"The gerrymandering alone undermines Wisconsin’s status as a democracy. If a majority of the people cannot, under any realistic circumstances, elect a legislative majority of their choosing, then it’s hard to say whether they actually govern themselves."
--Jamelle Bouie, Opinion Columnist, The New York Times
Jamelle Bouie points out the disturbing way that Republicans in Wisconsin have basically destroyed democratic representative government on all levels by:
Creating an unbreakable gerrymander to ensure a Republican legislative majority, even if more people vote for Democrats.
Weakening the power of a Democratic governor,.
Targeting a liberal Wisconsin supreme court justice for removal or suspension so that the state SC won't have the power to rule against gerrymandered districting maps, and won't be able to prevent a 19th century ban on abortion from becoming law.
This is chilling. Below are some excerpts from the column:
For more than a decade, dating back to the Republican triumph in the 2010 midterm elections, Wisconsin Republicans have held their State Legislature in an iron lock, forged by a gerrymander so stark that nothing short of a supermajority of the voting public could break it.
[...]
In 2018, this gerrymander proved strong enough to allow Wisconsin Republicans to win a supermajority of seats in the Assembly despite losing the vote for every statewide office and the statewide legislative vote by 8 percentage points, 54 to 46. No matter how much Wisconsin voters might want to elect a Democratic Legislature, the Republican gerrymander won’t allow them to.
[...]
Using their gerrymandered majority, Wisconsin Republicans have done everything in their power to undermine, subvert or even nullify the public’s attempt to chart a course away from the Republican Party. In 2018, for example, Wisconsin voters put Tony Evers, a Democrat, in the governor’s mansion, sweeping the incumbent, Scott Walker, out of office. immediately, Wisconsin Republicans introduced legislation to weaken the state’s executive branch, curbing the authority that Walker had exercised as governor.
Earlier this year, Wisconsin voters took another step toward ending a decade of Republican minority rule in the Legislature by electing Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal Milwaukee county judge, to the State Supreme Court, in one of the most high-profile and expensive judicial elections in American history.
[...]
“Republicans in Wisconsin are coalescing around the prospect of impeaching a newly seated liberal justice on the state’s Supreme Court,” my newsroom colleague Reid J. Epstein reports. “The push, just five weeks after Justice Janet Protasiewicz joined the court and before she has heard a single case, serves as a last-ditch effort to stop the new 4-to-3 liberal majority from throwing out Republican-drawn state legislative maps and legalizing abortion in Wisconsin.”
Republicans have more than enough votes in the Wisconsin State Assembly to impeach Justice Protasiewicz and just enough votes in the State Senate — a two-thirds majority — to remove her. But removal would allow Governor Evers to appoint another liberal jurist, which is why Republicans don’t plan to convict and remove Protasiewicz. If, instead, the Republican-led State Senate chooses not to act on impeachment, Justice Protasiewicz is suspended but not removed. The court would then revert to a 3-3 deadlock, very likely preserving the Republican gerrymander and keeping a 19th-century abortion law, which bans the procedure, on the books.
If successful, Wisconsin Republicans will have created, in effect, an unbreakable hold on state government. With their gerrymander in place, they have an almost permanent grip on the State Legislature, with supermajorities in both chambers. With these majorities, they can limit the reach and power of any Democrat elected to statewide office and remove — or neutralize — any justice who might rule against the gerrymander.
[color/emphasis added[
"It’s that breathtaking contempt for the people of Wisconsin — who have voted, since 2018, for a more liberal State Legislature and a more liberal State Supreme Court and a more liberal governor, with the full powers of his office available to him — that makes the Wisconsin Republican Party the most openly authoritarian in the country."
--Jamelle Bouie, Opinion Columnist, The New York Times
[edited]
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'how dare you criticize Dems or support a third party'
the fear-based blind support of Democrats needs to stop.
the 'lesser of two evils vote' argument should be enough of a realization that there is only one-party rule in the US.
an 'evil' capitalist-driven party, aka fascism.
the encroachment on civil liberties, human rights has been incremental and steady.
as resources become more scare, and opposition to oppression grows, so have the efforts of social control expanded, accelerated.
stop electing the wealthy class.
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Voters may turn out in high numbers and elect their candidates of choice, but if the official is not one whose views align with those of the Republican Party, they may find that their powers of office are removed by antagonistic GOP-controlled legislatures.
…
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis … made the presumably unpardonable decision to convene a grand jury to investigate the effort of Donald Trump to compel Georgia officials to fraudulently award him votes he did not win in the 2020 election. [In reaction], the Georgia Legislature passed a legally dubious bill that would create commissions empowered to remove elected prosecutors from office.
…
But it would be a mistake to see this purely as an attack on prosecutors. It is part of a larger anti-democratic power grab that threatens our democracy by ensuring one-party rule, no matter the outcome of elections.
The erosion of American democracy continues apace.
Step 1: Make it hard for the “wrong” people to vote.
Step 2: If they vote anyway, strip powers away from the “wrong” elected officials.
Step 3: If that doesn’t work, just yank them out of office.
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More possessed doll au!
Each time a bat is ready to take on a new form, they must pay a visit to the tea party. Should they be accepted, through whatever strange reasons the dolls use, they will find another figure seated at the table, dressed in full tea party doll regalia. It is up to them to modify the doll within the limits imposed, and learn its form to achieve its full potential. The Robin doll, so far, is the only one to return to the table despite being moved to a display case, and truly makes the mysterious sidekick timeless.
Despite its obviously supernatural origins, the bats have found very, very little can effect the dolls outside of physical force. They do not use wires and electricity to move or think - they cannot be hacked. They are not, to their knowledge, superseding other minds - they cannot be exorcised. They use no magics to fight crime - they cannot be traced. They have no blood to be identified, no teeth pattern to compare, no fingerprints or retina to give them away. Gas cannot affect them, hypnosis requires a brain, pain cannot override them. For all intents and purposes, the dolls are perfect for fighting crime.
So where, Bruce thinks, lying awake in bed one night after patrol, do they come from? Alfred knows nothing, neither of them found anything in the archives or library. His father grew up on the estate - surely he'd explored the caves himself at some point? The doll had been right at the well entrance - had he simply never entered that way?
After the first time meeting their doll, they do not need to touch it to transfer their consciousness again. It's a breeze through an open window, ever so slight, in the back of their minds, and one simple twist can send them spiralling into their other body.
But when Robin became Nightwing, and the child sized body was retired, it was placed in a sturdy glass display case. Jason was already making noises about joining them on the streets, but a transition had never been attempted. They assumed a third doll would become the new Robin, and the first would simply become inert.
That was not the case.
When Jason - against Bruce's decision to wait a few more months - decided to make the walk to the doll house, and deeper still to the tea party cave, he found, waiting, an untouched child sized doll. The light from his torch cast across its Victorian style waistcoat, the plumped breeches and buckled leather booties, all in the bright and bold colours of his predecessor. It sat at the right hand of the empty throne, porcelain tea cup in hand, as though left by a rich little girl called away just a moment ago to supper.
The doll had been sorted in a locked case. Glass. In full view of the main area of the batcave. With cameras. It should not have been able to be taken away without several people noticing. He had taken a different route to try and sneak past Bruce, but...
It was not the first time a doll had moved. It would not be the last.
@puppetmaster13u
@dehydratedmockingbird
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What could be consider laws of the multiverse?
Or is there no such thing?
Aight aight
Let's go, explanation for time
For this one I will speak as creator
This is infos I've shared before on my site, and I got the greenlight to share it here !
Reminder that @neonross was the og creator of Out of Bounds and I am merely one of the artist and writers ( and alternatively the lore gremlin that make sure everything is smooth good lore lol ( so for lore clarification yeh I'm the good person to ask haha))
So here are the "laws" of the multiverse and how it works in wttmv specifically !
Those rules apply only in our story, but anyone who wants to use those concepts are welcome, of course ! Neon Ross's og intent was to have rules flexible enough for people to make characters and have fun with the concepts, but we don't mean to be an autority of any kind and ruin people's fun... Anyway, explanation time
It's not really "laws" so much as rules for ourselves and for our story, to give it nuances and stakes and the right amount of lore scratching complexity
Some characters however might tell you that these are laws lmao
✨Out of Bounds ✨
___-Lore Guide-___
Out of Bounds (OOB) is a realm existing beyond the multiverse, operating by its own rules and devoid of time. This guide provides insight into OOB's nature, its role in the multiverse, and the mechanics governing its interactions.
Nature of Out of Bounds
Definition :
• OOB is a space outside of alternate universes, akin to the Void Realm in Towags where forgotten characters and places reside.
• Awareness of this space is limited, known only to those who reside within or encounter its inhabitants.
Television :
• Floating televisions within OOB display AUs, acting as viewports or portals for interaction.
• Televisions serve as a primary means for Multiversers to observe and interact with AUs. ( While it is the primary way, note that there are exceptions and other ways to travel )
Shows :
• We call "show" the stories within the multiverse. Includes the Original, Variants, Alternate Universes.
• The Original cannot be touched or interacted with by anyone.
• Variants are copies of the original with very minor changes (art style, design, head canons). They can be interacted with on varrying degree, depending on the creator of the variant will.
• AUs are copies of Welcome Home with major or noticeable changes, from the story, to the characters and their designs.
Vintage Tapes :
• AUs are stored within vintage tapes, with the film inside representing the universe's timeline.
• Tapes categorize AUs into Fixed and Flexible, depending on the level of interaction allowed by the creators of each AUs.
Interference Mechanics :
• Interfering with Fixed AUs poses risks, as altering their storylines can lead to universe corrupt and/or collapse.
• Flexible AUs allow more interaction, often featuring crossovers and Y/N scenarios.
Out of Bound Spaces
Channels :
• Spaces integral to the multiverse system, including the Observer's TV room, the Archives, and Admin's film room.
Shows :
• The AUs themselves, contained in the multiverse, then OOB
Lost Media :
• Spaces not categorized as channels or tapes, such as the Keeper's domaine, Trader's space, and Stitcher's atelier. (Often time those are kind of like shells of dead/collapsed/modified AU, or pocket dimensions)
Pillars of Creation :
• Vast space outside of the multiverse, a galaxy-like zone full of stars, that is said to be where the creators of AUs reside. Very few characters go so far in the OOB.
In between :
• The void between the AUs. It is devoid of breathable air, often dark and lightless as well. Some multiversers are unaffected by the lack of air, but stay careful ! We don't know what lurks or leaks in the in-between
Diagram made by Bloomenvogel and Neon Ross for the Out of Bound as we see it in WTTMV
Note : this diagram applies to wttmv, but feel free to use I with your characters if you want ! Just like all of those rules, we made those to help make the story as a whole
Out of Bound Inhabitants
Natives of OOB :
• The Out of Bound is often said to have a mind of its own... It will sometimes create its own variants of the core cast, for reasons still obscures to this day. Notable characters born from the OOB : Observer, Courier, Messenger
"Refugies"
• Cast or OC characters that had their worlds destroyed/corrupted/collapsed, and who are left to wander in the multiverse. Most often they will end up in Peacekeeper's domaine until they can be rehomed in a flexible tape or new universe, or adapt to the Out of Bounds.
• A character that adapts to the Out of Bounds will then be called "Multiverser" along with the native of OOB
• Characters considered "refugies turned multiverser" in wttmv : Peacekeeper, Filante, Trader, ShopKeeper, Watcheye, Stitcher, Croupier
Multiversers :
• Multiversers are the inhabitants of the Out of Bounds. Often times, they are anomalies that have developped specific abilities allowing them to reside or survive in the Out of Bounds. Those abilities often includes being able to travel to multiple flexible tapes, but not always. A multiverser will almost always be a variant of a cast character, and rarely, if not ever, a y/n or fan oc. (If you wonder why y/n and ocs are excluded from being multiversers specifically, it's because Y/N is at its core a you self insert, but *you* are supposed to be viewers in the story. It's fine when in a pocket universe like Keeper's and Trader, a y/n can exist there, but in the oob it could causes some problems of logic with viewer influence and control, or the focus of the story could go astray to fit a y/n, which is not a story we want to tell. It kinda goes for ocs too)
__________________
I tried to say as much as I could without much spoilers... For the reminder, I already explained the main, general chronology of wttmv on the site
Ik, ik, it's a bit of a hassle to go search and look and all. Tbh the site is kind of a way to give a bit of a treat for the really big fans who are ready to go on a separate site to get lore lmao /lh
But now I get to ramble here too ! Hurray !
TLDR :
OOB is big and weird. The AUs and Variants can be interacted with only if allowed by the creators. Multiversers are the weird cast variants living in the oob. The OOB is kinda like an onion, it has layers. Most characters always stay in the multiverse part.
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