for preventing weight gain and obesity.6

Oolong tea for weight management and heart health: The polyphenols in oolong tea help control fat metabolism in your body by activating certain enzymes. A 2001 study7 published in the Journal of Nutrition found that participants who drank either full-strength or diluted oolong tea burned 2.9 to 3.4 percent more total calories daily.

Hibiscus tea for overall health: High in vitamin C, minerals and antioxidants, studies suggest hibiscus tea may improve blood pressure, help prevent metabolic syndrome, protect your liver and even provide anticancer effects.8

Matcha for an antioxidant boost: Studies9 indicate 1 cup of Matcha may provide the antioxidant equivalent of 3 cups of regular green tea and as much as 137 times more antioxidants than low-grade green tea.

from HealthyLife via Jake Glover on Inoreader http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/07/28/tea-trade-dark-side.aspx

[watsonrodriquezie]

Dear Mark: Delving Further Into Dopamine

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m delving more deeply into dopamine. Readers asked some great questions and made some interest comments in the comment board of last week’s post on dopamine, and today I’m addressing three of them. First, how does caffeine related to dopamine? Second, what’s the deal with all my mention of pornography in the last post? And finally, is MDA just providing dopamine hits?

Let’s go:

David wondered:

I’ve often wondered about caffeine and its affect on the dopamine pathway. I’ve heard, but don’t know with total certainty, that it does, Does it increase dopamine production in the short term or just cell sensitivity (or some other mechanism?). And then have a resulting desensitizing result with long term use?

Yes. Caffeine affects the dopaminergic pathway. It stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain. It increases dopamine receptors in the striatum (the movement region) of the human brain. But unlike the false pleasures of getting the “likes” on Facebook or spending three hours a day having every sexual whim satisfied through virtual space, caffeine is context-dependent. Caffeine is what you make of it.

When I wake up well-rested after a good night’s sleep, a strong cup of coffee fills me with what I can only describe as productive optimism. I not only have more energy and am able to focus on the task at hand, I am excited about what the task at hand can lead to. I feel optimistic about life and that optimism increases my productivity. For that reason, I think caffeine when used appropriately as a boost to productive optimism rather than a replacement for sleep can really enhance our life and if anything improve our dopamine function. Consider where the French and American revolutions were planned: in coffee houses.

Of course, you can waste that window of dopaminergic productivity.

There’s probably some bias at play here. I love coffee and I’ve only ever found it to be a boon to my life and my health. But the preponderance of evidence supports my bias. Coffee just seems to be really really good for us, or at least not bad. Whether it’s randomized controlled trials or observational studies of a population, coffee consumption is consistently associated with protection from diseases like diabetes and dementia, reductions in oxidative stress, and improved mental performance.  It even compares favorably to most of the fancy new nootropic supplements out on the market; just recently, the creators of a nootropic supplement had to concede when an efficacy trial showed that caffeine was more effective than the product.

Ronda pointed out:

An awful lot of info about porn

You’re right. I did mention porn a lot, and I was a little trepidatious about doing so. In today’s climate anything sexual is characterized as wholly good and unimpeachable. I agree to a point—sex between people who care about, love, or at least consent to each other is great. There’s nothing wrong with that. And the evidence is quite clear that a healthy sex life leads to a healthy life in general. But something seems off about the idea of an entire generation of men and women satisfying their completely natural sexual urges not through actual sex but through watching other people doing it on the computer or their smart phones.

Some people throw out the fact that we’ve had porn forever, that you could find ancient Greek frescoes showing people in all sorts of sexual contortions. That’s true, but let’s be honest: an abstract fresco isn’t quite the same as 3-D VR porn. The porn today is a super normal stimulus in its intensity, its vividness, its realism, and its ease of access. Nobody’s sneaking their dad’s Playboys into the bathroom, looking over the shoulder, hoping not to get caught. No one’s scanning through the blocked cable channels straining to see a breast amidst the static. They’re getting anything they want, whenever they want, as often as they want. In many cases, it’s easier and arguably better than having to work for it and maybe coming up short or getting rejected. Porn is certainly more reliable than the real thing.

On the extreme end, you’ve got addiction to Internet porn, a real condition mediated by dopamine. Naltrexone, a medication that, among other things, inhibits opioid-induced augmentation of dopamine release, can successfully treat porn addiction.

But you don’t have to be clinically addicted for porn to have a negative effect on your life. You can choose it over real life.

And that’s my main objection to over-reliance on pornography, one that can affect anyone: it’s the easy way out, it lets you avoid the hard work.  Hard things are what make us humans. They shape us, teach us, make us stronger and more resilient. Ultimately, they make us happier. Porn is a poor substitute for all those things, but on a superficial level, in the immediate moment, it can seem good enough. And therein lies the danger.

Somewhat cheekily, HealthyHombre asked:

So my daily MDA fix is causing dopamine desensitization? ?

Actually, you’re not too far off. Coming to MDA every morning and getting some actionable advice, then telling yourself, “Oh, that sounds great. I’m going to do that/start that new workout/start getting more sleep/incorporate more colorful produce. And it feels damn good, and the dopamine flows, because that’s the first win.

The way any kind of lifestyle change works is that you first decide to do it—you hear some information, you read a book, something changes your mind—before you alter your course of being. So every change, every positive life change, every dietary improvement, starts with the mental decision. It’s necessary—but it’s not sufficient. And when we read self-improvement blogs or fitness blogs like Mark’s Daily Apple, we get the opportunity to make those those first changes every day. If we don’t follow up that initial blast of dopamine, it’s all for naught. Nothing happens and we end up chasing the dopamine high.

Keep reading MDA. Just make sure you’re not just reading it. If something I write appeals to you, something speaks to you, then try living it. Try doing it—and let me know how it turns out for you.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care!

[milenasanchezmk]

Dear Mark: Delving Further Into Dopamine

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m delving more deeply into dopamine. Readers asked some great questions and made some interest comments in the comment board of last week’s post on dopamine, and today I’m addressing three of them. First, how does caffeine related to dopamine? Second, what’s the deal with all my mention of pornography in the last post? And finally, is MDA just providing dopamine hits?

Let’s go:

David wondered:

I’ve often wondered about caffeine and its affect on the dopamine pathway. I’ve heard, but don’t know with total certainty, that it does, Does it increase dopamine production in the short term or just cell sensitivity (or some other mechanism?). And then have a resulting desensitizing result with long term use?

Yes. Caffeine affects the dopaminergic pathway. It stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain. It increases dopamine receptors in the striatum (the movement region) of the human brain. But unlike the false pleasures of getting the “likes” on Facebook or spending three hours a day having every sexual whim satisfied through virtual space, caffeine is context-dependent. Caffeine is what you make of it.

When I wake up well-rested after a good night’s sleep, a strong cup of coffee fills me with what I can only describe as productive optimism. I not only have more energy and am able to focus on the task at hand, I am excited about what the task at hand can lead to. I feel optimistic about life and that optimism increases my productivity. For that reason, I think caffeine when used appropriately as a boost to productive optimism rather than a replacement for sleep can really enhance our life and if anything improve our dopamine function. Consider where the French and American revolutions were planned: in coffee houses.

Of course, you can waste that window of dopaminergic productivity.

There’s probably some bias at play here. I love coffee and I’ve only ever found it to be a boon to my life and my health. But the preponderance of evidence supports my bias. Coffee just seems to be really really good for us, or at least not bad. Whether it’s randomized controlled trials or observational studies of a population, coffee consumption is consistently associated with protection from diseases like diabetes and dementia, reductions in oxidative stress, and improved mental performance.  It even compares favorably to most of the fancy new nootropic supplements out on the market; just recently, the creators of a nootropic supplement had to concede when an efficacy trial showed that caffeine was more effective than the product.

Ronda pointed out:

An awful lot of info about porn

You’re right. I did mention porn a lot, and I was a little trepidatious about doing so. In today’s climate anything sexual is characterized as wholly good and unimpeachable. I agree to a point—sex between people who care about, love, or at least consent to each other is great. There’s nothing wrong with that. And the evidence is quite clear that a healthy sex life leads to a healthy life in general. But something seems off about the idea of an entire generation of men and women satisfying their completely natural sexual urges not through actual sex but through watching other people doing it on the computer or their smart phones.

Some people throw out the fact that we’ve had porn forever, that you could find ancient Greek frescoes showing people in all sorts of sexual contortions. That’s true, but let’s be honest: an abstract fresco isn’t quite the same as 3-D VR porn. The porn today is a super normal stimulus in its intensity, its vividness, its realism, and its ease of access. Nobody’s sneaking their dad’s Playboys into the bathroom, looking over the shoulder, hoping not to get caught. No one’s scanning through the blocked cable channels straining to see a breast amidst the static. They’re getting anything they want, whenever they want, as often as they want. In many cases, it’s easier and arguably better than having to work for it and maybe coming up short or getting rejected. Porn is certainly more reliable than the real thing.

On the extreme end, you’ve got addiction to Internet porn, a real condition mediated by dopamine. Naltrexone, a medication that, among other things, inhibits opioid-induced augmentation of dopamine release, can successfully treat porn addiction.

But you don’t have to be clinically addicted for porn to have a negative effect on your life. You can choose it over real life.

And that’s my main objection to over-reliance on pornography, one that can affect anyone: it’s the easy way out, it lets you avoid the hard work.  Hard things are what make us humans. They shape us, teach us, make us stronger and more resilient. Ultimately, they make us happier. Porn is a poor substitute for all those things, but on a superficial level, in the immediate moment, it can seem good enough. And therein lies the danger.

Somewhat cheekily, HealthyHombre asked:

So my daily MDA fix is causing dopamine desensitization? ?

Actually, you’re not too far off. Coming to MDA every morning and getting some actionable advice, then telling yourself, “Oh, that sounds great. I’m going to do that/start that new workout/start getting more sleep/incorporate more colorful produce. And it feels damn good, and the dopamine flows, because that’s the first win.

The way any kind of lifestyle change works is that you first decide to do it—you hear some information, you read a book, something changes your mind—before you alter your course of being. So every change, every positive life change, every dietary improvement, starts with the mental decision. It’s necessary—but it’s not sufficient. And when we read self-improvement blogs or fitness blogs like Mark’s Daily Apple, we get the opportunity to make those those first changes every day. If we don’t follow up that initial blast of dopamine, it’s all for naught. Nothing happens and we end up chasing the dopamine high.

Keep reading MDA. Just make sure you’re not just reading it. If something I write appeals to you, something speaks to you, then try living it. Try doing it—and let me know how it turns out for you.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care!

[patriotsnet]

What State Has The Most Republicans

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-state-has-the-most-republicans/

What State Has The Most Republicans

Republicans Try To Pull Off A Major Political Coup While Democrats Aren’t Paying Attention

Larry Elder and Gavin Newsom

Last spring I wrote an optimistic piece about the attempted recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom, concluding that it wouldn’t go anywhere because “California is the beating heart of blue America and this time the Terminator isn’t going to be on the ballot, the state isn’t in a perpetual state of crisis over funding and the California Republican Party is a joke.” All of that remains true, but three weeks out from election day, it’s clear that unless Democrats get out the vote, Newsom could actually be in trouble and that means the U.S. will be in trouble too. 

It is absurd that Newsom is being recalled in the first place. California has money in the bank, the pandemic has been handled well, especially compared to some of the other big states such as Florida and Texas which are buckling under the onslaught of the Delta surge and are suffering far more hospitalizations and deaths. By today’s polarized standards, Newsom is very popular with a 57% approval rating and 60% approving of his handling of the COVID crisis according to the latest CBS News poll. Moreover, he’s up for election next year anyway and the state will have to spend over $270 million for this unnecessary charade.

So why is such a thing happening?

Here’s a look at his thinking, so thoroughly out of step with the majority of Californians, he might as well be from outer space:

The Most Republican County In Each State

In less than a month, the United States will finally elect its next president after close to two years of campaigning, fundraising, scandals, and debates.

Republican candidate Donald Trump is considered an outsider to politics and the party. As a result — and because Trump’s views have sometimes clashed with the party’s vision — some have wondered whether this election might be less divided along party lines than in recent elections. Despite the division within the Republican Party, most major polls suggest that the majority of states will vote the same as in the past several elections. It seems that a portion of the population will always vote Republican or Democrat no matter who is running for president.

Based on voting data compiled by political news organization Politico and a review of current and historical representation in the U.S. Congress, 24/7 Wall St. created an index to measure the political leanings of U.S. counties’ residents. The index is based on the political party of the countys elected representatives to the Senate and House of Representatives through the last five election cycles, as well as the results of the 2012 presidential election.

These are the most Republican counties in every state.

1. Alabama

Reddest county: Blount County

2. Alaska

Reddest county: N/A

3. Arizona

Reddest county: Cochise County

4. Arkansas

Reddest county: Boone County

5. California

Reddest county: Amador County

6. Colorado

Reddest county: Teller County

7. Connecticut

Map 1 And Table 1: Party Registration Totals By State July 2018

Democrats no longer control the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, or for that matter most of the governorships or state legislatures. But they still maintain a toehold in the political process with their edge in the realm of voter registration. At least that is the case in the 31 states and the District of Columbia that register voters by political party. As of this month, 13 of these states boast a Democratic plurality in registered voters, compared to eight states where there is a Republican plurality. In the other 10 states, there are more registered independents than either Democrats or Republicans, with Democrats out-registering the Republicans in six of these states and the GOP with more voters than the Democrats in the other four. They are indicated in the chart as I or I. Nationally, four out of every 10 registered voters in party registration states are Democrats, with slightly less than three out of every 10 registered as Republicans or independents. Overall, the current Democratic advantage over Republicans in the party registration states approaches 12 million.

Political Party Strength In Us States

Political party strength in U.S. states is the level of representation of the various political parties in the United States in each statewide elective office providing legislators to the state and to the U.S. Congress and electing the executives at the state ” rel=”nofollow”>U.S. state governor) and national level.

The Republican Party Has Turned Fascist And Is Now The Most Dangerous Threat In The World

Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

The meeting focused attention on many challenges facing the world, but it did not address the most dangerous threat of them all, which is the transformation of the Republican Party in the US into a fascist movement.

When Donald Trump was in the White House there was much debate about whether or not he could be called a fascist in the full sense of the word, and not merely as a political insult. His presidency showed many of the characteristics of a fascist dictatorship, except the crucial one of automatic re-election.

But Trump or Trump-like leaders may not have to face this democratic impediment in the future. It was only this year that the final building blocks have been put in place by Republicans as they replicate the structure of fascist movements in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s.

Two strategies, though never entirely absent from Republican behaviour in the past, have become far more central to their approach. One is a greater willingness to use or tolerate violence against their opponents, something that became notorious during the invasion of the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters on 6 January.

American fascism differs from its European, Middle Eastern and Latin American variants because of the history of America, with its legacy of slavery, and the Civil War still remaining as a great divider. Slavery was abolished, the Confederacy lost the war, but in many respects the civil war never ended.

Strongest Republican Party States In The Us

In a trend that has been noted for some time now, the further one moves in from either coast of the United States towards, coming across geopolitical Republican strongholds becomes more and more frequent. The advantages represented below are in terms of % Republican-leaning minus % Democrat-leaning. For example, 59% of Wyoming’s populace leans Republican, compared to 23% Democrat, to give a 36% absolute differential advantage. This data is according to Gallup Daily Tracking Polling conducted across all 50 states.

Key Point From This Article

Altogether, there are 31 states with party registration; in the others, such as Virginia, voters register without reference to party. In 19 states and the District, there are more registered Democrats than Republicans. In 12 states, there are more registered Republicans than Democrats. In aggregate, 40% of all voters in party registration states are Democrats, 29% are Republicans, and 28% are independents. Nationally, the Democratic advantage in the party registration states approaches 12 million.

Chart 1 And Table 2: Nationwide Party Registration Trends Since 2000

Since 2000, the nationwide proportion of registered Democratic and Republican voters in party registration states have both gone down, while the percentage of registered independents has steadily grown. The latter has nearly reached the nationwide percentage of registered Republicans, which has long been second nationally to the Democrats. Altogether, the combined number of registered Democrats and Republicans, which was 77% in October 2000, is now down to 69%, while the proportion of registered independents over the same period has increased from 22% to 28%.

Note: Based on active registered voters in states where the number of active and inactive registrants is listed. In the election-eve 2000, 2008, and 2016 entries, Independents include a comparatively small number of registered miscellaneous voters who do not fit into a particular category. Percentages do not add to 100 since the small percentage of registered third party voters is not included.

What To Watch For

The PRRI survey suggested religion could play a role in encouraging more Americans who are opposed to or hesitant about the shot to get vaccinated. The poll found 19% of vaccine refusers think faith-based approaches would help encourage them to get vaccinatedsuch as appeals from trusted faith leaders or communities, or making vaccines available at places of worshipas well as 32% of white evangelical Protestants who regularly attend church services and are hesitant about the vaccine. The recent rash of entreaties from Republican leaders encouraging the vaccines, which largely took place after the PRRI poll was conducted, could also have an effect. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America found vaccine endorsements from Republican Party elitesin this case, former President Donald Trumpmade unvaccinated Republicans 5.7% more likely to signal their intention to get vaccinated than if they hadnt seen any endorsements, or 7% more likely to signal their vaccination intentions than if they saw an endorsement from President Joe Biden.

The Most Republican And Democratic Counties In America

With the 2016 presidential primaries less than 12 months away, campaign season is well under way for candidates of both parties. In the last election, President Barack Obama won with about 51% of the popular vote, winning 26 states and the District of Columbia to capture 332 of 538 electoral votes. Despite the Democratic victory, an analysis of the reddest and bluest counties in each state shows stark differences between them.

Cook Partisan Voting Index

Another metric measuring party preference is the Cook Partisan Voting Index . Cook PVIs are calculated by comparing a state’s average Democratic Party or Republican Party share of the two-party presidential vote in the past two presidential elections to the nation’s average share of the same. PVIs for the states over time can be used to show the trends of U.S. states towards, or away from, one party or the other.

Map 2 And Table 4: Party Registration And The 2016 Presidential Vote

Of the 31 party registration states, 24 were carried in the 2016 presidential election by the party with the most registered voters in it. Donald Trump swept 11 of the 12 states with a Republican registration advantage, while Hillary Clinton won 13 of the 19 states which had more registered Democrats than Republicans. Four of the Democratic registration states that Trump took were in the South, led by Florida and North Carolina. He also overcame Democratic registration advantages in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to win both. The only state with more registered Republicans than Democrats that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016 was New Hampshire, where the outcome was very close.

Notes: An asterisk indicates states where there were more registered independents than either Democrats or Republicans in October 2016. Independents include a comparatively small number of registered miscellaneous voters who do not fit into any particular category.

Most Conservative Us States

The following is a list of the most conservative states in the United States. These findings are based on a Gallup 2018 tracking poll. States with a gap of 20 points or greater are considered “highly conservative.”

1. Mississippi

Mississippi is the most conservative state in the U.S., with 50% of the population being conservative. 29% of Mississippi residents are moderate, and 12% are liberal, the smallest percentage of every state. With a gap of 38 points, Mississippi is considered to be “highly conservative.” In the 2016 election, 57.9% of Mississippi voters voted Republican, which came as no surprise considering that Mississippi has not voted Democratic since 1976. Unsurprisingly, Mississippi has a high concentration of church-goers, which is significant as conservative politics are tied with traditions in the Bible.

2. Wyoming

Wyoming is the second-most conservative state in the U.S. 46% of Wyoming residents identify as Conservative. Wyoming has low taxes across the board, including no state income tax. Wyoming has elected a Republican Party candidate for every presidential election since the 1950s, except for the 1964 election. About 68% of voters voted Republican in the 2016 presidential election.

3. Alabama

4. West Virginia

5. South Dakota

6. Tennessee

7. Oklahoma

8. Louisiana

9. Utah

10. South Carolina

Most Conservative States 2021

What states are conservative in the United States? What are conservative politics?

The Republican Party is the major conservative party in the United States. Conservative politics aims for a smaller, deregulated government and desires to preserve the political philosophy and regulations articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. There is an aversion to rapid change and a strong belief that traditional morality, such as articulated in the Bible, needs to be preserved. Additionally, conservatives also emphasize the importance of free-market capitalism and free trade.

Conservative politics generally opposes liberal politics, which generally places a greater value on social justice, ensuring access to healthcare, regulating economic activity, and social equality. A few of the most liberal states in the U.S. are Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California. The Democratic Party is considered to be the liberal political party of the United States. U.S. citizens typically identify as either Democratic or Republican, or liberal or conservative.

Conservative states are those states with a predominantly conservative population that consistently elect conservative-leaning legislation. Conservative states often have low taxes, limited gun laws, high religious participation, and limited business regulations.

Lots Of Consistency Elsewhere

In the rest of the country, there was much more consistency between party registration totals and the 2016 election outcome, with only three non-Southern states voting against the grain. On election eve in Pennsylvania, there were 915,081 more registered Democrats than Republicans; Trump carried the state by 44,292 votes. In West Virginia, there were 175,867 more registered Democrats; Trump won by 300,577 votes. And in New Hampshire, there were 24,232 more registered Republicans than Democrats in the fall of 2016, but Hillary Clinton took the state by 2,736 votes. Thats it. The other 22 party registration states outside the South were carried in the presidential balloting by the party with more registered voters than the other.

And in many of these in sync states, the registration advantage in recent years has grown more Republican or Democratic as the case may be, augmented by a healthy increase in independents.

The registration trend line in California is a microcosm of sorts of party registration in the nation as whole. Democrats are running ahead and the ranks of the independents are growing. Yet registered voters in both parties appear to be widely engaged. That was the case in 2016, and likely will be again in 2018, with Trump flogging issues to rouse his base. In short, this is a highly partisan era when party registration totals, and the trends that go with them, are well worth watching.

Republican State Legislatures Are Winning Their War On American Democracy

Texas Democrats scored a stunning victory in the nationwide legislative battle over voting rights last weekend when they walked out en masse to prevent state House Republicans from passing yet another sweeping package of voting restrictions.

But even that episode underscored a reality facing voting rights groups and their Democratic allies: Right now, Republican state legislatures are broadly winning their war against voting access and American democracy. And stopping them is going to take far more drastic action than many Democrats especially Democrats in Washington have been willing to consider.

Fueled by lies that widespread voter fraud cost Donald Trump the 2020 election, Republicans have passed new voter suppression laws at the fastest pace in a decade. They have advanced legislation and in some states, passed bills into law that would make it easier for local officials and legislatures to overturn future elections. Republican officials who questioned the results of the 2020 election are lining up to run for secretary of state positions and other elected positions that would give them more control over elections. 

Democratic state legislatures have pushed to expand voting rights, and Democratic leaders made major voting rights and election reform packages a top priority at the beginning of this Congress. 

Party Affiliation By State

Party affiliation by state Switch to:State by political party

% of adults who identify as

Democrat/lean Dem. Sample Size

Sample size = 511. Visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.Sample sizes and margins of error vary from subgroup to subgroup, from year to year and from state to state. You can see the sample size for the estimates in this chart on rollover or in the last column of the table. And visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. Readers should always bear in mind the approximate margin of error for the group they are examining when making comparisons with other groups or assessing the significance of trends over time. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.

Alabama

Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds In America

In large cities, where were densely populated, we focus on getting along with each other and emphasize collective interests. Not in places like Wyoming, North Dakota and Idaho.Government policies those states are increasingly compelled to oppose are the ones that cause them to lose their health insurance, feel subject to government spying, pay more for their electricity bill, lose their jobs, or wonder if Americas borders are actually secure in an increasingly tumultuous world.As Americans continue to battle over education and health care reform, gender equity and even the damn wall, itll be interesting to see if these trends hold up for the next 8 presidential elections.God bless America.Heres a quick look at the most liberal states of the list:

Hawaii

Most Democratic States In America

Do you know which are 10 most Democratic states in America?  Thanks to Gallups survey we have answer to this question, but before we list most Democratic states in America, lets start with the entire country and find out how America ranks among the most Democratic countries in the world. According to Democracy Ranking Association from Vienna, Austria the US is not among the first 10 most Democratic countries in the entire world. It is in 16th place, behind Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and France. How did they rank most Democratic countries? By considering many factors such as press freedom, political stability, civil liberty, corruption, the political right, etc. So, if youve believed that America was the most Democratic country in the world, then this ranking must have been quite unpredictable for you. Keep reading to find out  if the list of most Democratic states in America is also going to be surprising for you.

Before we finally list you 10 most Democratic states in America, we will also present you the other side of the spectrum the list of 10 most Republican states, created by Gallup as well. And they are:

Wyoming 35,5%

Nebraska 10,9

Percentages show the Republican advantage.

And finally 10 most Democratic states in America in 2014, by Gallup, in reverse order are:

The Best And Worst States According To Democrats

Hawaii won 80% of its matchups when shown to Democrats, closely followed by California , Oregon , Virginia , and Colorado . Every state in Democrats top 17 voted for Joe Biden in the presidential election the first departure comes with North Carolina, which narrowly went for Donald Trump, but had a win percentage of 55% among liberals. 

Democrats consider the worst states to be Iowa , North Dakota , Mississippi , Alabama , and Arkansas . Each state in Democrats bottom 20 voted for Trump in the presidential election. The lowest-ranked state among Democrats that voted blue in 2020 is Arizona .Washington, D.C. is the notable outlier among Democrats. This could be due to respondents rejecting D.C. as not a state in an exercise about which state is better, or it could represent a disdain for the political system it represents. Washington, D.C. won 45% of its matchups among Democrats, compared to 35% for Americans overall. 

You can hover over the dots in the figures below to show which state each refers to. 

Florida Vs California: How Two States Tackled Covid

The researchers theorized that one reason for the change is that Democrats were in charge of states where people who had the virus first arrived in the country but Republicans were less stringent about safeguards, which could have contributed to their states’ ultimately higher incidence and death rates.

“The early trends could be explained by high Covid-19 cases and deaths among Democratic-led states that are home to initial ports of entry for the virus in early 2020,” the researchers wrote. “However, the subsequent reversal in trends, particularly with respect to testing, may reflect policy differences that could have facilitated the spread of the virus.”

The study, which which was published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Preventive Medicine, examined Covid-19 “incidence, death, testing, and test positivity rates from March 15 through December 15, 2020,” when there were 16 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and 300,000 deaths. It focused on per-capita infection and death rates in the 26 GOP-led states and 24 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., and made statistical adjustments for issues such as population density.

But “policy differences” between the Republican and Democratic leaders emerged as a big factor for the reversal of the states’ fortunes, the study suggests.

One of the most concerning things last year is the politicization of public health restrictions,” Lee said. “Theyre not opinions, theyre based on evidence.

Data: How Many Mississippi Students Are Not Required To Wear Masks In School

Granted, most crime is committed in urban areas where there are denser populations. And most large American cities, though not all, are run by Democrats.

But is it fair to place all the blame for crime on local officials Democrats or Republicans? Most experts on crime cite poverty, lack of opportunity and various other environmental and social factors for crime problems. Most of those issues require help from the state and federal government to solve.

And according to the National Center for Health Statistics, Mississippi also led the nation in 2018 in the number of gun deaths, and most of the other states at the top of that list were Southern states that generally have the most lax gun laws.

When legislative leaders asked Tindell about the high homicide rate in Mississippi, he cited the breakdown in the family where people are coming up in a world where the taking of a human live does not mean anything to them.

Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, asked Tindell if he would ensure that the Department of Public Safety, which includes the state Bureau of Narcotics and Bureau of Investigations, would work with Jackson and Hinds County in an effort to reduce the murder rate and to reduce other violent crimes in the capital city area.

Tindell said his agency would try to expand those efforts.

The Best And Worst States According To Republicans

Republicans tended to favor states that voted for the GOP in the 2020 presidential election. Republicans picked Florida as the best state 82% of the time it was shown to them, followed by Arizona , Alaska , Kentucky , and Texas . Many states in Republicans top six voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, with Arizona narrowly going for Biden.The worst states according to Republicans include Massachusetts , Oregon , Wisconsin , New Jersey . The worst state according to Republicans is California . Washington D.C., which is not a state despite Democrats recent efforts ranked below them all . 

[fishermariawo]

Dear Mark: Delving Further Into Dopamine

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m delving more deeply into dopamine. Readers asked some great questions and made some interest comments in the comment board of last week’s post on dopamine, and today I’m addressing three of them. First, how does caffeine related to dopamine? Second, what’s the deal with all my mention of pornography in the last post? And finally, is MDA just providing dopamine hits?

Let’s go:

David wondered:

I’ve often wondered about caffeine and its affect on the dopamine pathway. I’ve heard, but don’t know with total certainty, that it does, Does it increase dopamine production in the short term or just cell sensitivity (or some other mechanism?). And then have a resulting desensitizing result with long term use?

Yes. Caffeine affects the dopaminergic pathway. It stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain. It increases dopamine receptors in the striatum (the movement region) of the human brain. But unlike the false pleasures of getting the “likes” on Facebook or spending three hours a day having every sexual whim satisfied through virtual space, caffeine is context-dependent. Caffeine is what you make of it.

When I wake up well-rested after a good night’s sleep, a strong cup of coffee fills me with what I can only describe as productive optimism. I not only have more energy and am able to focus on the task at hand, I am excited about what the task at hand can lead to. I feel optimistic about life and that optimism increases my productivity. For that reason, I think caffeine when used appropriately as a boost to productive optimism rather than a replacement for sleep can really enhance our life and if anything improve our dopamine function. Consider where the French and American revolutions were planned: in coffee houses.

Of course, you can waste that window of dopaminergic productivity.

There’s probably some bias at play here. I love coffee and I’ve only ever found it to be a boon to my life and my health. But the preponderance of evidence supports my bias. Coffee just seems to be really really good for us, or at least not bad. Whether it’s randomized controlled trials or observational studies of a population, coffee consumption is consistently associated with protection from diseases like diabetes and dementia, reductions in oxidative stress, and improved mental performance.  It even compares favorably to most of the fancy new nootropic supplements out on the market; just recently, the creators of a nootropic supplement had to concede when an efficacy trial showed that caffeine was more effective than the product.

Ronda pointed out:

An awful lot of info about porn

You’re right. I did mention porn a lot, and I was a little trepidatious about doing so. In today’s climate anything sexual is characterized as wholly good and unimpeachable. I agree to a point—sex between people who care about, love, or at least consent to each other is great. There’s nothing wrong with that. And the evidence is quite clear that a healthy sex life leads to a healthy life in general. But something seems off about the idea of an entire generation of men and women satisfying their completely natural sexual urges not through actual sex but through watching other people doing it on the computer or their smart phones.

Some people throw out the fact that we’ve had porn forever, that you could find ancient Greek frescoes showing people in all sorts of sexual contortions. That’s true, but let’s be honest: an abstract fresco isn’t quite the same as 3-D VR porn. The porn today is a super normal stimulus in its intensity, its vividness, its realism, and its ease of access. Nobody’s sneaking their dad’s Playboys into the bathroom, looking over the shoulder, hoping not to get caught. No one’s scanning through the blocked cable channels straining to see a breast amidst the static. They’re getting anything they want, whenever they want, as often as they want. In many cases, it’s easier and arguably better than having to work for it and maybe coming up short or getting rejected. Porn is certainly more reliable than the real thing.

On the extreme end, you’ve got addiction to Internet porn, a real condition mediated by dopamine. Naltrexone, a medication that, among other things, inhibits opioid-induced augmentation of dopamine release, can successfully treat porn addiction.

But you don’t have to be clinically addicted for porn to have a negative effect on your life. You can choose it over real life.

And that’s my main objection to over-reliance on pornography, one that can affect anyone: it’s the easy way out, it lets you avoid the hard work.  Hard things are what make us humans. They shape us, teach us, make us stronger and more resilient. Ultimately, they make us happier. Porn is a poor substitute for all those things, but on a superficial level, in the immediate moment, it can seem good enough. And therein lies the danger.

Somewhat cheekily, HealthyHombre asked:

So my daily MDA fix is causing dopamine desensitization? ?

Actually, you’re not too far off. Coming to MDA every morning and getting some actionable advice, then telling yourself, “Oh, that sounds great. I’m going to do that/start that new workout/start getting more sleep/incorporate more colorful produce. And it feels damn good, and the dopamine flows, because that’s the first win.

The way any kind of lifestyle change works is that you first decide to do it—you hear some information, you read a book, something changes your mind—before you alter your course of being. So every change, every positive life change, every dietary improvement, starts with the mental decision. It’s necessary—but it’s not sufficient. And when we read self-improvement blogs or fitness blogs like Mark’s Daily Apple, we get the opportunity to make those those first changes every day. If we don’t follow up that initial blast of dopamine, it’s all for naught. Nothing happens and we end up chasing the dopamine high.

Keep reading MDA. Just make sure you’re not just reading it. If something I write appeals to you, something speaks to you, then try living it. Try doing it—and let me know how it turns out for you.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care!