#why does the government keep suppressing us

[krill-god]

HB71 will make it a crime for health care providers or parents to provide ANY sort of medical care for trans youth.

Best case is to stop HB71 from even being heard. Will you take 1 minute TODAY to send a simple message?

Write to Senator Chuck Winder, and ask him to not assign the bill to a committee.

CWinder@senate.idaho.gov

Please reblog especially if you or someone you know is in America!!!

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dean Obeidallah at The Dean's Report:

On August 20, a little before dawn, 87 year-old Lidia Martinez was abruptly jarred awake by an unexpected knock on her door. The longtime activist who for over 35 years has worked to expand voter registration among seniors and veterans in south Texas, cautiously peered out the door. Standing on her doorstep were nine police officers dressed in tactical gear and carrying firearms. After showing her a search warrant, Martinez’s home was searched as she was forced to stand outside in her nightgown in her driveway in full view of her neighbors. Martinez was later questioned for three hours after which the police seized her phone, computer, personal calendar and more.

[...]

These bad faith searches orchestrated by Paxton were predicated on the claim that the people being investigated were registering non-citizens to vote—despite zero evidence presented of wrongdoing. Very alarmingly, if Donald Trump and House GOP have their way, these types of raids would be happening nationwide with federal law enforcement under a GOP President.  That is why GOP House Speaker Johnson is now demanding the proposed SAVE Act be included in any deal to provide funding to keep the government open.

To be clear, federal and state law already makes it a crime for non-citizens to vote. But this new federal legislation would establish criminal penalties for registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentation proving U.S. citizenship.  That means that what we are seeing in Texas is coming attractions of what the GOP wants to do nationally.

Keep in mind despite Texas AG Paxton’s two year investigation, no charges  have been filed against any of the people whose homes were searched.  Indeed, there may never be charges because even Paxton’s basis for the search is BS. In his press release announcing the investigation, the Texas AG presents no evidence of wrongdoing. Instead, Paxton makes baseless claims like these organizations have set up voter registration booths outside state agencies where people could register inside. Paxton’s press release literally includes this question with no answer: “Why would they need a second opportunity to register with a booth outside?” But nowhere in his press release does he even allege any criminal conduct—only questions.

And Paxton—a close ally of convicted felon Trump—showed his bad faith earlier in August on a radio show when he peddled lies about non-citizens voting. Paxton declared, “There’s a reason Joe Biden brought people here illegally. I’m convinced that that’s how they’re going to do it this time, they’re going to use the illegal vote. Why were they brought in, why did he bring in 14 million people?” adding, “He brought them here to vote.”   That is nothing more than the type of BS you hear on Fox News. But now Paxton has weaponized government by targeting people registering those he believes will vote for Democrats. The backlash to Paxton’s actions have been swift. LULAC requested that the Department of  Justice investigate Paxton's office for Voting Rights Act violations. LULAC CEO Juan Proaño and the group's national president, Roman Palomares, summed up well what is really going in their letter to the DOJ: "These actions echo a troubling history of voter suppression and intimidation that has long targeted both Black and Latino communities, particularly in states like Texas, where demographic changes have increasingly shifted the political landscape.”

The Texas GOPs voter intimidation tactics are based on the faux outrage campaign against noncitizen voting.

[wolfjackle-creates]

👀👀 u no what I'm gonna ask right (please more for the uncle clark pretty please 🙏🥺)

What's this? Another 565 words? Couldn't be.

-----

Danny wanted to fidget, only he was floating a foot above the ground without legs. “I can fix that!” He took barely a thought and his human-half bled through to his ghost form—his internal organs started working again and his legs formed as he let gravity bring him down to the ground. “See?” he asked with a self-conscious grin. “I totally have a heartbeat and you have nothing to worry about Uncle Cl— Wait. What do I call you? Uncle Superman?That’s weird.”

Danny’s grin faltered when Uncle Clark didn’t reply right away and appeared to be taking a few deep breaths. “You just. Restarted. Your heart.”

“No I didn’t! I always had a heartbeat!” Danny tried to insist. His uncle just gave him a look and Danny laughed self-consciously. “Okay, fine. But seriously, what do I call you?”

“Superman or Kal. And how about you? Constantine calls you Prince Phantom and said you were thousands of years old when I know for a fact you’re seventeen.”

“Oh, Danny’s fine. I go by Danny Phantom when I’m like this. And dude, I can’t believe my uncle is an alien! That’s so cool. And, wait! The older superboy! He’s your clone. Dani is gonna flip when she finds out. Can we introduce them? They’re so gonna make up a mirrors-only club and talk shit about us and their creators.”

“You’ve got a— No. Nope, later.” Uncle Clark took another deep breath and Danny suppressed a wince. He was so not joining the Justice League after this, was he? But then he watched as his uncle turned to Batman. “Batman, once this gets sorted, I’ll need you to sit Danny down and give him the presentation on secret identities.”

“It’s fine! No one expects the dead kid to have a secret identity. Besides, all my rogues know who I am. There’s no secrets among the dead, after all. It’s my parents and the government I have to keep off my back.”

Uncle Clark took another deep breath and looked at Batman. “Batman, I apologize for every time I laughed at you when you complained about your kids getting up to things behind your back.”

Batman’s lips turned slightly up and he nodded his head to Uncle Clark, but didn’t say anything besides, “Hn.”

Then Uncle Clark was looking at Danny again. “Okay, we’re gonna start over. Danny, why does Constantine think you’re thousands of years old and a death prince?”

Danny sighed. Uncle Clark so wasn’t going to let him get away without answering. “Well, I am a death prince. And my regent and adviser is the Ghost of Time, responsible for upholding the time stream. He sends me to the past or future occasionally if he needs someone to intervene. Your likeness gets carved into a couple of stone tablets and all of a sudden everyone thinks you’re thousands of years old.” Danny rolled his eyes. “No one even asks anymore!”

Clark closed his eyes and mouthed something. When he opened them again, he looked straight at Danny. “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. You and I are going to find an empty conference room. I’ll get us some tea and refreshments. And you are going to explain everything. And you know what my day job is, I’ll know if you’re lying or trying to hide anything.”

Danny winced. “Yes, Uncle Cl— Kal. Uncle Kal.”

-----

I guess there's a next

Again, if anyone wants to continue this, go for it! It's so much a back burner fic it's not even funny.

[alpaca-clouds]

What "Communism never works" misses

Okay, let me keep up the topic for the week and let me talk about one thing that will undoubtedly be thrown at anyone, who says something along the lines of: "Welp, the system is failing us. Maybe we should try communism." And that is: "Communism never works. It has never worked before!"

As someone, who had that argument thrown at them so many times before, I already know that for the most part it is useless to talk to someone who comes up with that argument. Because, well... here is the thing. The argument basically is a result of what amounts to brainwashing. The person will usually not know what communism is or how and why it has failed before. They will not know anything about communist parties or countries. And they usually do not want to know.

Usually they do not know, that communism was never tried before. Yes, several countries have tried to establish communism, but never got further than socialism. Nor do they know exactly, what the difference between all those different communist ideas are. And of course they do not know anything about the history of the USA (and other western countries) doing their best to suppress communism by any means necessary.

Which is the first thing that everyone, who uses the argument, misses. Basically...

If communism can never work, why does the USA try everything to stop anyone trying to establish it?

If it cannot work and will never work, they would not need to worry about it. It will just develop and then fail. Easy. No need to stage a coup d'etat against a democratically elected government. No need to snuggle up to fascist dictators. Just let the thing run its course and then maybe send some help, once communism has self-destroyed. Something that they say is inevitable.

But obviously they don't. So: Why?

It cannot be about saving some sort of democracy, because otherwise they would not help undemocratic forces to take over the country and allow them to hold it.

But there is another thing that the argument misses. And even bigger thing. Another question:

But does capitalism work?

Which is the thing that kinda gets left out of the discussion. Because even if we assume that communism could not work (doubtable)... There is the fact that capitalism does not work. Otherwise fascism would not again and again be established from capitalism. Otherwise capitalism would not have destroyed the planet. Otherwise capitalism would not kill millions of people per year.

See, people will always go big about the entire "Black book of communism" thing and eat it up, even though the book has so many issues in what it counts as "death from communism" - and that is even without going in the entire "communism was never established" thing. But even if we took the numbers at face-value... According to the book, communism has killed 100 million people.

Well, guess what. That is about the same number of people that capitalism kills in a decade. And while the black book of communism counts all those people killed by politics not necessarily linked to communism... Those 10 million dying of capitalism each year die of capitalism. They die because they have not money for medicine, they need to survive. They die, because they starve, while so much food is thrown away. They die of exposure to the elements, because they cannot afford a home. They die from the fallout of climate change.

So, yeah. First of all: Let's try out communism, before we argue that it cannot work.

But also: Realize, that capitalism does not work. Because it doesn't.

[krowlovesinazuma]

Hi! 🪶 anon back at it again for my Kujou Sara BS~

Can I ask for Yandere!Kujou Sara and Raiden Shogun (Separate) (And yeah, the Shogun) HCs? When you said you did soft yandere, that's the type of yandere I like best anyway, so it works out! Thank you for reading!

-🪶

Read this prologue for context! Also sorry if I made the puppet too OOC, it's hard to write for her ;-;

Scenario: Soft Yandere

Characters: Kujou Sara, Raiden Shogun (Puppet)

Sara as a yandere would be complicated, but believable if you're a holy being. She already worships the shogun, so it would be no surprise if a mythical being of legends and tradition suddenly shows up in the flesh.

However, it would be complex thanks to her previous devotion to the shogun. Yes the two of you are allies and formed a pact of sorts, but would it still not count as a betrayal if she worshipped you as well as her archon? These thoughts trouble her often.

Of course, being a general, she knows better than to reside in inaction just because of confusion, and so she shows her loyalty while her heart remains unsure. Bringing you gifts, safety in travels, and simply being a reliable partner, she stays by your side.

The answer to her dilemma honestly depends on how you treat her, both before and after your reincarnation into the world, but no matter what her decision is, she'll remain your dutiful follower, and trusted cohort.

If you used her plenty in gameplay, and showed her attention above others in the world, she'll succumb to her own desires, but it'll be hard and awkward. Get ready for some stiff hugs, and a lot of blushing, she's trying her best.

Give her time though, and her showings of affection will get bolder and bolder. Offering you dates, gifts, and everything in between, she's ready to show how much she loves you, even if it might not be enough to truly show her devotion.

If you don't show her that much attention however, surprisingly, she's one of the few people that manages to suppress her intense desires, and instead inserts you into her life in a more subtle way, treating you highly, yet distantly.

It may lead to her being a little more workaholic and devoted to the shogun for a while, but she does eventually get over it, even if her desires are still within her. Her will is strong, and her mentality is even stronger!

"Please, do not apologize for gracing me with you presence, creator. Even if you're correct, with it taking away time from my duties, your comments about taking needed breaks are also important, and I see every moment speaking with you as an opportunity to relax. So please, don't be afraid to visit more."

This would definitely be an obsession that doesn't spark in an instant, but builds up over the years that she spends as a ruler. When she was created, Ei made sure to include you in her mentality, to make sure she didn't treat the myths and folklore of you as nothing.

That's why, knowing about your legends, yet only that and not much more was a slow burn of desire to meet you, and obey you directly, much like Ei silently prayed and hoped that you could perhaps bless her region.

Her priorities were still quite screwed when it came to governing over the lands, but much like she made sure to mantain festivities alive, she made sure that the belief in your legends and stories was still alive, even if may be against her complete rule.

When she felt the signs of your coming through the traveler and the other Inazuman folk that were growing stronger, and seemingly ignoring her complete rule, she knew it must have been a sign from you. In fact, she was probably knew about your presence before Ei.

That's why, when it normally should've been time for her end, she showed a strange sense of regret, as she came to realize just how against you she was in the end, and that was enough to convince the others to keep her alive, especially if you spare her through your screen.

I won't divulge into what her role would be now, but she'd have a strange sense of regret and shame lingering in her soul, even though she believed to have listened to her commands to perfection. Did she do something wrong to have both Ei and you against her?

Even if you show up in her world eventually, I could see her being troubled with her actions and your reception to them. Would you accept her? Would you even like her after what she's done? Did she deserve be grazed with your presence at all?

That's why she'll remain hidden from sight, away from the judging stare that you may use towards her. Ei is much more deserving of your attention, and she understands that. It may be up to you to face her yourself...

[thealogie]

why does the "left" immediately equal marginalized voters in your message. it's not all trans immigrants of color, some are in fact privileged white people just hating on dems. but also if these "marginalized" voters don't see how trump is worse for them they should absolutely be blamed the same as anyone else responsible for this mess. it's one thing if they couldn't vote because of various voter suppression tactics, but if they just sat down and went "nope, not voting for a dem because they are not leftist enough for what i want my ideal candidate to be", they are complicit in making actual marginalized people (both in the US and worldwide) suffer the consequences of this government. as much as dems should finally learn their lesson and change their strategy, i fail to see what's realistically possible at this point, since americans keep ushering MAGA in and populating all branches of government with radicalized conservatives who then let billionaires have free reign with essentially russian style propaganda and brainwashing. it's insane how much this can all be traced back, among other things such as terrible racist sexist republicans, to bernie bros having a hissy fit and not voting dem in 2016, and while admittedly the democrats haven't learned much since then, neither in fact have the leftists, and the only people winning are the far right and governments hostile towards the US. dictatorship is now a realistic future, and it's not just because of racist white women or far right young men as you keep saying, it's *also* because of leftists, and it should very much be a conversation. dems can run on the most leftist campaign possible and then in practice it will all be blocked to hell because of SCOTUS or republican senate or whatever, and the only possible path is voting dems in ALWAYS no matter what, and then pressuring them once they are in office, and then not turning on them and then actually electing them again so it's just majority dems everywhere and shit can actually get passed for a change. if there were just a few election cycles of everyone left of center voting for dems, this could all still be fixed. mild republicans will keep sitting things out because they don't actually believe in democrats (until they actually see things working), so it should be on leftists, as dem policies are closer to what they want anyway. but it's the principle of things, right, dems are not leftist enough, and leftists shouldn't vote for them until they change, huh. you did the right thing but many people who essentially share your views didn't, and everyone suffers, but you still won't judge their actions as harshly as they should be judged and keep saying it's just on the party alone. imo dems' main responsibility right now should be countering disinfo better to stop right wing pivots, but sticking with their party is the responsibility of voters themselves and for now leftists should accept their party is the democratic party (only until we leave this timeline of "far right and even more far right" so that actual leftist reforms become possible again)

I was saying “don’t blame marginalized people” because the only evidence we have of an organized effort from the left to sit out the vote is from Arab Americans who object to the Democratic Party slaughtering their loved ones!

But beyond that - this is fine. You blame leftists for sitting out. You are free to do that. I don’t feel the same as you and the fact that I don’t feel the same will not change anything because feelings do not change anything. When it comes to action, operating from a place of “you should fall in line behind the party that’s closest to you” does not and will not persuade anyone. So I focus on a sentiment that’s “we should continue to vote in people who have some interest in creating a different kind of party and stop blaming voters for their own failure to create enthusiasm”

[tobiasdrake]

Keep an eye on the Filibuster as we move into the 2025 Congressional session.

Republicans like the Filibuster because the Filibuster keeps the Senate in a state of legislative deadlock. Under the rules of the Filibuster, it is extraordinarily difficult to pass legislation. With the exception of rare opportunities to circumvent, such as Budget Reconciliation, the Filibuster ensures that all bills require a 60+ Senate Majority to pass.

50+ is easy for a Majority Party to hit. 60+ is a death sentence. Democrats have the Senate? Doesn't matter. 60+. Republicans have the Senate? Doesn't matter. 60+. It also doesn't matter what the House does because even if they pass legislation, it goes to the Senate where it dies under the 60+ requirement.

The Filibuster has one job, and that is to break the Legislative Branch's kneecaps so no new laws can ever be passed. This is a big part of why government feels so inconsequential for many people: Because, legally, it is. No matter who's in power, they are all forbidden from legislating and spend their time just posturing for the base.

"I've written a bill to combat climate change that will inevitably die under 60+."

"Yeah, well I've written a bill to suppress trans people that will inevitably die under 60+."

This is just performance art being done in lieu of any ability to actually do their job. It's been that way for decades.

For Democratic administrations, the Filibuster is a controversial subject. Everybody recognizes that the wheel of power rotates from Right to Left and back again. Democratic politicians are terrified of losing that bulwark and opening the country up to the possibility of vast, sweeping change.

Democratic voters, on the other hand, are suffering under the current status quo and need vast, sweeping change. So there's a lot of pressure to nuke the filibuster.

Republicans feel similarly about the filibuster. However, there's a different mindset between the Left and the Right. The Left reveres the mechanisms of power. The institutional norms and standards. They want to do things the way things have always been done.

The Right plays to win. They revere the Filibuster only because they know that Leftist policies are harder to dismantle once they've gotten off the ground. It's hard to take away Social Security and Medicare, even though they desperately want to. It's hard to take away the Affordable Care Act, even though they desperately want to.

The Left wants to give people access to education and healthcare, and the Right wants to take it away. As things stand, the Right can campaign on bravado and empty promises. If the Filibuster was removed, they'd have to campaign on results. And generally speaking, people are usually happier with the results of Leftist leadership than Right-wing leadership.

So the Left clings to the Filibuster for fear of change. The Right clings to the Filibuster because their system of paper tiger chest-thumping is contingent on never having to put their money where their mouth is and let their voters find out what living in a Republican country would actually feel like.

This means that, under the Right, the Filibuster serves as a canary in a coal mine.

Mitch McConnell weakened the Filibuster by removing it for court appointments during the Trump administration. After using it to hold the courts open during the Obama administration, they were able to sweep a record number of judge appointments including three SCOTUS appointments that way.

The long-term effects mean Biden got a fuckton of court appointments too, but the damage was done. Mitch had something worth trading the Filibuster for, and the devastation he's wrought to our country by doing so will be felt for decades to come.

Keep an eye on the legislative filibuster. The Majority Party can revoke the Filibuster, but it's a genie in a bottle. Once it's revoked, it's unlikely that either party would ever put it back.

The Right clings to it because maintaining the status quo and keeping the government crippled is politically better for them than passing any sort of legislation. And they play to win; Not out of any loyalty to the decorum of the system.

If they revoke it, it can only mean that the Right feels that they have more to gain from rapid legislative action today than they could possibly lose from the threat of Left-wing legislating tomorrow. And that would guarantee dire things for all of us.

[sincerely-ellaa]

I have been on the internet for a long time.

One of the best things about certain apps is getting to connect with people outside of your immediate circle and create a community.

I found that community on twitter before it was sold.

But most importantly, I found a community here on tumblr many years ago when I was only 13 back in 2011.

And then I found that community again on TikTok.

People in real life are often mean and cruel when you have an interest that is outside of the norm, or just not popular in your region.

These apps that operate more like open forums allow people to create communities that make them feel genuinely seen.

When I first joined tumblr I was basically strictly teen tv drama content and fan fiction. And every now and then I was post a lengthy rant about what’s going on in the world.

Eventually this blog became a catch all for everything that I’m interested in.

Then my posts slowly came to a halt as i I was starting college and going into my 20s.

After that I started using tumblr strictly for downloading sims 4 CC.

I was on musically when I was in high school, but I had stopped using it at some point and didn’t realize that it had turned into TikTok until I saw a video of someone talking about it… on TikTok.

I originally was not going to join TikTok. I didn’t see a reason to, I didn’t want to get invested in another app in that way, and I was trying to focus of school.

And then my brother died. And then several of my classmates and friends died. And then the pandemic happened. And then my mom died. So many drastic changes so quickly and it was like a snowball.

I felt so alone during those years. So then I joined to get that dose of dopamine. And I would post, not really to get views, but just as a distraction for myself.

I was learning new things, I was connecting with people with similar interests again.

I started posting degrassi and sims content.

I was seeing multiple point of views on topics that I cared about, and topics that I wasn’t aware of and grew to care about.

And then I got into an abusive relationship this past year.

I can confidently say that if I hadn’t found support on there I probably would not be here.

Connecting with people who had gone through or were going through similar situations really helped me through it. It was nice to not feel completely alone in my darkest hour.

And then we got later into the election season. I started posting content on a separate TikTok account that my boyfriend could not see, as we have very different opinions and even me reposting videos on my main account was causing arguments.

So I started building a community there. And I really didn’t care if my videos gained much traction, for me it was about reclaiming my voice that was being so heavily suppressed.

This ban feels like my voice is being suppressed again.

Especially because I can just feel it in my bones that if it gets sold to a US company, that it won’t be the same.

I stopped using twitter because it felt like its soul was gone.

I stopped using instagram regularly because it’s UI honestly sucks, but also because it’s so difficult to build that kind of community on there. I use instagram for my local friends, I don’t use that to talk to strangers on the internet. It’s not that kind of app and it never will be.

A lot of people somehow don’t realize that the purpose of the first amendment is so that we have the freedom to criticize our government without consequence. Freedom of speech does not mean that you get to say whatever you want without social consequence. That’s why twitter (X) went to hell the minute it was sold. It’s not enjoyable anymore. FB isn’t enjoyable. IG isn’t enjoyable.

They don’t want us talking to each other in a constructive way.

They want use to fight amongst ourselves, because it keeps us distracted from the real issues.

If there’s anything I’ve noticed it’s that people who mostly engage on twitter have worse communication skills than those on TikTok because they hide behind a keyboard. They take the actual humans out of the equation and forget that they’re not just talking to a profile picture, they’re talking to real people.

When you have face to face interactions with people, and have REAL discussions and debates with other that way, it is so much healthier for society. People say a lot of things online, in comment sections, in threads, that they wouldn’t dare say to someone’s face.

And the powers that be, know that.

They know that when people actually talk to each other with the intention of learning from each other that people aren’t nearly as hostile or divided.

I’m not okay with having my voice suppressed by a bunch of power hungry narcissistic billionaires, whose only motivation is control and money.

They’re marketing in fear tactics because they equate fear with respect.

They’d rather us be afraid of THEIR punishment, than to do things worthy of true respect.

I don’t respect bullies and abusers. I don’t respect oppressive behaviors. I don’t respect putting greed above people.

We cannot keep being complacent in our own societal downfall.

Our voices matter. ALL of our voices matter,

They broke the social contract.

[valiantthearts]

Okay, I’m getting a bit cranky, so I need to get this off my chest.

Caitlyn is not a fascist. In fact, there are things about her that make her the opposite of it. If you want to look at a Fascist, Ambessa is RIGHT THERE.

Let’s break this down.

An ideology and movement with a dictator in charged, forcible suppression of opposition, heavily military emphasis, silencing all who would oppose this new autocracy and government is characterized as fascism. Fascism is also heavily involved in violence and believes that violence is not negative and is vital to its regime. Not just that, but it is believed that violence and war are a means to national rejuvenation; aka, it will make the world a better place.

Now, let me show the two characters we see in power.

Caitlyn

- Yes, Caitlyn is in charge, she is the sole power in the autocracy. However, listen to her belief system. One, Caitlyn, is HIGHLY against the violence that Ambessa is placing upon the Zaunites. Caitlyn also is not creating a system of discrimination. Her check points are not to control the population but was in an attempt to bring Jinx out of the road work. All Caitlyn wanted was Jinx. She was NOT creating a discrimination against others. - Now, as an enforcer, she did as she vowed. She took down shimmer; she located Jinx, and she stopped all criminal activity done by the chem barons. These Chem Barons are NOT GOOD PEOPLE! They are dictators as well, and Silco is a prime example. I’ll get into Silco, maybe another post; but Silco is NOT a good person. Was what he wanted valid? Yes, independence for Zaun. But don’t tell me that drugging your civilians, creating monsters, child labor, and murdering people is okay. Was she a bit over the top in episode 3? Yes. Was she doing the wrong things for the right reasons in her head? Yes. I am not saying gassing Zaun was good; it wasn’t. But her concept was meant to try to keep people out of the streets and force Jinx out of hiding. She was NOT trying to gas the zaunites; she was using it to clear streets. Again, I am NOT saying Caitlyn is in the right. There were other ways to go about this. But you also have to understand that Caitlyn was not thinking clearly. However, there was still a hint of morals within her that she wanted to protect people. - Caitlyn did not perform mass massacres, she did not cause deportations, nor genocides. She did not round up Zaunites and killing them because she could. She was NOT oppressing Zaunites. What she wanted was Jinx. Look at her focus. It was LOCATING JINX. That was it. Fascist regimes focus heavily on committing these concepts to remove the opposition. Not once did we see Caitlyn killing ANYONE! - Caitlyn often expressed things to Ambessa. “Why is violence always the answer to peace?”, “It was your men who incited the violence!”, “I didn’t want this,”. Caitlyn often argued with Ambessa about her actions. Caitlyn did not approve of them or the Violence. She wanted Jinx, but did not want to attack Zaun. Caitlyn was the ‘scapegoat’ but the true culprit for all of this was Ambessa. Ambessa had Caitlyn as the face of everything, but it was Ambessa who had control.

Now, I am not saying some things Caitlyn did was right. Like I said, gassing the streets, and other things. However, I think it is a bit extreme to call Caitlyn a fascist when literally everything she has done or is doing does not line up with the concept.

Ambessa.

- Ambessa is the leader of a military organization that works to conquer, destroy countries and force them to assimilate with Noxus. If you don’t, you die. Literally, tell me this isn’t genocide right there! Ambessa has no problem killing people that can rise up and create opposition. She will kill and murder anyone who will cause her problems. - Ambessa often encouraged violence. Look at the people who are doing it in the streets? It is primarily Noxians. We already know that there are some Piltovans (for example, Maddie) who assimilated to Noxian values. This is part of assimilation, Ambessa was working to take over all of Piltover and have it under her control. And Ambessa placed Caitlyn as the figurehead. Who’s going to get all the blame? Caitlyn. But who is the one playing the game? Ambessa. - Another thing with Ambessa is literally shutting down a group organization led by Sevika. When you see it, it was raided first by Noxians, with enforcers behind them. Ambessa was the one who lead the charge, and Caitlyn wasn’t even AWARE of it until she was told when she got to Stillwater. Again, Ambessa is pulling streets, she has ultimate control. - Ambessa believes that violence and war are the answer to peace. She believes that once a place is attacked and conquered; you remove those who will be a symbol and who will lead people against them. Caitlyn was literally of “use” but when she wasn’t anymore, guess what Ambessa was going to do? A public execution. And then, no doubt, all of those other enforcers would have been shot down as well. This public execution is literally a massacred. they were going to shoot them all in the back of the heads. Again, this imperial form and war are literally classic Fascism views. - Ambessa is the sole leader of her clan. She leads, and she does not accept anyone questioning her. Look at the noxians, they all look the same, all in uniforms, they all have a mask. They are all assimilated. They have the salutes and all. Literally, this extreme state of ‘purity’ that the noxians are the ones who are the true power is literally again these ideals. And Ambessa has no problem removing anyone who is a problem. Vi, for example, she was ready to kill to ensure she keeps her puppet (Caitlyn) in control. Ambessa had EVERYONE imprisoned in Stillwater, all those Zaunites. Was Caitlyn there? No. Look at who is in charge. Ambessa is trying to recreate hextech. Was Caitlyn there? No. Caitlyn’s focus was on jinx, but it was Ambessa who had ultimate control and manipulating everything.

And yet everyone wants to look at Caitlyn, and so easily throw around this term “Fascist” but I don't think people TRULY understand what it means. The most Fascist person in that show was Ambessa, not Caitlyn.

But everyone seems to want to hate on Caitlyn, throw around like she is some evil supervillain that needs to die. Yet... no one is saying anything about Ambessa?

Seriously, people need to learn to read their history and study up before using words they don’t know how to use.

[asmallmoon333]

Halloween season! So monster AU Lawlight. What do you think they would be? The rest of the cast?

Fun question!! I'd say in a Haloween setting we'd have:

Light: Demon, particularly one with powers of compulsion, contracts, and death. Makes a contract in exchange for a life, the contractees never get what they think they will and all end up dying of heart attacks. Alias Kira, goal to purify the world. He's a pretty young supernatural, only a year old after dying as a human at 23. Demons are humans or supernaturals that died with unfilfilled desires, but ones so strong they become demons rather than ghosts. Helps if they contracted another demon before dying. They can also very sucessfully pass as the human/super they used to be, making them difficult to find.

L: Vampire, very old and powerful, has spent most of the last few decades napping. May or may not have been due to an epic sugar crash. He heard Demon blood tastes wonderfully sweet from an anonymous source and now wants to confirm >v>. Goal: to have cake and nibble on Kira.

Misa: Witch, she's been working ages to make a love potion that works on a demon. Has been unsuccessful. In the meantime tries her best to kill L with unique spells. Also unsuccessfully. A very powerful witch as she has a demon familiar who shares her powers with Misa.

Rem: Demon familair, Misa's in particular. Her original form was something aquatic, deep sea horror-type supernatural. She bound herself to Misa willingly out of love and gave Misa full access to her powers. That's why Misa is a very powerful witch despite still being human, and why Light keeps her around.

Ryuk: Also a demon, but uncontracted. Was a tengu before dying. He was the one that made a deal with Light was the latter was human, and the reason Light was reborn as a demon after dying. Is having the time of his life.

Mello: Vamp, sired by L so he took some of his traits. Mello was dying one night from a gang fight and L saved him and then just vanished. Mello wants to meet L to ask him why he turned him. He's competitive against Near. Doesn't try to control his bloodlust at all, and becomes the head of the mafia that killed him in a very brutal takeover.

Near: Also a Vamp sired by L, doesn't care as much as Mello does, but is still curious to meet him. Was half-fae on his mother's side but no one knew it since he was an orphan, the fact that he managed to turn successfully into a Vamp shocked a lot of people. Is under constant watch by the US government. He can control his bloodlust very well and has muted emotions. He's ambivalent to Mello.

Matt: Sylph, electric specifically. Likes to static shock people for fun. Was Mello's friend when he'd been human but didn't tell him about the supernatural community. He and Mello are sometimes at odds because of it since Mello thought they'd told each other everything, considering they grew up together.

Watari: Mad Scientist/Professor Fankenstein type. Can bring inanimate objects to life. He woke L from a very long sleep and now works with him to police the unruly supernatural community in exchange for the blood of criminals L catches. His main goal is to stop Kira.

Kiyomi: Siren, her voice and words can compel people to believe her. Acts as Kira's public voice. She thinks her voice works on Light; it does not.

Mikami: Werewolf or werecat. Hates it. His main goal in life is to be able to suppress his animalistic transformation completely. Hates both humans and the supernatural community, loves Kira for culling them.

Matsuda: Wizard. Very bad at it lmao, but born into a powerful family so he has access to a lot of good tools and relics for hunting demons.

Soichiro, Sayu, Sachiko: All human, Light's family whom he still protects. Light pretends to be human still and lives close to them. Soichiro knows about supernaturals since he works in the government, and has his suspicions of Light.

Rest of the cast: a menagerie of humans and otherwise, but my brain is tired. In general, the governments of every country know about this but keep it quiet for public panic reasons.

So, yeah, thanks for the fun question!! It ended up turning into a whole AU with background involved lmao.

[kittenquasar]

One of the deeply frustrating things about being a Canadian is how many of us seem to think we are somehow completely different than the American. Like we are somehow I guess European or a different species and we're nothing alike. When actually we and the Americans are as similar as two counties can be.

We are both large countries that used to be British colonies that were built on the ashes of a fallen civilization, and we both speak English while having substantial minority languages. We celebrate similar or identical holidays, and we're both loaded with natural resources. We each suppress our minorities and have flirted with both progressive and highly conservative governments. We share many things when it comes to culture and what people do for fun. We are siblings!

It blows me away when people are like "at least we're better off than the Americans" as if that's something to feel good about. Americans are our brothers and sisters, we aren't better than them. In many ways we have a lot of the same problems america does, but in a distinctively canadian way.

We are racist, but quietly. We don't think we are, but we are. I've known and worked with enough brown people to know that. We both wish queer and brown people would just shut up and not take up space, in America they tell you that to your face but in Canada you have to figure it out for yourself why people treat you weird but won't address what's wrong and why you're not taken seriously or given professional advancement. It's quiet, and people don't even acknowledging it as a problem.

We both suffer and die under our healthcare systems. Now I won't mix words, America does have it measurably worse on this one. But we like to think our system is so great when we don't have coverage for anything beyond life saving emergency care. No physio, no pharmacy, no dentist, no therapy, no elective surgeries. Worst of all our system is dying. It's overburdened and turning into a capital generation enterprise just like America. Insurance is shrinking. Doctors don't have time for you. It takes 8 months to see a professional, it'll be free but who knows if it's too late by then. We have so so far to go and people seem content to be """""bEtTeR tHaN aMeRiCa""""" as if that means anything.

Nobody can find a house. The few young people who can afford them are all small and decrepit. The govt keeps bringing in people but there's still nowhere to live. This is a huge cause of racist sentiment today

Domestic violence is way more common than the stats say. Especially in rural areas and in lower socioeconomic status. Child abuse is also far more common than people talk about. I've met so many people proud of being beaten as kids

Suicide. This falls heavily on Indigenous youth in remote areas. The stats say Canadians off themselves like Finns but in reality it's hugely disproportionate. White people living within 500km of the US border have rates in line with western Europe or USA, but go north and there so so many hopeless desolate dying communities full of dejected young people with no hope for the future. This is an issue that most ignore through the thick Canadian shield of racism. They deserve it, they've been given handouts, they're lazy, they're drunks, they're lesser. All things I've heard so often growing up here. People find hearing about Indigenous marginalization and genocide BORING. Yes, boring. Nobody feels any responsibility for this situation.

We have a TON of problems here. It's not all rosy in Canada. Growing up nobody online believed me when I tried to correct the stereotype that Canada is some leftist paradise or socialist state. In reality we are as close to government by corporations as you can get without it being de jure. But nobody sees it like this. They all belive the bootstraps myth, they think if you just work hard enough it'll get better. People don't want to think about the scam this all is. Now people are finally talking since its getting worse here, but so so many people get it WRONG and say it's because of Trudeau and not the intended function of governments by rich corporations.

Essay over. If you read my rant about my country thank you! We are so close to disaster here and nobody talks about it.

[radioluminescentoblivion]

LONG WINDED RANT INCOMING!!

On this day, TikTok is officially banned in the US on all devices after the US Supreme Court upheld the act known as PAFACA or (Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act) by a unanimous vote. However, Bytedance removed TikTok from app stores and was blocked on all devices to prepare for the fallout a day before the ban. 

TikTok has been on America’s radar since Trump’s first term in office but hasn’t gotten the boot until more recently. The reasons stem mostly on these two justifications: 1. National security concerns of American data being collected by Bytedance to be then given to the Chinese government and 2. To combat China’s efforts to manipulate Americans on the content of the platform. But the truth of the matter is…it’s all bullshit.

The entire narrative behind the “national security” belief is but a red herring as to the US's real motives, it’s to suppress freedom of speech from dissenting voices that otherwise wouldn’t be controlled under an American company. The ironic aspect of all this is that the very crimes Congress, DOJ, and many other ruling bodies are claiming China is doing is exactly what America is doing now on a corporate and governmental scale. Why make such a big fuss about data security when that same concern has little to no impact in regards to US tech corporations? What exactly is China going to do when they finally have data on that one person from TikTok doing silly dances? Why is a foreign fucking agent needed to sow dissent in American citizens when our own government does just that? 

Despite these claims they’ve yet to provide evidence to justify this ban, it is merely speculation, which is not a good look to make in regards to defending free speech from foreign agents. It is possible that Bytedance could be collecting data to be handed over to the PRC, it is possible they could be manufacturing the algorithm in their interest, but how is that any different than how we do it? If anything, it’s far worse in comparison and receives little pushback.

Meanwhile, you have Senator Mitt Romney saying exactly the reason as to why this ban is a motive in the first place. https://youtu.be/V92PzA6eEyM?feature=shared&t=1333 

This is not the first time American politicians have brought up pro-Palestine sentiment or in their words “Hamas propaganda” concerning TikTok or how they’ll tie it to the same degree of promoting tyranny as pro-Russia or pro-China. They know they can’t have full control of what the political narrative is on TikTok because it’s not an American company with Western-centric interest, the algorithm can’t be easily swayed to support Israel in comparison, so what can they do? Well, label it a national security concern and try to ban the app on grounds of speculation rather than proof. If this isn’t enough to convince you, keep in mind that the American government’s only other option to TikTok besides getting banned is to sell to some other benefactor to own the app just to do the same thing it’s always been doing, just not under a Chinese company.   

And before anyone is quick to jump on the “good riddance” bandwagon, I’d like to remind you that this is not a victory for the people, it is a continual reminder that America will do whatever it can to use security as a justification of suppression of free speech just as it has done time and time again. If you think this will only apply to China or some other foreign nation, think again. It’s these slippery slopes that make the rise of a fascist state all the more possible. 

But despite all this, will the ban be permanent? Hard to say, but knowing if Trump is involved, he just might make the ban temporary and allow the divestment to go through and the app to remain on American grounds (for his interest, of course) Either that or people just use Rednote instead, which would be the opposite of what the government would want. But even if TikTok was brought back, it wouldn’t undo the damage that has already been set in stone. 

[exitpursuedbyasloth]

Radovid?? Fucking RADOVID? WHY?

With S3 of The Witcher rapidly approaching, I find myself consumed with questions of....fucking RADOVID? WHY? Why him, of all people? I do not trust the Netflix Witcher writers one iota, but especially not when they go looking for a male love interest for Jaskier, they end up choosing Radovid. And have to radically age him up just to be a love interest Of all the characters, why choose Radovid? It’s like sand in my earball. It makes no fucking sense. They must have a reason, a motivation, for him over any other male character (unless they literally just yoinked his name out of a hat). So what made them, what is unique about Radovid that they want to add to the series and yeet into Jaskier’s bed? He’s the prince, then the King, of Redania, and Jaskier has connections to Redanian government with Dijkstra. He was briefly betrothed to Ciri as a child, but that was broken by his father (I believe this will be cut from the show, given he’s much older and a second son). He and his father (now brother) were manipulated by Phillipa, with it starting when he was child (still possible even with his aging up). And Radovid becomes a genocidal fascist who persecutes and slaughters elves, sorceresses, and other non-humans and magical folk, inspired by his hatred of Phillipa’s manipulation and influence (this is from the games, but is hinted at at the end of the books, though he’s still a child then). They could radically alter Radovid, sure, but A.) why call him Radovid at all, and B.) they still had to choose him from all their canon male characters to chose from, so what made them choose HIM above all others? There are plenty of nobles Jaskier could get with, if the goal was to have a noble with some power on their side. So Radovid isn’t singular in that regard. So, was their reasoning behind Radovid being Jaskier’s lover because he’s Redanian nobility and Jaskier works for the Redanian Intelligence Network? Is Jaskier being sent to honeypot Radovid, keep an eye on him and/or spy on him? Although Phillipa does seem to confront Jaskier at one point, it doesn’t immediately appear that way, they seem to be framing the romance as genuine, but they could be misleading us and it is a possibility. Which would be...christ like maybe a very competent team of writers could pull of this storyline, but not from the people who brought us Tree-Eskel and Yenn trying to sacrifice Ciri for her own gain and drunk hooker party at Kaer Morhen the super secret Witcher fortress lol let’s laught about how they’re too drunk to remember where they are...which is too drunk to consent...lol tits! Or is it that they want to connect Radovid to Jaskier because of what Radovid will become in the near future, to his brutal suppression of non-humans and magical humans, his bloody campaign against them? That is Radovid’s most prominent feature, what he is most known for, what makes him stand out from other potential candidates. Is this why? Is it supposed to be irony, since Jaskier is the Sandpiper, and rescues persecuted non-humans? Do they want Jaskier’s relationship to put Ciri and Geralt at risk, will his choice of bedmate endanger them, for added cheap drama? Will Radovid be seducing Jaskier under false pretenses, attempting to get close to Ciri or Geralt to hurt them, as hinted at in the leaked audition scene where Radovid mentions Ciri to Jaskier, tells him to bring her to Redania she’ll be safe here, while Jaskier lies and says he hasn’t seen her for years. Will Jaskier end up trusting him, bringing Ciri to him only for it to all go pear-shaped? Will the narrative blame Jaskier for what Radovid does to his friends, was it even necessary to drag him into it, as Radovid probably would have targeted them anyway? Or will Jaskier leave Radovid for his Gang of Non-Human and Magical Friends, thus spurning on Radovid’s genocide in the first place, cause Jaskier ‘betrayed’ him in his eyes? Which has got to be the most garbage option and I sure hope this isn’t it, this is below even what I think the Netflix Witcher writers are capable of. And there is always the possibility that there is no reason, they literally just picked a name and ran with it, who gives a shit what it means, they don’t have time to think things through and write and rewrite, not when there are slow-mo action shots to shoot and tits to shoehorn in and rapey fathers to give Father of the Year awards to. Things just happen in this show, with little rhyme or reason. The S3 trailers look even worse, a sad desperately flashy spectacle that fails to be spectacular. I don’t trust these writers to do anything good with this romance, I honestly don’t expect anything from this plotline other than to marvel at their ability to make bisexual rep feel a bit like a hate crime.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

If you don’t go to church and don’t believe in God, does this mean you are not a religious person?

Well, the answer is no! Everyone has a worldview, which means everyone has a religion.

Almost all atheists claim that, because (supposedly) there is no God, their own worldview is not a religion. Many of them would argue that they have a “nonbelief.”

One of the definitions of religion in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, however, is this: “a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.”

Atheism certainly fits that definition, and many of its adherents are quite zealous about their faith system.

Atheists have an active belief system with views concerning origins (that the universe and life arose by natural processes); no life after death; the existence of God; how to behave while alive; and so much more. Honest atheists will admit their worldview is a faith. Atheism is a religion!

One candid atheist wrote, “My attitude is not based on science, but rather on faith . . . . The absence of a Creator, the non-existence of God is my childhood faith, my adult belief, unshakable and holy.”

This secular (anti-God) religion of atheism is growing. Atheism is all around us in various forms. It is practiced (and funded) by almost all government schools. In essence atheism has become the religion of the state, and it pervades the media, courts, museums, textbooks, the internet, science journals, and influences many people you encounter.

About 85% of children from our church homes attend government (atheistic) schools. Your kids and grandkids have likely been adversely influenced by this religion . . . and they may not have even realized it.

Actually, however, there are no true atheists—just those who claim to be. The all-knowing God of the Bible informs us that he has made it evident to all people that he exists, but that unbelievers try to suppress that knowledge (Romans 1:18). In Romans 2 we read that God has given everyone a conscience about right and wrong.

While atheism is a blind faith (really a faith that lacks credulity), its followers will still cry out, “We are not part of a religion!” Why do they plead this? First, if atheism were identified as a religion, atheists fear that their views might get kicked out of public places, like government-run schools. Second, these secularists will be less likely to be able to deceive children into thinking that their teachings (supposedly “neutral”) are not in conflict with the religious beliefs of students. Secular is not neutral, it is anti-God. The Bible nowhere teaches neutrality but informs us that one is either for or against Christ. There is no in-between.

Secular humanistic religions—like evolution, atheism, and agnosticism—are part and parcel of the same belief system. These worldviews have free reign with tax-supported dollars not only in America but also in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and many other countries. It’s ironic that under the rallying cry of “let’s keep religion out” of the public arena, secularists have kicked Christianity out of the classroom and have replaced it with another religion (their religion): the religion of naturalism, which is atheism.

There is a simple way to test this claim that a worldview is not “nonreligious.” If atheism really isn’t religious, then why do atheists strongly oppose religious claims? Their approach is illogical! That’s because it is a spiritual issue, a religious issue. Does the atheistic view of origins (big bang, millions of years, and evolution—each involving supposed natural processes) oppose the religious view of special creation by God in six days? Yes. Therefore, secular views of origins are religious.

Anyone who claims that they are not religious and then makes judgments about religious topics (e.g., the deity of Christ, the existence of God, the morality regarding adultery, the truthfulness of the Bible, and so on) has made a religious statement. Though they may “claim” to be irreligious, they reveal that they are indeed religious when they attempt to refute another religious view. Does atheism oppose the religious claim that God exists? Again, yes. Thus, atheism is religious. Popular atheist John Dunphy, writing for a secular magazine, admitted:

“I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity that recognizes and respects the spark of what theologians call divinity in every human being.

“These teachers must embody the same selfless dedication as the most rabid fundamentalist preachers, for they will be ministers of another sort, utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanist values in whatever subject they teach, regardless of the educational level—preschool day care or large state university.

“The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new—the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism.”

When it is financially beneficial or otherwise helpful to their cause, atheists want to receive the benefits allowed for groups that are widely seen as religious. For example, atheist and other secular groups are eligible to receive tax benefits that other religious groups get. In addition, secular and atheist chaplains’ function within the military. These atheists want to have their cake and eat it too. The atheist worldview is religious because its adherents behave in religious ways.

Ultimately the battle is between two religions: God’s true religion and man’s false religion. This battle has been raging for six thousand years and won’t end until Jesus returns and makes a new heavens and earth.

Atheists believe they cease to exist when they die. Why then do they even bother to oppose Christians and aggressively work to impose their religion on the culture if all is futile anyway? The atheists’ battle against Christianity clearly illustrates the spiritual struggle raging around us, pointed out by the Apostle Paul: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

[gwydionmisha]

Real Democracy

I keep thinking about a conversation I had with Newest Millenial in early August. We were close to the primary due date for the state and local election ballot (Our Presidential primary is seperate and way earlier in the year.) Both Goth Millenial and Newest Millenial had misplaced their ballots in the speed move. They were like, we should probably spend tomorrow looking for them, and i was like, "It's probably be way easier to vote in person down at the courthouse." Them: O.o

So I explained that the provision for people who's ballot has gone astray in the mail or been misplaced is to go down to this one easy to find office during business hours and they'll give you a ballot which you can either take home or fill out and turn in right there at the drop box. It's a super low hassle process, especially if you don't wait until the last minute, when there might be a short line. I cautioned them to destroy the mail ballot when they find it. (They went and used this method of voting. It was fine).

Newest Millenial had lived their whole life in Souther extreme voter suppression states that pretty much want people like them dead let alone voting. They turned to me on the way back to the car and said something like, "It's amazing living in a real democracy for the first time in my life."

I think about that alot. I think about how much easier things are here because we do have real democracy. I think about all the ways they make registration and voting easy, quick, and low hassle. I think about living under a state and local government that responds to constituants and makes an effort to not just keep people alive, but improve the quality of life instead of make it worse, a government that cares about infrastructure and safe drinking water and affordable housing. The government here isn't perfect and I'd love if we went to ranked choice voting, but it really is Democracy. We of course still are in constant danger from Republican christo-Fascists at the national level, but for the most part, life is good here.

I think about the way Newest Millenial is slowly, but surely feeling the weight of a lifetime of living under constant threat from a government that will do everything in it's power to harm lift.

I want for all of you to live under real democracy. I really really do. It's why I keep pushing so very hard for people to not only vote, but make sure everyone you know does. We could have this everywhere if we all wanted it enough and worked together to get it.

[semi-imaginary-place]

answering more questions from reddit: why did edelgard start a continent wide war?

The two main parts to this are Edelgard's personality and her backstory. As well as that well, she was right in that the Church, nobility, and crests have got to go.

Edelgard is extremely determined this is both good and bad once she's decided on a path its my way or the highway and the more she'll challenged the more she will dig her heels in. Once she is committed she is committed and this sees her achieve impressive feats but also means she won't give up even when she should take a moment and reconsider her plans. She'd the type willing to break a bone to mend it, she doesn't like the war but sees it as a necessary cost (I think she's wrong but that's another matter). It is important to note that Edelgard DOES NOT THINK WAR IS EXCUSABLE, she thinks its pretty reprehensible to cause so much suffering but she's also willing to play the villain because she thinks this is something that must be done and if someone must do it it might as well be her.

The second part of this is that the Agarthans have been manipulating her for years. They tortured her and they know she hates them but she also needs them for their power and influence in Adrestia. Not only that but besides the Adrestian Enperor game of telephone, the Agarthans are her primary source of information on Rhea, the Church, and the Children of the Goddess so they have had well over a decade to tell her propaganda about how Fodlan is secretly ruled by monsters with no care for humanity. Now their information probably wasn't mostly lies but comparing what Edelgard tells you in CF with what the player can see for themselves in VW it's obvious that the Agarthans were slanting the story in their favor and against the Church.

Part of the context you might be missing is that as a lot of characters point out (Claude, even Dimitri, etc.) Edelgard has a lot of good points, the Church is super shady, very unjust, oppressive, and has indeed been meddling with international politics to maintain its own power for centuries. We see this in game when Rhea sends out Byleth to assassinate opponents of the Central Church for the high crime of daring to be a threat to Rhea's authority. Even the leaders of at least 2 nations (Adrestia and Faerghus) derive governing authority from the Church. The Church wields massive overarching, unilateral, and unchecked power over Fodlan and uses this power not for the good of the people but to maintain its own position, suppress progress and innovation, keep Fodlan isolationist, and enforce the crest and nobility system. The last one was more of a side effect but Rhea sure didn't do anything to stop it. And the whole game is about how much the crest and nobility system suck, it's massively corrupt and exploitative.