#Ant Group capital

[sophie-frm-mars]

Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher's greatest success, shifted the image of the labour party into the chic neoliberal image obsessed world of PR politics where symbolism and focus groups reign supreme. Electoral politics has been a bourgeois world of distraction and suppression of working class radicalism since its inception, but the move that Blair brought to UK politics shifted the divide from crusty socialists vs radical free enterprise finance perverts to a blurry divide barely legible within the framework of capital, so that the finance perverts became the wallpaper and radicalism was simply no longer in the room.

Starmer, in reincarnating Blair's ghost on a landslide victory that a huge amount of the population feel no enthusiasm for and at best relief that he's not technically the Tories ant more if they haven't been paying much attention to his policies, is reaffirming that the division is not between differently coloured ties you decide on at the ballot box but (as it has always really been) between the ruling class and the working class. He is positioning himself ready to do the most by the book straightforward statesman ship possible, which is to say to mediate class tensions in favour of the ruling class. His victory should only be a reminder that 99% of politics is outside the polling station and now is the time to get organized.

Socialists still involved in the machine of elite politics like Corbyn should absolutely make a socialist party that can catch labour defecters in the same way that Reform will inevitably catch tory ones as the next 5 years go on. If that goes well, there may be a chance that our votes are meaningful in 2029, but if not it'll just be the game liberals want it to be, a game of keeping The Bad Party out. It is more important not to be the bad one than it is to ever do anything good.

But if we think about 2029 elections, 2034, 2039 and so on, assuming that the GEs happen when they're scheduled (🤷‍♀️) then we so quickly run into a world devastated by climate change that we realise spending any of our energy thinking about electoralism over organising is a waste.

The party who nakedly despise the working class are no longer in power, the party who have to pretend not to despise the working class are in. You still can't ask them for anything, you have to take it. Now is the time for strikes, protests, and parallel community structures refusing to delegate responsibility to the state to push harder and harder and harder still

[spilledquinoa]

I've just realized how long it's been since I've done one of these (sorry bout that) but @rottenpumpkin13 has inspired me to do another one!

Sephiroth

"simply, communism."

"sometimes you just have to put sanity before fun"

"and I will say 'boo' and send you an email saying 'boo'" (also works for Angeal)

"watch out. he's blue and predictable"

"did you just say 'I'm vaginal'??"

"chicken<6"

"did you say 'prison' and look at me?"

"I'm so mentally unstable it's hilarious"

Genesis

"my mom has limbs you nipple spork"

"get in loser, we're going to the mortitician this Saturday"

"when Gwen Stefani dies, I call dibs on Hollaback Girl royalties"

"what's the point of a voodoo doll if you don't test it?"

"who cares about you graduating when the POLAR BEARS are getting HEART ATTACKS"

"roses are red, I might be autistic, I'm actually super gay but that's not a secret"

"so that's that. I didn't swear. like a whore."

"it's toxic but in a frisky way"

"you little piss-ants"

"what rhymes with alcoholic"

Angeal

"who is it? who's meowin'?"

"Genesis is subpar at best but he's not lame!"

"why aren't we vaccinating the chickens?"

"turkey, turkey, sociopathic turkey..."

"'I drive all night to keep her warm' (referring to Story of My Life by One Direction) man, you don't have to drive to keep someone warm? get a blanket! cheaper than gas!"

"I respect, acknowledge, and admire the grindset"

"capital mark"

Zack

"bananas are freakin weird man"

"he said he has a stommy ache"

"tomato, tomahto, ketchup, potato"

"ham means death??"

"pizza that has lost all heat and pizza that has been put in the fridge are two VERY different kinds of cold pizza"

"I feel like a dish pickle"

"while you've been running the Eiffel Tower, I've been secretly stuffing bees into pants"

"I had a dream someone was cussing me out in sign language"

"when it's 0° I wear pants"

"if you need the bathroom, go now or forever hold your pee"

*whispering* "are they stealing monkey nipple milk??"

"if it's slow, it's bisquik"

Cloud

"well that was OPPRESSIVELY offensive"

"she's Amish, not racist"

"it's educated gambling"

"no I do want scurvy, just to say that I've had it"

"ZACK SAID FREEDOM AWAITS AND I HEARD FREE THE HOMELESS"

"if you step on a crack and break your mom's back, what about orphans?"

"at your temple dipshit"

"you can't just 'dick around' at a SENATE HEARING."

*about Genesis* "wow! I never knew someone could that well versed in being a bitch!"

"I will never cease to disappoint"

Group!

Cloud: is it snowing or hailing?

Zack: snailing

Cloud: aren't you gay??

Genesis: yeah sometimes I forget

Angeal: protons have mass

Zack: I didn't know they were Catholic!

*chatter, before room goes suddenly silent*

Angeal: ...and that's how I first kissed Genesis on the mouth!

Cloud: that's a real how I met your mother vibe

Zack: I'm being killed!

Genesis: no you're being kidnapped fuckwad, there's a difference

Angeal, about Cloud: you're selling yourself out to the army?

Genesis: like a prostitute??

Sephiroth: you're offending prostitutes

Genesis: at least they get something out of it

[penelopwgarcia]

Why did Alexandre de Moraes banned Twitter (or X, whatever) and Elon Musk is having a beef with the Brazilian Supreme Court because of it - from a brazilian

I don't know how many knows it but Twitter has been banned from Brasil - rightfully so, and as I don't want to extend myself so much what happened, in chronological order, is that:

1. The right-wing candidate Bolsonaro lost the elections on 2022, even when he clearly attempted against elections laws by sending feds to lock the streets on the area he knew he would lost (he was the president at this time). It was a miracle that Lula won, there were about 200 operations in various states to BLOCK the population to vote. But anyway, the left wing candidate won, and Bolsonaro's supporters didn't like it a bit. So,

2. They start to provoke people on Twitter, telegram and other social media to plead for the army to illegally take the power off the elected government (there are so many videos of them crying on the gates of the army all around the country is so fucking funny). Anyway the Army did the right thing for the first time ever and stayed quiet and didn't interfere. So then, those who provoke people to plead for a CONSTITUTION CRIME spread more messages for this group to handle the matter themselves through telegram groups and tweets.

3. In January, 8 of 2023 this misery of 3,000 people (and if you check the area where the Supreme Court, parliament and other state buildings are, you'll see they look like ants) vandalized and broke historical items on their wave of stupidity (because they truly thought those acts were leading somewhere) (!!!!also!!!! The cops did shit).

The thing is, as much as political speech will claim the case against the people that went to Brasilia (Brasil capital(yes it isn't Rio I know) and the people behind who orchestrated this federal crime is about democracy, it really is because they defied their power (specially the Supreme Court) and believe me those justices won't stop until each and every one that fermented it be in jail or get punishment of some kind.

But then, what does it have to do with Twitter at all? Because they spread their ideials from there. And if it was a right-wing thing, the same liberal shit, we would have to deal with it. But they're a fascists spreading hate and misinformation and therefore must be fought. And what did the billionaire Elon Musk do? He refused to block those accounts under the argument that it was against freedom of speech, saying it was a censorship, and that was a threat to democracy.

And as everything is political and Moraes (this diva) has the power according to our constitution to ban enterprises that don't have a legal representation in Brasil, he stipulated a deadline for Musk to do so. He didn't, and therefore the platform is banned.

The thing is, Musk could've banned the 11 accounts, but he choose to be whiny bitch under the liberal argument of freedom of speech without regulation and now the platform has lost over 200,000 users. What a genius.

Also, despite the fact SOME NEWS tries to put Brasil's decision as a dictatorship, the EU charges Musk for the very same reasons.

So no, Moraes isn't wrong in doing this because he did follow every step to ban fascists accounts. Regardless of his motivation (and I'm serious on this he isn't any left-wing supporter, back in 2016 when he was commissioner of Sao Paulo, he sent the police to brutalized teachers on strike) he isn't in the wrong side. Who is wrong all along is Musk, and as I see some right-wing conservative news, they are trying without shame to put the billionaire as a token protector of true democracy. As a brazilian who saw those illegal acts and knows who those accounts belonged to, I stand with conviction that freedom of speech HAS to be limited by laws and that the internet isn't a no man's land - if X doesn't follow our rules, then it isn't good enough for us to use either.

[sburbian-sage]

Hi skepticArbiter!

I don't know how long it's been on your end since you posted that GristTorrent ask, but your offhanded proposal of a Universal Grist Bank has driven my ADHD to heights of hyperfixation that have never been seen before. It has been months. Being a native Smith of Coins that's about what you'd expect, lol. Anyway! I bring it up because the session I'm currently in is serendipitously about the absolute best group I could ask for in making the idea a reality. It really feels like the Shine itself legitimately just manifested itself and forced whatever the infinitesimally small chance of something like this actually happening I swear to dog.

Thirteen of us, all have made it through at least ten sessions (with CERTAIN PEOPLE at significantly more than that-- 32 if she's to be believed and I've seen no evidence to the contrary and lots of proof that it's true) and managed to naturally reroll our native classpects. All of us. Not a lick of vagabouncy. It's insane. Both of our cardinal aspects’ first playthroughs were duet sessions. There's public proof several places on the replayernet going back timestamps that our Bane of Stage, Page of Mist, and Rouge of Sand have been sessionmates before. The Bane of Stage hunts Azurites for Fun and Him Time, 12 confirmed PK kills that I am aware of. Our Waste of Law(aforementioned 32 session legend) is awesometier. Several of us are pre-replayernet loose veterans. Our tactician classes, Flux player, and Mind player have been freaking out like ants when their trail gets stepped on. No major glitches or bugs so far, knock on wood. It feels too good to be true but in discussing it all of us dealt with capital-b-Bullshit scenarios with Light players in our last runs so I'm just trying to enjoy it without ruining it worrying.

I'm sending this message primarily to let you know that this is actually happening, and to thank you for coming up with the UGB in the first place. But also, I have come with some questions. I have never had to deal with the Others before (miraculous in it's own right tbh) and thus have absolutely no idea what to expect. I'm not part of the side that's doing the bartering, but I've known a good chunk of this group over the replayernet for a pretty long time and consider many dear friends(another insane thing to actually happen- us ending up together) and I am. Concerned. Everyone says “oh they do impossible bargins” and “will take parts of your soul” but I've never seen anyone actually SPECIFY what the terms for their deals are. It's not that I don't believe it's really that bad, it's just I'd much rather know than not know, you know? Is it a faux pas I'm not aware of to talk about it? Since you had to do it yourself for your ring journey I figured you'd be as good a place as any to ask and since it's over text it might not be as impactful for you as asking my friends face to face potentially could be for them, I apologize if that's incredibly insensitive of me.

For further context, the group is split so some of us are working on bartering with the others (Rouge of Sand, Guide of Void, Maid of Rage), some of us are actually making the physical server and programming the necessary software (myself, Witch of Time, Sage of Dreams, Heir of Sound), some are doing both (Waste of Law, Ward of Mind, Sylph of Flux), and our Seer of Space, Bane of Stage, and Page of Mist are covering taking care of session stuff where they can for now so the rest of us can focus on getting everything together for the bank.

Thank you again, and in advance for any insight you are willing to share,

snugglySocialist

Holy shit! I'm glad that an offhanded statement I meant mostly as a joke finally led to good things happening, instead of just getting me in trouble. Though that could still happen if I endorse this and it turns into an All Or Nothing situation, so pull through if you can. I said it before and I'll say it again, if you pull this off then not only will you have the eternal of gamebreakers, people who accidentally break their game, and anyone in a Ring Journey, but your handles will be put in the history books right next to the guy who figured out the Alimentator hack.

As for your question, I'm afraid I'm not a good firsthand source of information on this topic. I did not make the bargain for the Ring Journey I'm on, someone else did it. You are right that information is hard to come by, but "it's difficult to talk about" is only one reason out of three. Some people hide the nature of their bargains for protection. Especially if it's a larger operation like a Ring Server, if the presence of the server hinges upon X condition being fulfilled, and some malefactor wants to take down the site, best not to let them know which conditions to break. The third reason is that "not disclosing details of the bargain to other people" may itself be a condition of the bargain. It is, in fact, as annoying as it sounds, and all of these combined (not to mention the fact that writing down anything about the Others is a passive source of corruption) makes this topic a bitch to gain any information about.

For your purposes, the institution of a Ring Server isn't that big of an ask, so I don't think the price will be literally impossible or metaphorically impossible (like "consume the hearts of all of your friends and set yourself on fire", that's basically their catty way of saying "we're not giving you a deal"). However, something like a Universal Grist Bank has significantly more "oomph" behind it than an online archive, social media page, or weirdass elitist bookclub. Standard bargaining practice is to respond to any price they give you with "that is too much", in which case they'll either lower the price, or solidify that the price is set.

As for the actual prices, it varies. The Transamphibian founders can't use their real names anymore. CorpseParty got shut down because someone used the server to try and scry cross-session, which apparently violated the deal. In general though, the prices set seem almost spiteful. "They take bits of your soul" is more metaphorical than literal, like really fond memories, your reputation, relationship with someone important, and in the worst cases your ability to engage in a hobby that you consider fundamental to your sense of being. I think there's at least one case where someone's condition was that they can't use any Replayer Network, which effectively unpersons them (this information was shared secondhand for obvious reasons and thus couldn't be verified). It's impossible to tell what the deal is until you have it, and all of your efforts to establish the UGB are basically bottlenecked into dealing with those guys, who can make or break the entire project. And they know this. And you have no power over them, only than knowing that they will not do anything to you unless you ask them to do it. There's really no further advice I can give you other than...

Lawyer up. Read the fine print, argue for fairness as much as possible, and don't let yourself get worked over any more than is necessary.

Once you accept a deal, stick with it. There are no "grace periods", take-backs, or hiding an infraction. If the terms of the deal are broken, the UGB goes up in flames basically forever (unless you make another deal to "recover it").

Genuinely, genuinely, don't chew off more than you can swallow. If the terms of the contract are unlivable to any of the people undertaking it, don't do it.

There is one other aspect I should mention, which is that if the conditions of the deal only concern one person, the deal will still be upheld once that person dies. So if the condition is "nobody can upload Build Grist" and someone uploads Build Grist, then the website is kill. But if the condition is "none of the founders can alchemize anything anymore, and all of the founders end up dying, then the site will stay up. Though it'll obviously need new administrators. Sorry for the macabre example, but this is a little-known facet of Other bargains that not a lot of people know about, and it's why a lot of the older servers and networks are still up.

[evolutionsvoid]

When the betrayal of the dragons occurred, the world changed. What had once been a respectable partnership between these primordial beasts and the all powerful Church of Divine Wealth had evaporated in an instant, and what emerged was pure carnage. Following the attack upon the holy city, Ichor constructs were unleashed by the church to hunt down the treacherous dragons and armies of eager soldiers swarmed like ravenous ants upon any that fell from the skies. The following weeks were ones of bloodshed, as the dragons were slaughtered in droves, shot down from the heavens and torn to pieces by armed mobs. When the fury of the scorned church died down, countless primordial corpses lay broken across the land, and those that survived the massacre fled to parts unknown. From these carcasses leaked rivers of Eitr, which would eventually taint the earth and beasts that dwell there. Before the mutations and aberrations began, the people of the land celebrated the ousting of the dragons. The beasts once revered as allies for decades had become reviled within a single night, and there was much rejoicing when their ancient bodies fell. However, not all were pleased with this outcome, as there were plenty of groups out there who had aligned themselves with the dragons. Some flipped after the attack on the capital, others claimed that the slaughter that followed was an overreaction to a single misstep, but there were those who thought the dragons blameless in the whole thing. Regardless of their opinion, there were those who were infuriated by the needless death and desecration of the dragons, and swore that they would avenge these ancient beasts. Of those who condemned the Church of Divine Wealth, the Drakontos are some of the most feared. 

Before the betrayal occurred, the Drakontos (sometimes also referred to as Spartoi) were warriors who worshiped the dragons and carried their symbols upon weapons and armor. They were inspired by these ancient beasts, and modeled their ways and rituals around them. After the attack occurred and the dragons were labeled traitors and worthy of death, the Drakontos were disgusted at the sudden change in opinion. What once was revered was now reviled in moments, and the people who were once in awe now cheered for these senseless killings. Perhaps the Drakontos would have vanished with the dragons they loved, or simply kept to the shadows to seethe over this turn of events, but what they witnessed drove them to another path. When a dragon was felled and left dying upon the earth, the church and its followers would eagerly gather as many parts, pieces and fluids they could, harvesting them as if they were cattle. The corpses were hardly cold by the time these scavenger teams would strip them of valuable materials, not content to only kill but to desecrate as well. Even when the church's stores and vaults were packed full of dragon parts, people still tore apart these ancient beasts, now collecting tooth and scale as souvenirs and trinkets. It was these acts that drove the Drakontos to violence, as they watched their beloved dragons be ripped apart for gaudy charms and useless decoration. It is said that their fury drove them to the great carcass of a dragon, where they took its tooth, scale and bone to fashion new armor and weapons. They donned these suits of dragon teeth and swore to give their ancient idols a proper burial, which involved gathering all the pieces that had been scattered across the land as fancy baubles. This is what their mission supposedly is, but this is merely guesswork, as the Drakontos do not speak of their goals as they tear apart their victims in bestial fashion. 

What the Drakontos are now are feared predators that stalk the land, mostly alone but rarely in pairs. A single warrior clad in dragon teeth will wander through the wilds, seeking those who betrayed and defiled the dragons. They are said to have a sense for dragon materials, able to sniff out those who carry their scales or bones. Those who cling to these ill gotten goods, robbed from the graves of ancients, are targeted by these lone warriors. They attack with bestial ferocity and overpowering strength, some using bladed weapons to stab and slash, and others opting for simple tooth and fist to crush and pulverize. When prey is reduced to a bloody mush, they collect the stolen dragon scale and continue their hunt, gathering as many pieces they can to make their dead idols whole once more. They have an undying hatred of the church, so they attack any of its soldiers and priests on sight, even if they don't carry dragon parts.

As the world has fallen to chaos and war scars the land, the Drakontos have only become more fierce and maddened in their cause. It is believed that the state of the world has caused them to descend into pure mindless hatred, no longer finding specific targets but lashing out at any person who dare crosses their path. Tales of them wiping out entire camps and destroying trade routes have spread far and wide, making them another horror that the common citizen must dread when forced to navigate this broken land.     

--------------------------------------

"Drakontos (or some say Spartoi)"

Yes, we are still posting Fall of Ichor stuff! We will get back to species entries at some point, but it ain't today!

[pep-the-artemis]

Uzi the Anarcho-Communist

A literary deep dive into the themes of Murder Drones.

(note, this took way to long to write and is far from finished and I know this is self-serving but can you please if you read this reblog it)

Although the show very much is a critique of capitalism, I don't think that's its primary theme, instead I believe the primary theme of the show is Hubris which notably emerges throughout the show but this is about communism. First lets discuss the idea that the show critiques capitalism in its plot and theming.

The opening line to the show is "we are worker drones". 'Worker' is very much a common phrase used in Marxist ideas (most famously in the quote "Workers of the land, Unite!"). Worker in this context is used to refer to a member of the working class. The word 'drone' also creates this association with dull monotony mirroring the lives of the drones.

The second shot in the show is of a group of worker drones all identical in expression, height, eye colour, clothing—very much every detail. This is the first time we really see this idea that the WDs lack individuality which is another idea discussed by Karl Marx's Gattungswesen. This lack of individuality is very much an extreme example of what Marx calls Objective Alienation, the WDs have been deprived of there right to think in the name of windex maximizing profits for those who control the means of production (in this case humans).

The third shot (authors note, can't believe we're only 19 seconds into episode 1, this is going to take forever) we finally see the face of evil, a corporation in the form of its name superimposing over the scene; its happy, outdated style juxtaposes the cold, dreary reality the WDs are living through. I would go deeper into this but if you don't know how corporations tie into Marxism theory then you need to pick up a book.

The fourth shot is so full of small details I just have to give a screenshot to appreciate its subtlety.

Top left, you can see a WD working in a precarious position working environment, not much to mention because it's doing more to play as environmental story telling for the other parts of the scene. At the highest point of the shot, JCJenson logo almost like a title basically saying this is JCJenson and also the height can be viewed as a metaphor for their position in the hierarchy. To the signs right is the control room, the only area which is kept well lit, the control room is also were the highest authority present would mingle, good lighting is a luxury of the rich (the withholding of basic rights like food, shelter and [in this case] light is again a critique Marx makes against capitalism). Bottom right, a group of humans standing around doing very little standing around the destroyed body of a worker drone not stopping the ant like WDs walking ever closer or helping the WD clinging for there life in the top right of the screen. The lives and safety of the WDs is off little consequence to the humans which is the other side of Alienation, those in power stop viewing the workers as people and more as machines to be exploited; to stop production would be the greatest sin.

The fifth, sixth, seventh and eight shots, the culmination of the humans actions. In pursuit of production, the humans led to there own downfall, being blissfully unaware until it was too late and the greatest joke, the workers survived and didn't care. This very much mirrors a lot of modern criticisms of capitalism especially around the ideas of climate change. Knowing what we know after watching the show, that the core collapse was almost certainly no coincidence, instead likely a plot by WDs (specifically the Absolute Solver) then it fits into Marxist theory specifically around Proletariat Revolution which Marx states is the inevitability of capitalism.

The ninth shot, the most important which will be made incredibly evident once I show a picture.

Its a direct parallel to the fourth shot. Firstly, the orange colour has very much been lost for a cool blue which if you note has always been the colour associated with the workers throughout all of the previous scenes, its encapsulation shows the shift in power. The JCJenson logo replaced with a graffiti doodle (somewhat similar to the anarchists symbol). And the most obvious, the workers sitting in the control room, they are now in control while the humans lay dead below them. The results of this revolution though won't be made evident until the next shot so |: moving on.

(authors note. A MINUTE IN WOOO!)

The tenth shot, the WDs now are showing unique characteristics and identities! This is the emergence of Gattungswesen, remember that one word I mentioned before but didn't really talk about well here we are now. Gattungswesen refers to what Karl Marx thinks make humans human; Marx considers the idea that identity emerges from individuals is foolish instead ones identity emerges from there social relations which is exactly what we see in this opening scene.

"They themselves begin to distinguish themselves from animals as soon as they begin to produce their means of subsistence, a step which is conditioned by their physical organisation." - Karl Marx

Marx also considers the death of personal identity one of the evil components of capitalism.

At this point, I should start talking about the disassembly drones but there's too much to talk about and I'm tired because I didn't anticipate the opening minute being so jam packed with information so I'll instead continue by talking about the Worker Drone civilisation and then Uzi (author note, ughh bite me that's a lot of writing).

In the Worker Drones civilisation, two things are very notable—both neither a hierarchy nor a market seems to exist.

The only characters seen with some hierarchical power are Kahn and Teacher but even then the Teacher doesn't have governing power, instead his power comes from his title as Teacher. Kahn on the other hand is more complicated; he does hold real power as the leader of the Worker Drone Protection Corp (Author note. to tired and lazy to verify if that's correct); at the same time the nature of his power is vague, he is never shown to have any political power nor is a political system present.

The absence of a market or capitalist constructs (a market isn't strictly capitalist but for the discussion its close enough). The only example in the WD civilisation the only time we see anything similar is in episode 2 with the vending machine (which we don't see used), the sight of all the murders by Eldritch J. Without going deep into J, its hard to go deep into this but it can be very easily read as a metaphor for how capitalism weaponises consumption.

Overall, it seems most likely beyond any other alternative (not saying an alternative is possible), but with the backing of the anti-capitalist symbolism discussed earlier, the WDs very much live in a anarcho-communist Commune.

Finally, onto the subject matter of the title, Uzi. Lets go through all the different pieces of evidence that imply that Uzi is a communist.

To begin, she's anti-authoritarian. She is very rebellious in nature, not just against Teacher but also her father. The inciting incident of the entire story is when Uzi betrays her fathers authority to go and fight the Disassembly Drones (who very much represented the police and the will of the higher authority of JCJenson).

When talking to the deluded N, she tried to convince him to rebel through using the communist argument that they are living in Subjective Alienation (more commonly refered to as 'false consciousness'), they are unaware that the humans just see them as the means to an end. Later, N starts discussing other communist ideas with J, namely there is no difference between them and the WDs, instead they are very much the same.

(author note for future reference, WDs are Lumpenproletariats)

There is more to talk about, but I'm tired.

[fullyarmoredbattlesturgeon]

"My political opinions lean more and more to Anarchy (philosophically understood, meaning abolition of control not whiskered men with bombs) – or to 'unconstitutional' Monarchy. I would arrest anybody who uses the word State (in any sense other than the inanimate realm of England and its inhabitants, a thing that has neither power, rights nor mind); and after a chance of recantation, execute them if they remained obstinate! If we could get back to personal names, it would do a lot of good. Government is an abstract noun meaning the an and process of governing and it should be an offence to write it with a capital G or so as to refer to people. If people were in the habit of referring to 'King George's council, Winston and his gang', it would go a long way to clearing thought, and reducing the frightful landslide into Theyocracy. Anyway the proper study of Man is anything but Man; and the most improper job of any man, even saints (who at any rate were at least unwilling to take it on), is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity. And at least it is done only to a small group of men who know who their master is. The mediævals were only too right in taking nolo efiscopari as the best reasona man could give to others for making him a bishop. Give me a king whose chief interest in life is stamps, railways, or race-horses; and who has the power to sack his Vizier (or whatever you care to call him) if he does not like the cut of his trousers. And so on down the line. But, of course, the fatal weakness of all that – after all only the fatal weakness of all good natural things in a bad corrupt unnatural world – is that it works and has worked only when all the world is messing along in the same good old inefficient human way. The quarrelsome, conceited Greeks managed to pull it off against Xerxes; but the abominable chemists and engineers have put such a power into Xerxes' hands, and all ant-communities, that decent folk don't seem to have a chance. We are all trying to do the Alexander-touch – and, as history teaches, that orientalized Alexander and all his generals.The poor boob fancied (or liked people to fancy) he was the son of Dionysus, and died of drink. The Greece that was worth saving from Persia perished anyway; and became a kind of Vichy-Hellas, or Fighting-Hellas (which did not fight), talking about Hellenic honour and culture and thriving on the sale of the early equivalent of dirty postcards. But the special horror of the present world is that the whole damned thing is in one bag. There is nowhere to fly to. Even the unlucky little Samoyedes, I suspect, have tinned food and the village loudspeaker telling Stalin's bed-time stories about Democracy and the wicked Fascists who eat babies and steal sledge-dogs. There is only one bright spot and that is the growing habit of disgruntled men of dynamiting factories and power-stations; I hope that, encouraged now as 'patriotism', may remain a habit! But it won't do any good, if it is not universal."

Tolkien's letter to his son! :)

oh hot damn!

[mariacallous]

The recent conflicts in the Middle East have ignited open debate among Iran’s political elite over whether the country should weaponize its vast nuclear program. The rationale for doing so, from Iranian leadership’s perspective, appears more convincing than ever.

Above all, Iran needs to reestablish deterrence equilibrium with its longtime foes Israel and the United States. Traditionally, to deter its adversaries from attacking or implementing regime change, Tehran relied on a three-pronged approach focused on missiles, militias, and a nuclear program.

To offset its weak air force, Iran invested heavily in its missiles program, making its arsenal one of the most advanced in the region. Iran also anchors its asymmetric warfare strategy through the so-called “forward defense” policy of using militarized nonstate actors to encircle Israel and the U.S. regional military presence and to mobilize these forces to attack if required. Iran has cultivated its relations with groups that are hostile to the United States and Israel, building the so-called Axis of Resistance, providing them with arms—including sophisticated missiles and drones—as well as training and financial support.

However, Iran’s missiles capabilities and the Axis of Resistance have taken a hit in recent months. The Israeli onslaught against Iran’s most trusted partner, Hezbollah in Lebanon, has delivered a blow to its arsenal, fighters, and command and control structure. Iran was left humiliated by Israel’s ability to assassinate Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh while he was in Tehran this summer. Following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar this month, Israel seems determined to keep upping the ante to establish a new regional order.

Although Hamas and Hezbollah will continue to undermine Israeli security, the ability of these groups to mobilize in defense of Iran seems severely diminished while they fight for their own survival. Meanwhile, the United States has doubled down on its efforts to shield Israel, moving new anti-missile systems into the country, together with American troops to operate them, in a bid to defang future attacks from Iran and its allies.

Perhaps Iran’s biggest Achilles’s heel is its self-restraint. Over the past year, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly held back from a direct war with Israel and the United States. He has also shied away from triggering a full assault by the Axis of Resistance front. Israel has interpreted this restraint as a weakness and exploited it.

This shift in regional deterrence has strengthened the argument in Tehran favoring a nuclear umbrella. Iran has already obtained nuclear threshold status, placing it at the tipping point of weaponization. Iran can develop enough material for a nuclear bomb in just over a week, with some experts assessing that it could build a nuclear warhead to carry these bombs within several months. In the same way that India and Pakistan achieved a relative cold peace, Tehran may look to check Israeli behavior through rebalancing the nuclear playing field.

Another argument for why Iran could dash for the bomb is that the country has already paid the high cost of becoming a nuclear weapons state without receiving the perceived benefits of having the bomb.

Ever since the Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, which Iran was in full compliance with at the time, the United States has imposed its largest-scale sanctions to date against Iran. Western relations with Tehran further plummeted over Iran’s abysmal human rights record, its regional posture, and military assistance to Russia during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Given the anti-Iran sentiment across Western capitals, the Iranian leadership would be correct to conclude that major U.S. sanctions relief of the type seen in 2015 is not on the horizon. If Iran is already being treated as a nuclear pariah state by the West, then why not secure the perceived security benefits of going nuclear?

Finally, the broader geopolitical conditions today mean the costs associated with Iran becoming a nuclear state are lower than a decade ago. Tensions between world powers now make it increasingly unlikely that Russia, and possibly China, will stand in Iran’s way. Tehran can also capitalize on the Ukraine war by pushing to trade its military equipment—which Moscow desperately needs—for Russian nuclear know-how, technology, and defense at the U.N. Security Council. The United States already fears this could be happening.

Against this backdrop, those inside Iran favoring nuclear weaponization likely see two choices ahead: either Iran’s nuclear facilities are eventually destroyed by Israel and the United States first, and then Tehran stumbles toward nuclear weapons over a longer timeframe with depleted resources, or Iran starts the weaponization now while it has advanced nuclear capabilities and Israel is bogged down in Gaza and Lebanon. Iranian strategists may be swayed for the latter option when faced with a weakened Axis of Resistance, a formidable Israeli-U.S. military force and an Israel poised to strike at Iranian nuclear sites. Despite the strong likelihood that the country will be bombed throughout this process by Israel and the United States, Iran’s leadership may conclude it can bear the brunt of military action and come out of it stronger.

Following the hits Iran has taken to its deterrence capabilities, there is an acute risk of Iran reaching for the bomb. Western governments should act now to shape the internal debate inside Iran to avoid this outcome. A nuclear Iran can act with greater impunity at home and abroad. It will almost certainly trigger a nuclear arms race across the Middle East. This outcome would make a region close to Europe even more dangerous, not just because of the increased risk of violent conflict among states but also the risk of terrorist groups gaining access to nuclear weapons.

Western governments need to warn Iran’s leaders that if they decide to weaponize the country’s nuclear program, it will backfire. Becoming a nuclear state will likely offer Iran’s leaders greater guarantees against large-scale military intervention and externally imposed regime change. But it will expose Iran to vicious cycles of military strikes, cyberattacks, and assassinations. Future Iranian nuclear weapons will not deter Israel against striking Iran—just as Tehran was not deterred against taking the unprecedented step this year of barraging Israel, itself a nuclear power, with missiles.

Over the past year, Europe and the United States have not seriously pursued a political off-ramp with Tehran. The United States has been trapped—by both Israeli and Iranian conduct—into an escalation cycle and seems willing to only play a military card. Absent a political agenda, Iran’s dash to the bomb is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. History reveals that the more the United States and Israel carry out attacks inside Iran, the more Iran inches closer to the bomb.

The instances when Washington and Europe have shifted Iranian calculations away from weaponization involved serious diplomacy. The new Iranian government comprises technocrats who have a long history of supporting negotiations with Europe and the United States and have implemented the deals struck. Iran’s new reform-minded president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has amplified his government’s openness to diplomacy with the West—and this intent must now be put to the test.

In this diplomatic endeavor, a coalition of willing Western governments should ally themselves with Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iraq, which among them have notable influence with Iran, Israel, and the United States. A new track of pursuing diplomacy with Iran within a coalition of regional actors is the best door opener for the West to prevent the Iran-Israel war spiraling out of control and to wedge open wider space to reduce tensions on other issues.

While there is considerable distrust between Iran and the West at this moment, both sides need to engage in transactional hard-nosed diplomacy to make a course correction. Otherwise, the current path will lead to the worst of all worlds.

[sunflowercider]

Do you know the timeline for all of lloyd's accomplishments? When and what he build? And if possible the titles he achieved?

LOL @lloydfrontera come get your anon 😂

Hi nonnie! I cant promise I can give you everything, since 1) thats. a big fucking ask for a 400+ chapter novel and 2) i actually havent finished it yet (im reading the Yonder chapters). That said, here's my Arc List I made for myself (up to ch 360ish), spruced up for other's readings:

Arrival / Ondol construction

Lloyd duel with Sir Neumann

Coal mining/Ants defeat

Icehouse(Seokbinggo) for the orcs / Necromancer defeat

Wetland Reclamation

Water poisoning / Aqueduct construction

Cremo (underwater concrete pillar construction / defeat of Gigatitan)

Magenta Capital suspension bridge construction / Meet Julian

Queens Assassination Attempt

Locust swarm defeated

Monster domino reversal / Recruiting Bibeong

Refugees arrive / Apartment complexes begin construction

Elf Woods (lloyd makes a contract with a group that has been actively avoiding humanity for literal centuries)

Sewer construction / Solitas acquired (lloyd hires a fucking dragon. This might not ever be known in the future? It was a secret between lloyd, javier, and solitas himself)

Zombie Mastodons barely defeated by lloyd

Namaran’s Wall (lloyd beats up 30 necromancers, javier and lloyd take down Hell's Knight, lloyd constructs a support system for the crumbling foundation of the city)

Sultan Kingdom / Water tunnel (Qanat) construction

Julian and Sheherazade get married :)

Royal garden construction (lloyd only partially helps with this one, focusing mostly on the central canal with a lock system to raise and lower the water level safely)

Bone Dragon defeat

Hell / Train construction

Dragon King patronage / wake up calls

Third Ending Spoiler

Mermaids (another infamously hard-to-get-along-with race lloyd contracts with) / Jjimjjalbang construction

Heart of Winter

Centaurs / Colosseum construction

Tyrannus

Return to Seoul

Finally home / Rebuild Jewel of Truth / Swordmaster Syndrome

Angel Interference (lloyd and javier beat up a whole-ass angel) / """"Solution""""" to Destiny

Tears of Summer “prophecy” (lloyd has the angels make up a prophecy and appear before the House of Peers to say it. It was rather flashy)

Mountain switchback train construction (lloyd uses time magic so not only is the construction of a train on a mountain impressive, but he did it in what looks like a few days too)

----------------------------------------

Let's see... as for Titles, thats a little harder since I wasn't keeping track of those... I'll list what I can remember/find, but I must note that the "titles" Lloyd receives are from the system, not ones officially provided by the people of Lorasia.

System Titles

[Exemplifying Punisher] (ch 101)

[Builder of Dead Estates] (ch 101)

[Honored Warrior of the Barbaric Tribe] (ch 101)

[Guardian of Cremo] (ch 101)

[Magentano Carry] (ch 101)

[Bell Saver] (ch 109)

[The Eldest Son of the Frontera Family] (ch 119)

[Hell's Singer] (ch 177)

[Top Gun from the West] (ch 197)

(I feel like im missing a few here...?)

[Upper Abdomen! Upper Abdomen! Upper Abdomen!!] (ch 271)

(huh, maybe missing some here too?)

[Hell's Top Talent] (ch 359)

[okalanissolis]

⌖ ๋࣭ ⭑♚₊🗡 ๋࣭ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴋɪɴɢ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ᴀ ᴄᴇʟᴇꜱᴛɪᴀʟ ᴍᴀꜰɪᴀ ᴀ.ᴜ.

THE UNDERGROUND SUBWAY of ʜᴏᴋᴜ ᴄɪᴛʏ was the oldest in the country, it's tracks laid on secrets, it's history made of blood: rebuilt three times after collapsing in on itself on all manner of holy days; rumored to have gutted and exhumed catacombs when expanding it's winding, sinuous slither to the gaping maw of the harbor. A ghost story for misbehaving children straying from their mother's tight grip when waiting for the train, a superstition for elders to speak about in hushed tones when the weather turned and the freeze settled in their very bones: the underground of Hoku City was alive, and despite all the life that crawled within it - people in the heart of the teeming epicenter of the world, ants in the palm of Hoku's right hand - it had a penchant for agony and it dealt in death.

The underground ferried the innocent from station to station, shore to shore, day in and day out with a predictable regularity, but all things deep and hidden shelter grievous things in their penumbra, and all port cities have best kept secrets that keep their law enforcement punching overtime.

Yes, no city is whole without it's shadow and the vermin that thrive within, and in Hoku City (capital of greed, deity of sin) there were more than enough scavengers and vipers, alike. The most prominent of them all - the most entrenched, the most inextricable, the most cavernous and spindly and ever creeping, still - was the ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴꜱ ꜱʏɴᴅɪᴄᴀᴛᴇ. As old as the underground subway and twice as expansive, a haven for bootleggers and criminals, sinners and thieves, the Serpens was a name you'd only ever whisper about on well-lit street corners, and prayed to over a bottle of something not-quite legal. The kingpin of desecration, the commander of immorality and crime - the Serpens was a group not to be trifled with, a gang not to be crossed. It's hooks were so deep in the city they became the foundation for it to stand, and it's power was old and steadfast, generational and growing.

But betrayal and death come to the harbors of Hoku, and sometimes, not even the star god himself can keep the inevitable from anchoring in his port.

ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ . . .

⌖ ๋࣭ ⭑♚₊🗡 ๋࣭ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪɴᴅᴇx ๋࣭🗡₊♚⭑ ๋࣭⌖

ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ ɪꜱ ᴄᴏɴꜱɪᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ . . .

[ 1 ] drinking moonshine

[ 2 ] see if i still exist

[ 3 ] my destiny's manifest

ᴀ ʙᴏʀɴ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ʜᴏᴏʟɪɢᴀɴ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴋɪɴɢ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ . . .

to be continued...

⌖ ๋࣭ ⭑♚₊🗡 ๋࣭ ᴀʀᴄʜɪᴠᴀʟ ɴᴏᴛᴇꜱ ๋࣭🗡₊♚⭑ ๋࣭⌖

ꜱᴜʙᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ꜰᴏʀ @cherubim-net's CHERUBIM CELEBRATION

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: muni sarang x bang chan; okalani akana x kim hongjoong; song deokhee x song mingi; mun na-eun x jeong yunho; park kyung-ah x choi jongho if you squint

ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: mafia au, angst, gore, hurt comfort, dark fic

ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴜꜱ: ongoing

ʟɪʟᴏ'ꜱ ᴍɪᴄ: and if that throwaway joke oka made about deserving a vincenzo style mafia au story really was a rhetorical statement, i cannot be held accountable for the scene i am making here and will continue to make until the itch at the back of my brain has subsided. yes, this is a mafia au, yes it is currently in a state half-baked and occasionally trite, yes, you're gonna eat it like a four course meal. if you don't, rip, but i don't offer refunds, and tumblr said it's unnecessary to provide financial compensation. in other words, hi, this is my celestial mafia au. updates are likely going to be sporadic but iconic. all of the opinions expressed here are correct, actually, unless you are @sol-tothebeat and disagree. then we can talk about it in your dms, queen, my trust in you is as close as i will ever get to blind faith.

ꜱᴛᴀʀʀɪɴɢ: muni sarang, okalani akana, park kyung-ah, song deokhee, mun na-eun, jeon soyeon, kim hongjoong, jung wooyoung, song mingi, choi san, jeong yunho, bang chan, choi jongho, park seonghwa kang yeosang, and more!

[professorlizzard]

Much later, a group of frantic ants broke through from a yet unknown cluster, bearing dire news. None of the oracular Ψrpents knew about them, so this was indeed a period of great excitement, as contact has been made with the cluster of Omens for the first time in Nthspace history.  The warning was rather disappointing though, telling them about the danger a group of gaseous creations posed. This was just a warning about the Nebulous, swarms of nanobots inhabit metallic shells with spindly legs, wearing tophats and bearing walking canes. They were created to help out with the more boring bureaucratic activities of the nebula. The prophecy revealed that they would turn against their creators, but confronting them only revealed a minor embezzlement duo. The ant envoys were rather embarrassed, but the snakes petted them on the shoulder. Maybe they did stop a cult of robot capitalism from being formed in like, fifty years!

I forgot about a species in my latest Nthspace post, so I have added a paragraph

[the-greatest-choice-developer]

[System Notification]

Your choice has been registered:

Make a strategic withdrawal to plan their next steps

[System Notification]

-Scene 2: The Aftermath-

-Part 3-

Sir Galren glanced back at the group, his expression grim. “We need to fall back,” he announced, urgency lacing his voice, leaving no room for debate. The others nodded, the weight of his words pressing down as they began to move.

Lloyd felt the dragon’s presence fading, but not far enough for comfort. He caught himself glancing back, half-expecting the creature to leap from the shadows. He thought he was getting used to strange beings—his summons, the giant ants, even the orcs to a degree. Perhaps a dragon was just another beast. With a nervous chuckle, he tried to lighten the mood. “You know, it’d be easier with horses... but I guess we’re all ‘hoofing it’ now.”

Javier shot him a quick look, then returned to scanning their surroundings. The crunch of gravel and the snap of twigs echoed around them, amplifying the heavy silence.

Each step felt precarious, the ground littered with stones that threatened to trip them. Lloyd stumbled slightly but caught himself just in time, exchanging a glance with Javier, who had been too far away to help.

As they continued their retreat, the looming threat of the dragon weighed heavily on their minds. They needed to regroup and plan their next move, each understanding that the fight would need to be faced eventually, if not today.

—-

As the group reached the estate Lloyd’s parents, Marabelle and Arcos, were waiting, their faces pale with anxiety. The news of a dragon broke their already frayed nerves.

Marabelle’s voice trembled as she exclaimed, “A dragon... you can’t go back out there. Not after this!” 

Arcos nodded grimly, his jaw clenched. “This has gone too far. We won’t allow it!” Their focus was unwavering; 

Sir Galren stepped forward. “Rushing back out there without a solid plan could get us all killed. We need to think carefully.” His voice was steady, though the tension was evident.

Lloyd remained quiet, absorbing the gravity of the situation. After listening to the frantic chatter of the room and thinking, he found his voice. “How far out is considered under quarantine right now?”

Everyone turned to him. Javier realized he was already formulating a plan.

Lloyd pressed on, “For all we know, the dragon could be long gone. But we can’t leave it to chance. We need to be prepared for anything.”

Yet Marabelle and Arcos were resolute in their refusal. “You can’t go back out there! We won’t let you!”

Lloyd winced, guilt gnawing at him for ignoring the Fronteras' distress after seeing the fear in their eyes. He knew how much they were struggling, but they couldn’t afford to wait any longer. The aftermath of the explosion was still unknown, and the dragon’s presence wasn’t something they could ignore. 

Time was running out, and they needed to act.

He glanced toward Sir Galren and Javier. “We need to figure out our next steps. Waiting around isn’t an option.”

Sir Galren crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in thought. “We could try to gather more information first. Scout the area, we know sending for help from the capital might still be fruitless, but there’s no harm in trying. In the meantime, we can figure out exactly what we’re dealing with before charging in blindly.”

Lloyd nodded, though he was not thrilled with the idea. “True. But every moment we delay gives the dragon more time to make itself at home, or worse, disappear. If it moves, we might lose our chance to face it on our terms.” 

“On our terms?” Javier asked incredulously. “You want us to face a dragon? Why not the option to prepare here. Fortify the estate, make sure we’re not caught off-guard. If it comes to us, we’ll be better defended.”

Even Marabelle and Arcos, though overwhelmed, listened closely to the options being laid out.

Lloyd spoke again. “I’m not asking you to come with me this time,” he admitted, glancing between Sir Galren and Javier. “But if we don’t act soon, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to leave this place… and I may have an idea”

They exchanged glances.

[atlantis-archive]

Decode Atlantean

Written by: Deborah Barnes Published in: Disney Adventures Collector’s Issue! Atlantis: The Lost Empire Volume 11, Number 6 (pg.46-47). Publisher: Buena Vista Magazines Inc. Publication date: circa July 2001.

(continued from Ready for Launch)

Text:

Decode Atlantean

Learn the language of a lost civilization.

Atlanteans have their own language—very different from the languages of the surface world. Use this handy guide to read and chat like an Atlantean!

Atlanteans communicate by telepathy (that means they can read each others' minds). They don't spend too much time chatting. But they do have their own language. A lot of modern languages come from the ancient Atlantean language. That's why you'll hear Atlanteans use sounds that are common to most of the world's languages, like "ah," "tuh" and "puh." But you wont hear sounds like "f" and "v," which are used mostly in English and a few other languages. The written Atlantean language doesn't recognize capital letters, and there's no punctuation. The alphabet consists of symbols for for the same 26 letters in our alphabet, plus symbols for "CH," "SH" and "TH." Atlanteans read from left to right, then right to left, then left to right—sort of zigzagging down the page. So you would read the first line left to right, then the second right to left, the third left to right and so on.

Atlanean Alphabet

Think you've got it? Try writing a note to a friend in the space below using Atlantean characters.

Speak Like an Atlantean

Want to impress your friends? Wrap your tongue around a few of these simple Atlantean phrases:

Hello: SOO-puhk

Goodbye: GAH-moak

Yes: teeg

No: kwahm

Please (to one person): BEH-kat

Please (to a group): BEH-ket-yoakh

Thanks (to one): PAH-gen

Thanks (to a group): PAH-gekh

What is your name?: mekh-AH-nik MOH-khin EH-seh-toat duhp

My name is...: AH-nik KAH-gihn ___[name here]___ EH seh-toat

What time is it?: Lohg DAH-rim EH-seh-toat duhp

All right! (as in "Good job!" or "Well done!"): Maht

Wow! (As in "That's surprising"): YAHD-loog

Cool! (As in "That's good"): BAH-deg

Have fun!: KWEE-yim

I had a great time!: KWEE-yim-limik

If you want to be ant Atlantean code master, check out the book Code Word: Atlantis for lots more codes and a cool decoder!

Notes:

Of course mostly this is used as a substitution cipher rather than a true language. You can see the letters for CH, SH, TH are literally those two letters. I used to think the spiral-shaped writing system in Artemis Fowl was ridiculous but directionality is actually much more arbitrary than you'd think, anything can work! Boustrophedon style (written in a zigzag) is comparatively mundane by comparison.

[ekurzweil]

that damn shake

Was watching "On Context" by Dan Olsen and a particular line stuck with me;

"In the context of Capitalism, is there any act of rebellion, or is it all just making the machines of Commerce work in favor of your interests?"

This made me think of that one Disco Elysium passage. "Capital has the ability to subsume all critiques into itself. Even those who would *critique* capital end up *reinforcing* it instead."

Anyway, let me talk about furries and the Grimace Shake.

Some context - Before Twitter imploded, the Grimace Shake was a meme that was going around. McDonald's released a shake promoting the birthday of the chain's co-mascot, Grimace. I don't know how it tastes, and I don't think its quality really had a hand in its popularity. It swiftly became a meme when people started making absurdist tiktoks where things turn horrifying after they drink it. This is also largely from the perspective of someone viewing the memes on twitter, because twitter is my most used social platform.

As with anything that passes through popular culture, this eventually made its way into furry circles, because furries are people who live in society. There were plenty of fursonas keeling over in pain from drinking the Grimace Shake. There was some fetish art, too, of course. Overall it was just the effect of a meme propagating. Though eventually, this resulted in some backlash.

"Sure, keep furry weird until it's time to start doing free advertising for corporations."

That was sort of the general sentiment of the Furry Grimace Shake Counter-movement. It's not wrong, really - it is, in effect, free advertising. The Grimace Shake is a product being sold, currently. Making memes about the Grimace Shake - a product of McDonald's - increases their brand recognition.

Okay. Now what?

Furry, undeniably, is counterculture. It's one of the most diverse demographics out there. It's weird and hostile and toxic to most brands, sure, but furries are still people who live in society. For every furry who believes in the Furry Fandom being an independent ant-establishment movement there is another furry who is there for the aesthetics and the art. Critically, furry also exists under one big nation called capitalism. As much as it would be great if good art emerged fully formed out of the aether, furry artists are people who have bills to pay.

Furry brands exist, and though they might not have the weight of McDonald's swinging behind them, they are still brands. Hell, some furries even transform themselves into brands just to survive in the capitalist reality we all live in. As opposed as Furry is to capitalism, furry artists and creators and makers and artisans all have to participate in, learn the language of, and wear the skin of Capitalism to survive. There are the lucky ones who have the opportunity to live in relative safety from this great machine, but there are even more who don't.

I just see the sneering reaction towards other furries doing an absurdist McDonald's meme and get tired. I'm guilty of this too, of course - I've shown my disdain for people participating in or partaking of products that harm gay and trans people. But the Grimace Shake thing-- it's so far removed from the reality of any McDonald's branding except for the name. It is just the vehicle that people use for their own punchline, their own fetishes, their own subversion or adherence to the formula.

Oftentimes it is easy and incredibly seductive to look at anyone interacting with Capitalism and Brands and go "you are participating in the rot." And, strictly speaking, it's not wrong - it is, in effect, participating in capitalism. The Grimace Shake is a product being sold, currently. Making memes about the Grimace Shake - a product of McDonald's - increases their brand recognition.

Okay. Now what?

It's not like the Grimace Shake is the beachhead for a culture war against oppressed groups. It's not like people are buying the Grimace Shake to protest something. It's not like the Grimace Shake was created and owned by a transphobe who collects royalties on the success of their brand. It's a stupid meme where people die violently after drinking a branded shake.

(Even now I've had second thoughts about writing this out because god damn it's just so much nothing. There's nothing here to complain about. But hey, it's my blog, I might as well use it.)

I'm not dishonest enough to grab people by the shoulder and go "if you hate capitalism so much you should come up with a solution!" but there are definitely more worthwhile things to complain about. It would be easier to just say that you don't like the meme instead of trying to launder your feelings through progressive language. I do believe that these feelings of frustration are genuine - but at the same time it feels like the lowest hanging intellectual fruit. "You hate capitalism and yet you participate in it. Curious!"

I just look at those posts on a dying newsfeed and just feel tired.

[beardedmrbean]

Ukraine on Wednesday announced searches of government buildings and the homes of high-profile ministers and oligarchs as part of a clampdown on corruption. The move comes ahead of a gathering of European leaders in Kyiv to discuss Ukraine’s path towards EU membership. 

Among those targeted by coordinated searches on Wednesday were residences linked to influential billionaire Igor Kolomoisky and former interior minister Arsen Avakov. Law enforcement also raided tax offices in the capital and senior customs officials were fired, said the head of Zelensky's party David Arakhamia. 

These are the latest in a string of high-profile efforts to tackle corruption in recent weeks.  

In the midst of war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has upped the ante in an internal fight against corruption, pledging to make as many personnel changes “as necessary” even at the highest levels of office. 

"People in the government who do not meet the basic requirements of the state and society should not occupy their seats," he said in a video address on Tuesday.  

Zelensky was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform. Yet efforts to ongoing efforts to stamp out misconduct have been overshadowed by the Russian invasion almost a year ago.

Ukraine currently ranks a low 116 out of the 180 countries listed for perceived corruption, according to anti-corruption group Transparency International.

Multi-million-dollar fraud 

Investigators from the Ukraine’s security service SBU released images of a search from the home of Kolomoisky, who was barred from entering the United States over allegations of corruption and undermining democracy. 

Prior to the Russian invasion, Kolomoisky was one of the country's richest men, with holdings in a slew of industries, including media, aviation and energy. 

The security service said the search had been launched over an investigation into the embezzlement of 40 billion hryvnia (about $1.1 billion) from energy holdings.

Last week Ukrainian authorities fired around a dozen senior figures, including defence officials and a top aide to the president's office. 

One such official was former deputy defence minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, who worked on logistical support for the army. The ministry has been accused of signing food contracts at prices up to three times the market rates. 

The SBU also said it had uncovered a scheme by the head of the Kyiv tax office involving "multimillion-dollar" fraud schemes. They accuse the official of having abused a position of authority. 

Additionally, the government has also seized stakes in the energy companies – oil producer Ukrnafta and refiner Ukrtatnafta – as part of moves to consolidate the war effort. 

More dismissals are possible. The State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General's Office said Wednesday they had informed several senior officials they were under investigation for crimes including misappropriation of state funds and misuse of state property. 

"Every criminal who has the audacity to harm Ukraine, especially in the conditions of war, must clearly understand that we will put handcuffs on him,” said Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the SBU, on Wednesday. 

Speed vs integrity 

Renewed efforts to tacks corruption are thought to be aimed at appeasing EU leaders who arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for a summit to discuss Ukraine’s bid to join the EU. 

Ukraine currently has EU “candidate status", with Brussels saying strengthening the judiciary, fighting corruption and curbing the clout of powerful oligarchs are key conditions for joining. 

“Ukraine wants to show it can present a stable government that can deliver at the negotiating table, that can demonstrate the value systems and the commitment to transparency that are needed to be able to be part of the EU,” says Dr Melanie Garson, associate professor of international security and conflict resolution at University College London, UK. 

Yet, among EU member states, there are widely divergent views on how fast the process will go. Ukraine's strongest cheerleaders – including Poland and the Baltic states – insist Kyiv is making big strides against corruption and progress could come quicker than expected.  

But others insist that while making Ukraine��a candidate sent the right symbolic message of support in light of the war, working through the nitty-gritty of the major reforms needed would be long and arduous. 

“The EU needs to strike a balance between speed and integrity,” says Joel Reland, research associate at UK in a Changing Europe. “It clearly wants Ukraine to be given fast-track membership but, at the same time, it can’t totally compromise on its principles of membership, which define the integrity of the EU.” 

Even so, French President Emmanuel Macron warned last May it could take "decades" before Ukraine meets the criteria and achieves full membership. 

The upper hand 

In the meantime, demonstrating values such as transparency is not just a question of values. 

In 2016, then US vice president Joe Biden withheld loan guarantees from Ukraine until the country’s prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin was dismissed as part of a push for anti-corruption reforms developed at the State Department and coordinated with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. 

In 2023, countries providing crucial military and financial aid to Ukraine still have “the upper hand to force their position”, says Garson, associate professor of international security and conflict resolution. “Zelensky is very aware of this and is trying to reiterate increased bipartisan support across the world.” 

Although the public dismissal of figures – including a high-level defence official – in the midst of war may seem like a risk, not tacking corruption during wartime can have even more serious long-term consequences.   

Funding for reconstruction and recovery efforts can be “drastically undermined by wrongdoers pocketing funds, both during the war and after”, said Transparency International in its 2023 report. 

“The visibility that the work has been done to make this a place where donors don't feel their funds are going into the pockets of oligarchs is really important,” adds Garson. “There needs to be confidence in government funds coming in and from external investors – it’s critical to long-term strategic rebuilding.” 

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[Image descriptions in order: screenshots of Facebook with all names censored with different colours. The first is screenshot of a message which says: (light blue) invited you to join the private group A group where we all pretend to be ants in an ant colony.]

[A post on the group by light blue, which says "We reached the center of the earth. Now what?" The comments are in all capitals and with spaces between each letters (Lime green): SCURRY (Orange): DIG (Pale yellow): WORK (Violet): MELT]

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[A screenshot of the comments on this post, which are in capital letters but without spaces. They say: (Light green): ADAPT (Purple): ADAPT (Cerulean blue): ADAPT (Red): INCLUSION (Dark blue): LOVE ADAPT (Yellow): ADAPT (Green): ADAPT]

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