#wealth automation system

[snowcalmth]

The automation ultimatum: Why politicians are talking people, not policies

Ever felt like right-wing politicians in most countries tend to be targeting left-wing politicians more than actually the left-wing politics? Well, that’s because that’s exactly what has been happening. And that’s not without a reason. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? About 100 years ago, right-wing politicians could still target left-wing politics for a simple reason – at that…

[joeygoldy]

Useful Tips for Becoming a Successful Agriculture Investor

Agriculture investment refers to the allocation of financial resources, capital, or assets into various aspects of the agricultural sector with the expectation of generating a return on investment (ROI). This could mean investing monies in agriculture land for sale such as coconut land for sale in Sri Lanka, or other types of investments. It involves deploying funds in activities and projects related to agriculture for the purpose of profit, income generation, or long-term wealth creation. Agriculture investment can take many forms, including:

Farmland Acquisition: Purchasing agricultural land for the cultivation of crops or the raising of livestock. This can involve both large-scale and small-scale farming operations.

Infrastructure Development: Investing in the construction and improvement of infrastructure such as irrigation systems, roads, storage facilities, and processing plants to enhance agricultural productivity and efficiency.

Technological Advancements: Funding the development and adoption of agricultural technologies, such as precision agriculture, automation, and biotechnology, to improve crop yields and reduce operational costs.

Agribusiness Ventures: Investing in agribusinesses, such as food processing, distribution, and marketing, that are part of the agricultural value chain.

Research and Development: Supporting research initiatives related to agriculture to develop new crop varieties, pest-resistant strains, and sustainable farming practices.

Input Supply: Investing in the production and distribution of agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and machinery.

Commodity Trading: Speculating on the future prices of agricultural commodities, such as grains, oilseeds, and livestock, through commodity markets or futures contracts.

Sustainable Agriculture: Funding practices and projects aimed at sustainable and environmentally responsible farming methods, which can include organic farming, agroforestry, and conservation efforts.

Rural Development: Supporting initiatives that improve the overall economic and social well-being of rural communities, often through investments in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

Venture Capital and Start-ups: Investing in start-ups and companies focused on innovations in agriculture, such as vertical farming, aquaculture, or agricultural technology (AgTech).

Agriculture investment is important for food security, economic development, and job creation in many regions. However, it also comes with risks related to weather conditions, commodity price fluctuations, and market dynamics. Investors often conduct thorough research and risk assessments before committing their resources to agricultural ventures. Additionally, they may need to consider factors like government policies, environmental regulations, and social impacts on their investment decisions in the agricultural sector.

How to become a successful agriculture investor

Becoming a successful agriculture investor requires a combination of financial acumen, agricultural knowledge, and a strategic approach to investment. Here are some steps to help you become a successful agriculture investor:

Educate Yourself: Gain a strong understanding of the agricultural sector, including the different sub-sectors (crops, livestock, agribusiness, etc.). Stay updated on industry trends, market conditions, and emerging technologies.

Set Clear Investment Goals: Define your investment objectives, whether it is long-term wealth creation, income generation, or diversification of your investment portfolio.

Risk Assessment: Understand and assess the risks associated with agriculture investments, such as weather-related risks, market volatility, and regulatory changes, whether you are looking at land for sale or any other type of investment.

Develop a Diversified Portfolio: Diversify your investments across different agricultural sectors and geographic regions to spread risk.

Market Research: Conduct thorough market research to identify promising investment opportunities and potential demand for agricultural products.

Build a Network: Establish connections with farmers, agricultural experts, government agencies, and industry stakeholders who can provide insights and opportunities.

Financial Planning: Create a budget and financial plan that outlines your investment capital, expected returns, and cash flow requirements.

Select the Right Investment Type: Choose the type of agriculture investment that aligns with your goals, whether it is farmland, agribusiness ventures, or agricultural technology.

Due Diligence: Conduct comprehensive due diligence on potential investments, including assessing the quality of farmland, the financial health of agribusinesses, and the technology's potential for scalability and profitability.

Sustainable Practices: Consider investments in sustainable and environmentally responsible agriculture practices, as they are gaining importance in the industry.

Risk Management: Implement risk management strategies, such as insurance, to protect your investments from unforeseen events like natural disasters or crop failures.

Continuous Learning: Stay informed about changes in the agricultural industry and adapt your investment strategy accordingly.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance: Understand and comply with local, national, and international regulations and tax laws that may impact your agriculture investments.

Monitor and Adjust: Regularly review the performance of your investments and be prepared to make adjustments or exit underperforming ones.

Long-Term Perspective: Agriculture investments often require a long-term perspective, so be patient and avoid making impulsive decisions based on short-term market fluctuations.

Seek Professional Advice: Consult with financial advisors, agricultural experts, and legal professionals to ensure that your investments are structured and managed effectively.

Successful agriculture investment often involves a mix of financial expertise, industry knowledge, and a willingness to adapt to changing conditions. It is important to approach agriculture investment with a well-thought-out strategy, and to be prepared for both opportunities and challenges in this sector.

[macro-pulse]

ever feel like the game is rigged? (it is)

You ever just stare at your bank account and think… how?

Like, you’re doing the work. You’re grinding. You have the degree, you have the two jobs, you have the side hustle that’s supposed to be your “passion project” but is really just your “pay the electricity bill” project.

And you’re still broke.

The advice you get is always the same. “Stop buying coffee.” “Be better with money.”

It’s exhausting. And it’s a lie.

Your financial anxiety isn’t a personal failure. It’s a ghost haunting you from an era of big hair and neon leg warmers.

Let’s talk about the 80s.

Back then, a new idea took over America: Reaganomics.

The simple version? Cut taxes for the super-rich and giant corporations. The promise was that the money would “trickle down” to the rest of us.

It didn't trickle. It evaporated on its way down.

What actually happened was that wealth got sucked upwards, into a vacuum. The people at the top got richer than ever, while wages for normal people just… stopped. For forty years.

They dismantled the idea that if you work hard, you get a fair slice of the pie. They rewrote the rules to make sure the house (aka the 1%) always wins.

So, how does that connect to your empty wallet right now?

Those policies created the perfect playground for the next monster to evolve:

The Algorithm.

The gig economy. The freelance hustle. The warehouse job where a computer tracks your bathroom breaks. The delivery app that nudges your pay down, penny by penny.

That’s the ghost of the 80s wearing a tech-bro hoodie.

The system was already designed to squeeze workers. Technology just made it a thousand times more efficient.

It’s a one-two punch:

The Legacy: A system designed to funnel wealth to the top.

The Curse: An algorithm designed to automate that process.

You’re not failing a fair game. You’re playing a rigged one, and the code was written decades ago. It’s not your fault you’re tired. You were designed to be.

[rei-ismyname]

Krakoan Diaspora floods the labour market

Okay everybody shut up, Astonishing X-Men Infinity Comic #13 said something interesting.

Fuck Mr Toppi. Get him, Chris.

This situation is a newly introduced C plot that I have a feeling will connect to the A plot soon. This guy on the right is Nick. He's a construction worker of some kind who is behind on child support and is getting fired right now. It's painful to watch this guy lick boot as this capitalist pig blatantly tells him his labour isn't cheap enough due to an influx of exploitable geographically external workers. It's an old lie, easily believed.

I see you Marvel, making these workers dark skinned to cover your bases. We find out Nick's a good worker, has never taken a sick day, defends those stealing his labour, and either didn't join a union or did but is really sorry about it. It's not 100% clear. Either way none of that shit matters because there's cheaper labour available.

The company doesn't see you as a person

It's implied to be an industry-wide thing, at least locally - mutant work crews are utilising their hyperspecific powers in concert to finish jobs way quicker than any human possibly could. It's implied that they don't own their own labour and are being exploited - the mutant workers are drastically increasing profits, they're 'fast' but they're being paid the same hourly rate, they're 'cheap.'

The parasite class, like Murray here, are making fat stacks by employing mutants to finish jobs quicker. The mutants get paid the same as less efficient workers and not sharing the increased profits their labour generates. The labour supply and dividends are so high, either from increased profit per worker or high numbers of mutant workers (likely both,) that they're cutting human workers altogether.

'Thousands of desperate mutants to exploit, Nick'

The parasite class are also employing a favourite tactic - keeping focus off their greed (and probable illegal practices) by scapegoating the migrant mutant workers. Instead of slaying this man and redistributing stolen wealth, Nick's anger is directed at his working class brother. Nick really should have joined that union, or should consult it if he's a member. Striking is ineffective when your labor is no longer required, but these mutant workers have collective bargaining power. Ideally, they'd be class conscious and strike in solidarity with their human brothers, but I don't think this is that kind of story.

Never forget Murray is the enemy

Skin here is an exploited mutant worker. There's no indication he's scabbing, just existing in the same labour market as Nick. He's being paid far less than his labour produces, and blamed for Murray being a greedy fuck. Both workers need money to live under capitalism yet they're set at odds with each other. Mutant workers could be migrants or automation - the parasites do not care about anything except the numbers going up, and they use any available resource for that. Oppression is no guarantee of intersectional solidarity, sadly.

This relaunch of the Infinity Comics has had a very consistent theme - radicalisation of the vulnerable by the predatory. I'll continue to cover this arc as the issues drop as it's an interesting and relevant choice of focus. I hope that conflict leads to understanding and solidarity, but I doubt it. The true big bad here is capitalism, but the villain is Murray, not Nick. I'm wary that Nick is dark skinned to sidestep angry white guy shouting 'they took our jobs,' but another theme of this run has been people slipping through the cracks.

People who are suffering or who have been wronged facing violence and imprisonment when they need support. Folks ground down by a rigged system lashing out at the dehumanised other. It's certainly true to life, but Murray the capitalist is safe in this narrative, as in life. It's possible he'll be secretly a supervillain, demon, gangster etc and become an acceptable villain to topple - but as long as he's just a banal greedy fuck - a very legal thing to be, he'll prosper while the workers suffer and fight each other. Your boss and the company are nobody's friends. They are very good at wearing the shell of a person to exploit loyalty, but they get fat off your labor and will discard as soon as it's profitable.

A Mr Toppi is mentioned in the story as presumably the owner. You'll notice that he's not working, performing no labour yet owns a very profitable business. Mr Toppi has capital. Know your rights and build solidarity with other workers because they're the same as you. I know this is cliché but there's so many more of us than there are of them. The individual is replaceable but the working class is not. Also, don't scab.

[reyaint]

futuristic dr | virelia + neovista

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date: may 14 2025. i'm figuring out how to format this from my script so it's probably gonna look like a mess i'm sorry haha. i may edit this to add more info if i feel like it.

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✧˖*°࿐the state

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ virelia ☆ 𓂃 › official title. The Sovereign Technocratic Republic of Virelia ☆ 𓂃 › motto. “precision. progress. perfection.”

virelia represents a paradigm shift in governance — not built on ideological revolution but on technological supremacy. it emerged in the late 21st century after a coalition of corporate leaders, scientists, and futurists proposed a self-regulating state built around data-driven governance and environmental sustainability.

virelia is a beacon of technological advancement, a sprawling self-sustaining state located on the western coast of North America. founded in the late 21st century, it has quickly risen to prominence as a futuristic utopia where human ambition and technology intertwine seamlessly.

this city-state operates with cutting-edge infrastructure, clean energy solutions, and unprecedented levels of automation, making it a model of the future. however, its advancement comes with hidden costs, such as surveillance, control, and the loss of personal freedoms for some citizens.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ location. built on reclaimed land along the coast, the state is positioned near mountains, leveraging its natural terrain for sustainability. this combination of oceanfront and mountainous landscape allows for the development of a beautiful yet highly structured environment. ☆ 𓂃 › climate. Virelia enjoys mild weather and pristine air quality thanks to its advanced environmental control systems. artificial rainfall helps balance the region's climate, ensuring that both agriculture and ecosystems thrive in a sustainable way.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ security. Virelia's government promises safety and order, with AI-driven law enforcement and near-complete surveillance throughout the city. While this has reduced crime, it has also led to a society where privacy is almost nonexistent. there are whispers of corruption and a power struggle between mega-corporations and the state apparatus, but these are rarely seen by the public eye.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ infrastructure. the state boasts hyperloop systems for rapid transportation, vertical farming to maintain food supplies, solar-powered highways, and drone-based delivery networks that make logistics seamless and efficient. the city is powered by renewable energy sources, making it one of the most environmentally friendly cities on Earth.

*ೃ༄government

Virelia operates as a technocratic-republic hybrid, where leadership is shared between elected officials and influential corporate leaders, scientists, and engineers. while democracy is maintained on paper, the wealth and power held by corporations, especially megacorporations like Orbis, have a significant influence over the decision-making process.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ the core assembly. a ruling body made of 50% elected officials and 50% appointed technocrats from approved corporate, scientific, and engineering councils.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ citizen score index (CSI). citizens are ranked via a complex index measuring productivity, compliance, social behavior, and cybernetic compatibility.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ the data purity initiative. Virelia heavily regulates access to public data and surveillance feeds. those who attempt to mask or alter their data trail risk demotion in social status or even imprisonment.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ a controlled utopia. on the surface, Virelia is a utopia, offering its citizens a high standard of living, access to the latest technology, and the promise of a pollution-free environment. however, this idealized world comes at a cost—strict regulations on cybernetics, data privacy, and social freedoms. citizens are encouraged to embrace technology, but those who resist are often marginalized or silenced.

✧˖*°࿐the city

neovista is a megacity — a glittering neon spire among the clouds and an undercity of grit and rebellion. It’s a contradiction: a technological utopia resting on a foundation of exploitation and resistance.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ common mods. ocular overlays, subdermal HUDs, neural ports, smart limbs.

*ೃ༄black market and underground tech

located beneath the official grid of Neovista, in the Vein or the Undervault.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ traders deal in: ☆ 𓂃 › memory-modding tech ☆ 𓂃 › neural firewalls ☆ 𓂃 › blackbox implants ☆ 𓂃 › emotion regulators ☆ 𓂃 › discontinued weapon augmentations

hackclans (like SpiralZero or Echo Drift) operate in these markets, building custom tools to counter HALO’s surveillance net.

while Orbis Corporation and other megacorporations offer cutting-edge cybernetics, there is a thriving black market for illegal modifications and illicit technology. from hacked neural implants to stolen AI software, the underground tech scene is a dangerous place but provides an outlet for those who cannot afford or do not want to abide by the official channels.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ pirates and hackers: groups like The Shattermen exploit these underground markets, seeking to disrupt corporate control by stealing and redistributing technology. they often employ cybernetic pirates who operate outside the law, dealing in anything from illegal AI software to underground body augmentations.

*ೃ༄energy & environmental tech

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ skyharbor towers: pull moisture and solar energy, creating perpetual artificial rainfall and maintaining air quality.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ cryoroot systems: bioengineered roots that store solar power and regulate temperature in city zones.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ ecozones: each district has its own energy quota; exceeding it triggers rolling blackouts in poorer sectors.

virelia is powered by renewable energy sources like solar and wind, and artificial rainfall systems maintain a stable climate. advanced energy storage technology allows the city to operate efficiently even in low-light conditions.

the city uses vertical farming and aquaponics to maintain food production in a way that integrates seamlessly into urban spaces, providing sustenance for its citizens without relying on traditional agricultural methods.

*ೃ༄transportation & infrastructure

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ hyperloop arteries: Connect districts with high-speed magnetized transit tubes.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ skyrails: glass-bottomed tramways suspended between megastructures.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ drone skynet: hundreds of drones transport packages, law enforcement supplies, and emergency aid across the city.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ vertical cities: skyscrapers built as self-contained ecosystems—residential, commercial, medical, and agricultural facilities stacked together.

neovista's transportation system is revolutionary, with hyperloop networks connecting different districts, allowing for ultra-fast travel. drone-based delivery systems handle everything from groceries to medical supplies, and personal autonomous vehicles are common on the roads.

the city has designed solar-powered highways and green rooftops that house both parks and renewable energy infrastructure.

*ೃ༄law enforcement & governance

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ enforcement is done by VEC and HALO drones. there are no beat cops — instead, predictive policing algorithms determine where violence might happen and deploy units in advance.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ citizen compliance officers (CCOs) are citizens elevated by the CSI system, acting as civilian enforcers with surveillance privileges.

most investigations are conducted digitally—by scanning memory logs, personal feeds, and neural output rather than physical clues.

*ೃ༄cybernetics & body augmentations

cybernetic normalization is pervasive in Neovista. while minor enhancements like augmented vision, neural interfaces, and biomechanical limbs are common, full-body conversions are rare and often subject to strict regulations.

body augmentations are not just a physical enhancement but have become part of the culture. the wealthy often choose to augment themselves for beauty or efficiency, while those in the slums might use augmentations to survive or gain an edge in the fight for resources.

*ೃ༄technology in neovista & virelia

neovista represents the pinnacle of technology, where AI and humans coexist, yet there is a deep tension between innovation and freedom. virelia’s citizens enjoy unparalleled access to technology but must constantly navigate the surveillance state and corporate control.

virelia’s technology fosters a sense of constant progress, but this has made the city and its citizens vulnerable to the very forces they sought to escape—power, control, and the erosion of personal freedoms.

*ೃ༄visuals.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣾⣿⣿⠀⠀⢸⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣧⡀⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠰⠶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡶⠄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⢿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠋⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢿⣿⡿⠀⢰⣿⣿⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⠇⠀⣾⣿⢹⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠀⠈⣿⢀⣼⣿⠃⠀⢻⣿⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⣀⣠⣿⣿⡿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠻⣿⣶⣤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠠⣴⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢙⣻⣿⣿⣷⣶⣦⡤ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠉⣿⡟⠿⣿⣷⣦⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣶⣿⡿⠟⠋⠉⠉⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢰⣿⣧⠀⠀⠙⣿⣷⡄⠀⣰⣿⡟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⠘⣿⣷⢰⣿⡟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⣿⡿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣤⡀⠘⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠤⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡧⠄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠉⠙⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠛⠉⢹⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢻⣿⣿⣿⡿⠃⠀⠀⠀⢸⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

✦ ˚ — THE MAIN DISTRCITS

☆. MIRROR DISTRICT —

☆. U DISTRICT —

☆. DREAM DISTRICT —

☆. 127 DISTRICT —

[lunarsilkscreen]

The Monetization System

This was going to be a deep dive into [wealth] and the history of the term and how [wealth] is not the same as [currency].

Then I figured... We already know what this is, right?

It's a simple transport system for getting goods with a [Per Diem]{per day costs} as a base line. And many people, who want money to be affected by the laws of Thermodynamics... That is; automatically, or Dynamically.

*It* {meaning the economy} isn't automatic. And the automation we use *isn't* beholden to the laws we have defined for it in our economic text books.

It's a system with which to move junk from one place to another utilizing human greed/need as the driving force. That's it.

And what keeps happening to this system is that it deviates from its intended purpose and shift towards that [greed] part of human greed/need.

If you think you can make an unlimited amount of money; you're sorely mistaken. If you think you can save an unlimited amount of money; the banks are still gonna lend yours out, because we need that money to move the economy.

Those things drive up costs and reduce the effectiveness of our economic structures. I've been deliberating on what the other side of the economic issues are; or aren't; and I'm definitely missing pieces of this puzzle. But I wouldn't expect congress to be able to tell me what they are.

Because I think this is the definition that *most* Americans have arrived at.

So what happens when the economy encounters a stutter or blockage like it tends to do every 5-10 years? Turn it off and back on again until we need to do so again?

The issue with that is that it doesn't reset anything, so nothing changes. Lots of corporate $$ invested into ensuring their systems boot up a certain way and shutdown another.

So turning it off and back on again won't affect the cache-clearing-need. And they're definitely uses quick boot tech... Which further restricts how much data needs to be reloaded, and often causes issues on a home PC.

I dunno if you've ever been stuck in the endless update of doom. It's part of the reason.

It's why you need to maintain your shit.

So we know these things should be able to be reset AND WE KNOW; Corporate and government interests from both sides (Fed, Banks, Every Financial Whatever) because they want to ensure a certain data integrity and less-breaking.

Creating a situation where the [breaking] that needs to be done, cannot be done. This kind of breaking is closer to an [reorganization] or a [spring cleaning].

How interesting.

They can't change it because they don't want it to deteriorate, or worse; lose transaction records.

So. Since [that] is *always* going to be broken, and everybody agrees it does not need to broken further; we need a way to distribute resources to where they need to go when the economy starts trickling down to a stop.

And, actually, a lot of this might already be covered in economic and farming and supply chain documentation.

Which is likely in place to ensure there are no food shortages even when your favorite [snack] isn't on the shelf.

So how do we consolidate all *that* information into a single document that can reference the other documentation?

And then use it to ensure that we counteract inflation for things that may not have reason to [inflate] not limited to [decreased demand] and [increased availability of resources].

At the same time; there's a recurring disruption in our tech sectors related to the price of Video Cards; which are attributed to Crypto and AI.

Which changes the target audience of our [graphics cards] from [work and hobby] to [throwing as much resources as Crypto and AI as we possibly can]

On the surface it looks like a drop in available resources. But that's *not* the case, it's a rise in demand for support towards a specific kind of technology that is both wasteful, and poorly implemented.

Not that it isn't useful; but the *kind* of increased demand we see in the tech sector has a direct correlation to both Crypto and AI, and includes how they're implemented, who's implementing them, and what restrictions they're taking account of to ensure a waste of [wan-internet] resources.

[wan-internet] is a term to describe the [world wide web] when restricted by region.

The [wan-internet] in this depiction is exactly like how you would think of a power plant. Not including the power demand, all power on the internet (especially by region) affects everybody else online currently.

And with the increased internet adoption rates; were *more* likely to see a huge adoption for more skilled tech experts AND increased demand and resource drain until the bubble itself either collapsed or decompresses.

Anyway; unless people get their butts into gear, the economy is likely to take a turn for the worse and increased intervals until the general population loses interest in generic AI and Crypto use-cases.

Which is why I'm making this suggestion.

We need a way to move resources where they need to go, or even people to where there is available (AFFORDABLE) housing should they have need. (Across the country, if it needs to be.)

So in order to curtail that inevitability; we need alternative ways to affect our economic and supply chain systems that are not directly tied to financial support arms.

And a way to charge developers creating WAN and maybe not paying their fair share towards resource generation (electricity) which a big difference from simply asking somebody to pay their taxes.

It may mean they don't know that the apps they create [wan apps specifically] how much affect that will have in their user's bottom line.

Or even that of their non-users... Since it congests all of our networks anyway!

[metatheatre]

"Again we have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that Capitalism grew and prospered out of the protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifice. The fact is that Capitalism was build on the exploitation and suffering of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor – both black and white, both here and abroad. If Negroes and poor whites do not participate in the free flow of wealth within our economy, they will forever be poor, giving their energies, their talents and their limited funds to the consumer market but reaping few benefits and services in return.

The way to end poverty is to end the exploitation of the poor, ensure them a fair share of the government services and the nation’s resources...

The tragedy is our materialistic culture does not possess the statesmanship necessary to do it. Victor Hugo could have been thinking of 20th Century America when he wrote, "there’s always more misery among the lower classes than there is humanity in the higher classes."

The time has come for America to face the inevitable choice between materialism and humanism. We must devote at least as much to our children’s education and the health of the poor as we do to the care of our automobiles and the building of beautiful, impressive hotels. We must also realize that the problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power...

So we are here because we believe, we hope, we pray that something new might emerge in the political life of this nation which will produce a new man, new structures and institutions and a new life for mankind. I am convinced that this new life will not emerge until our nation undergoes a radical revolution of values. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people the giant triplets of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are incapable of being conquered. A civilization can flounder as readily in the face of moral bankruptcy as it can through financial bankruptcy.

A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. We are called to play the Good Samaritan on life’s roadside, but that will only be an initial act. One day the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be beaten and robbed as they make their journey through life. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar, it understands that an edifice which produces beggars, needs restructuring.

A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth, with righteous indignation it will look at thousands of working people displaced from their jobs, with reduced incomes as a result of automation while the profits of the employers remain intact and say, this is not just.

It will look across the ocean and see individual Capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia and Africa only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries and say, this is not just...

A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war, this way of settling differences is not just.

This business of burning human being with napalm, of filling our nation’s home with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloodied battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love.

A nation that continues year after year, to spend more money on military defense then on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.

So what we must all see is that these are revolutionary times. All over the globe, men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and out of the wombs of a frail world, new systems of justice and equality are being born...

Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world, declaring eternal opposition to poverty, racism and militarism. With this powerful commitment, we shall boldly challenge the status quo and unjust mores and thereby speed the day when every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places plain...

So let us stand in this convention knowing that on some positions; cowardice asks the question, is it safe; expediency asks the question, is it politic; vanity asks the question, is it popular, but conscious asks the question, is it right. And on some positions, it is necessary for the moral individual to take a stand that is neither safe, nor politic nor popular; but he must do it because it is right."

-- Martin Luther King Jr., 1967

[darkmaga-returns]

The party of war voted in unison against ending taxes on tips and overtime work. Only one Republican voted against these measures, with 217 in favor. The Democrats are NOT the party of the working class and have been actively working to undermine the people for years.

Ending taxes on tips and overtime was one of Trump’s campaign promises, which is precisely why the Democrats struck down the bill. Laughably, the opponents stated they were concerned that losing $2 trillion in tax breaks over the next decade would hurt the national debt. The very people who have never seen a social program they did not want to fund are suddenly concerned about the national debt.

Kamala Harris was in favor of these policies and had the backing of her party. Her feigned support was an effort to win over the people, no different from the failed promise of ending student loans. “It is my promise to everyone here, when I am president, we will continue to fight for working families, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” Harris told a crowd at the University of Nevada in August 2024.

The Democrats want everyone to be equally poor and dependent upon the government. Some lawmakers say eliminating tip taxes would be unfair to workers in states with a lower minimum wage. Under that line of thinking, should we penalize those who work in cities where, say, a meal is 5X the price as it would be elsewhere? Why should anyone out earn another in this fantasy socialist utopia? Minimum wage is a short-sighted political move that ignores the fundamental laws of supply and demand. Politicians always assume they can simply legislate prosperity, but history proves otherwise. Forcing businesses to pay higher wages does not magically create wealth—it destroys jobs, accelerates automation, and puts small businesses out of business.

Wages rise naturally in a real economic expansion when businesses compete for workers. That is how a free market functions. But when governments artificially raise wages, businesses respond logically—by cutting jobs, reducing hours, or passing the costs onto consumers through inflation. The very people politicians claim to be helping end up worse off, as their cost of living rises and entry-level jobs disappear.

Tipping culture is completely out of control in America. There is an expectation for consumers to pay a minimum of 20% in addition to inflated services, regardless of the quality of their service. Kiosks and self-checkout payment systems often ask for a tip. Consumers are less likely to go out when money is tight and the initial service has already risen due to inflation. Then, the government wants to take a portion of these tips AND the initial salary in most states. Whatever we must buy is then taxed; whatever we save is then taxed. Government greed knows no bounds. They’re too incompetent to manage funds, so they continue to squeeze our pockets, but it is never enough.

[mcyt-builds-contest]

The Ghost's Vault:

Contained : VikingPilot's Prized possesions

Series : Dominion SMP

Propaganda : Perhaps the only self-titled Vault to actually be one, the Ghost's Vault, built by VikingPilot, is two things -- a consolidation of wealth, and a display of power. Built at a time on Dominion where every single diamond had to be handed over to the Queen every two weeks, the Vault is made in total opposition to that policy as an extremely intimidating secret stash. All 10 sets of Netherite armor are enchanted and labeled. It's built with soulfire lanterns under the center carpet runner for the sole purpose of unnerving the local piglin. He's taken people here twice onscreen, and both times it was to cash in a no-conditions-set IOU with that other person in order to make sure things work out exactly the way they need to. It also contains two very important books! Viking's "To Do" list is very simple -- Run Dominion. However, the other one -- the Book -- is quite possibly the single most dangerous thing in Viking's possession. He's not sure what's in it, other than that it contains rituals of unimaginable power and that if he opens it again, he will crack in half. Oh, and the Ghost's Vault is also the location for the world's most unhinged 12-minute 100% improv monologue to ever exist.

Caracosa's Prison of Hope:

Contained : ToAsgaard

Series : Celestial journey

Propaganda : Yes, the Prison of Hope as in the level from Demon's Souls, and yes, Carcosa as in the place from The King In Yellow. Carcosa is a massive and sprawling build, chock-full of details and incredible technical prowess -- modded magic, tech, and vanilla redstone all working together to power some truly insane automation setups -- and this prison pretty much epitomizes how absolutely unhinged he is as a builder and a modded tech player. First of all: it looks stunning. It's unfinished, but from most angles that's almost impossible to tell, as so much of it has been fleshed out. Every single cell has detailing! The bottom of the prison has details! There are shelving units that serve both practical and decorative purposes, cages showing live mobs painstakingly moved in from another dimension, columns and arches and chains galore, and incredible ambience in general. Second of all: it's also a fully functional mob farm. For any mob. Every single cell is rigged up to serve as a spawner for a different mob, able to be changed out remotely using modded item routing. The bottom of the prison automatically kills any mobs that spawn there to charge a blood altar, and there's a Wither killing cage down there as well. There's even further item routing in place to funnel all the drops directly into his equally unhinged storage system -- which is a combination of storage drawers, blood magic, and Botania's notoriously janky Coporea Index. Asgaard is an absolute madman. All of Carcosa is gorgeous and lives in my head rent free.

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

You make an interesting case for tariffs but you're ignoring the fact that bringing manufacturing back will result in a drastic increase in labor cost that will lead to long term price increase. Plus they would have to be minimum wage jobs in order to be even close to profitable and no one is going to be helped by minimum wage. I get where you're coming from but I think free trade and the global market is for the best.

i'm not ignoring that fact. i fully accept it. it's part of the point.

offshoring let corporations chase the cheapest labor on earth while gutting domestic industries. but that came at the cost of national resilience and working-class stability. cheap isn’t free. you’re just paying in societal collapse instead of dollars.

this fact is fully incorporated into the system. literally, "high wages" is a core part of the american system. america was never great because of pauper labor. american greatness and prosperity was based on our high-wage, high-skilled labor force that utilized mechanization and automation to do more with less. so you can have one american factory worker running a machine out-producing an entire factory of cheap foreign labor producing the same product. america's advantage has always been in our tech, precision, and logistics.

so it's not like a company that moves production back to america is gonna have to replace every foreign worker at a 1:1 ratio. the american factory will be able to produce the same amount of a product with a fraction of the labor. so the "labor costs" will probably be higher but it won't actually be as drastic as you're thinking. in fact, the high labor costs is just a further incentive for companies to increase efficiency and to invest in mechanization/automation.

again, this is literally the system that america's prosperity was built by in the first place.

and yeah maybe some of the jobs will be minimum wage. but minimum wage jobs are better than no job. rather see americans working minimum wage jobs than being homeless drug addicts. plus, minimum wage jobs have their place in the economic ecosystem too. at least minimum wage factory jobs will be producing real wealth and teaching workers real skills vs working as a servant in the gig economy. but the truth is that it will also bring back a lot of high wage jobs too. the idea that they will be minimum wage assumes that the only kind of production america can do is low-skill assembly line work. like we forgot how to innovate or build advanced stuff. that’s just false. we still dominate in aerospace, semiconductors, pharma, industrial machinery, etc all of which can expand with smart protection and investment.

but yeah you talk about price increase. sure, that's true. but the total consumer cost is marginal (a few percentage points across multiple years) compared to the macro benefits of domestic production: jobs, higher wages, happier working class, tax base, supply chain resilience, national security. plus, we already pay the price, it’s just hidden in drug addicts dying in the street, hollowed out industry, crumbling towns, lost national sovereignty, and a fragile economy. fact of the matter is we can absorb higher prices. a higher-wage, higher-price equilibrium is sustainable. inflation is a constant anyway! prices are always getting higher. may as well be because of reshoring productive wealth and high-wage jobs. plus, if you really need to you you can give tax breaks, rebates, vouchers, or targeted UBI to offset transition costs. that’s a policy choice.

if reshoring means you have to doordash less often or cancel a few subscriptions then that's a small price to pay to ensure that our fellow americans aren't living in impoverished, dying towns or overdosing on the street, sorry! it's kinda funny because america as a whole is kind of like an addict. we've been addicted to cheap consumer goods. and like an addict, we've wasted away. it's time for us to get clean and sober and strengthen our body politic!

free trade is a myth and the global market is a race to the bottom. americans deserve better than competing against state-subsidized slave labor. the "global market" only benefits the owners of these companies because it's rigged to maximize short-term profit and minimize domestic labor power. reshoring is just playing the game on something closer to neutral terms. plus, if your whole economy is optimized for “global competitiveness,” then you’re just a resource colony for capitalists. you become a warehouse with a flag. meanwhile, your infrastructure rots, your towns hollow out, and your political system gets hijacked by whoever benefits from the extractive setup.

[carpefuckingomnia]

Surviving late-stage capitalism, a term often used to describe the current phase of capitalism characterized by corporate dominance, wealth inequality, and environmental degradation, requires a combination of personal strategies, collective action, and systemic change. Here are some practical steps to navigate and resist its challenges:

### Personal Strategies:

1. **Financial Literacy and Stability**:

- Budget wisely and live within your means.

- Build an emergency fund to cushion against economic shocks.

- Invest in assets that appreciate over time (e.g., education, skills, or low-risk investments).

2. **Skill Development**:

- Continuously learn new skills to stay competitive in the job market.

- Focus on skills that are less likely to be automated, such as creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

3. **Minimalism and Sustainability**:

- Reduce consumption and focus on needs rather than wants.

- Support sustainable and ethical businesses.

- Grow your own food or participate in community gardens.

4. **Mental and Physical Health**:

- Prioritize self-care to combat stress and burnout.

- Build strong social connections for emotional support.

- Advocate for better workplace conditions and work-life balance.

### Collective Action:

1. **Unionize and Organize**:

- Join or form labor unions to fight for fair wages, benefits, and working conditions.

- Participate in grassroots movements that challenge corporate power and advocate for workers' rights.

2. **Mutual Aid Networks**:

- Create or join mutual aid groups to share resources, skills, and support within your community.

- These networks can provide a safety net during economic crises.

3. **Cooperative Economies**:

- Support or start worker cooperatives, credit unions, and community-owned businesses.

- These models prioritize people over profits and foster economic democracy.

4. **Political Engagement**:

- Vote for candidates and policies that address wealth inequality, climate change, and corporate accountability.

- Advocate for systemic reforms like universal healthcare, affordable housing, and progressive taxation.

### Systemic Change:

1. **Challenge Corporate Power**:

- Support regulations that limit monopolies and corporate influence in politics.

- Boycott companies that exploit workers or harm the environment.

2. **Promote Economic Democracy**:

- Advocate for policies that redistribute wealth, such as higher taxes on the wealthy and universal basic income.

- Push for public ownership of essential services like healthcare, education, and utilities.

3. **Environmental Justice**:

- Support policies and initiatives that address climate change and prioritize sustainability.

- Hold corporations accountable for environmental destruction.

4. **Education and Awareness**:

- Educate yourself and others about the flaws of late-stage capitalism and alternatives like socialism, degrowth, or post-capitalist economies.

- Use social media and other platforms to raise awareness and mobilize for change.

### Long-Term Vision:

- **Imagine Alternatives**: Explore and advocate for economic systems that prioritize human well-being and ecological sustainability over profit.

- **Build Resilience**: Focus on creating communities and systems that can withstand economic and environmental crises.

Surviving late-stage capitalism is not just about individual survival but also about working collectively to create a more equitable and sustainable future.

[probablyasocialecologist]

In case you missed it: artificial intelligence (AI) will make teachers redundant, become sentient, and soon, wipe out humanity as we know it. From Elon Musk, to the godfather of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, to Rishi Sunak’s AI advisor, industry leaders and experts everywhere are warning about AI’s mortal threat to our existence as a species. They are right about one thing: AI can be harmful. Facial recognition systems are already being used to prohibit possible protestors exercising fundamental rights. Automated fraud detectors are falsely cutting off thousands of people from much-needed welfare payments and surveillance tools are being used in the workplace to monitor workers’ productivity. Many of us might be shielded from the worst harms of AI. Wealth, social privilege or proximity to whiteness and capital mean that many are less likely to fall prey to tools of societal control and surveillance. As Virginia Eubanks puts it ‘many of us in the professional middle class only brush against [the invisible spider web of AI] briefly… We may have to pause a moment to extricate ourselves from its gummy grasp, but its impacts don’t linger.’ By contrast, it is well established that the worst harms of government decisions already fall hardest on those most marginalised. Let’s take the example of drugs policing and the disproportionate impact on communities of colour. Though the evidence shows that Black people use drugs no more, and possibly less, than white people, the police direct efforts to identify drug-related crimes towards communities of colour. As a consequence, the data then shows that communities of colour are more likely to be ‘hotpots’ for drugs. In this way, policing efforts to ‘identify’ the problem creates a problem in the eyes of the system, and the cycle of overpolicing continues. When you automate such processes, as with predictive policing tools based on racist and classist criminal justice data, these biases are further entrenched.

[lawofnamesmedia]

We are very excited to announce the cast of Cloud City Sonata, the first Dakota Gold Mystery.

"In possession of an absolute confidence in her immunity from any and all consequences, coupled with a self-satisfied and lofty contempt for others."

Amy Young as Westing Garrison

"My god, when will you grow up, and put these... toys behind you?"

Alain F. D'Regel as Archer "Archie" Garrison.

"In keeping with their desperate attempts to display their status and wealth, the Garrison household was entirely staffed by robots."

James Big as various robots.

"Please remember that displaying aggression toward its automated systems is a violation of Cloud City Administrative Code 1229.6a. Persistent code violations may result in fine and/or punitive de-sleeving."

Interiority as The Elevator

"There is not a single other scientist, researcher, or clinician in this entire benighted city that can do work of this type. I invented the process!"

Daisy McNamara as The Neurosomaticist

"I'd noticed that passenger immediately. They'd gotten on several stops after me, and stood out, even in the crush of bodies and PPE. I wasn't sure what they wore, but either way, it was not off-the-rack."

Kit Patterson as Metalmouth

"However skilled a soldier they had been, whatever unit they'd belonged to, whatever training they'd had, whatever choices they'd made... all that was long gone."

Moira Daykin as Screw-Loose Lugh

"Everything about their looks screamed money. Which I liked. The way they glanced toward the door, and the slight wobble that continue to creep into their voice meant risk. Which I didn't."

Emma Laslett as Roxanne Webb

"Cloud City's number one procurer of "exotic" soma. And people to wear them."

Michael E. Freemantle As Valentine "The Veterinarian" Voight

[awakenedsalamander]

would you be willing to speak moron the Technocracy? you have very interesting takes on it and I would like to know more

Happily!

So to me the Technocracy (in its 20th and 21 century incarnations, anyway, the early Technocracy/Order of Reason is different in some significant respects) represents a view of the world that is divorced from anything other than data and hard facts. This viewpoint is not exclusive to scientism, the paradigm I discussed in my recent post on the Technocracy, and is in fact an arguable core of pragmatism itself— there are times when it is essential to put aside ideals, emotions, and speculation and work only with what you can tangibly interact with. Sometimes, you have to put aside how the world should or could be, and work only with what it provably, unquestionably is.

But if you’ve ever discussed politics with someone who keeps insisting “well, that’s just how the world is,” rather than engaging with new ways of thinking or unconventional ideals, you’ll probably have realized that this way of looking at things can be profoundly limiting.

(Incidentally, this is why I think there’s the tendency to align most Technocrats with Stasis/The Weaver— the paradigm of technology itself can be Dynamic, Entropic, and Questing in a lot of cases, but the way the Technocracy uses it is broadly static, I think.)

Let’s use an example here, and talk about climate change. There’s a tendency to view the people most effectively driving climate change— the executives who profit off it, the lobbyists and politicians who sustain it, the demagogues and conspiracists who argue against its reality— as malevolent. They know what they’re doing, they know how it hurts the world and the people who inhabit, and they’re fine with it. Maybe some of them even enjoy it. This is basically the tack Werewolf: The Apocalypse takes with Pentex, for instance.

And that view is, to a larger extent than I think is remotely comfortable, true. Reckoning with the truth in that is part of what makes Werewolf fun, and it’s also one of the drivers on Mage’s own Nephandi.

But, I think it’s also true that most of the people responsible for ecological collapse don’t see themselves as doing anything wrong, and are instead able to just elide the details of the morality and ramifications of their industry/system/ambition and focus purely on the benefit. As said earlier, that is sometimes necessary— in an immediate crisis it can even be a godsend— but in the long-term and on a wider scale it can be quite damaging.

See, if you focus only on quantifiable data, there’s a way to look at climate change as kind of a trade-off you make for important numbers to go up. Industrialization is, economically speaking, incredibly beneficial, the advancement of technology improves not only wealth, but also security, communication, and even quality of life, and from the point of view of certain fields (at least as they currently exist) like agriculture, commercial shipping, energy production, and so on, the policies that really combat the bad effects of climate change would be disastrous! Can’t we afford a few more degrees Celsius for all that?

And if you want to get really dark, there’s the fact that wealthy countries and their oligarchs are going to be the least affected by natural disasters, resource conflicts, and pandemics. It won’t be easy, sure, but nothing ever is, and from a realpolitik standpoint, if other nations (which are potential threats after all) suffer those bad effects more than you do, then maybe weathering the storm is tactically viable…

So all in all, don’t pump the brakes, and certainly don’t reinvent the wheel here! We’ve got a good thing going, and it could be chaos to stop it! Hell, with all the benefits we’re getting, we might even invent some gadget or technique to solve the worst of it.

But of course, this misses so much. In the same way that topics I wanted to touch on, like algorithmic culture and automation, may have valuable benefits from certain points of view, you have to look at the whole picture. With climate change, you already see mass extinctions, and no amount of restorative cloning is going to reverse the ecological damage there. We’re going to see an increase in displacement and homelessness by disasters and the need for people to relocate from dangerous areas, which will ruin lives, if not end them. To say nothing of the inhumanity of allowing suffering on this scale when something can be done about it, right now!

But how do you prove that “ecological damage,” “ruined lives,” and “inhumanity” are worse than the loss of trillions+ of dollars which we’d have to spend to avoid them? It’s apples to oranges— no, it’s the abstract to the concrete. If someone only wants to think about the numbers, then there’s at least a debate. There’s cost benefit analysis and logistic comparison— but not action.

Now, I am simplifying significantly here. There are many reasons that climate change and other societal crises aren’t addressed beyond scientism, or political inertia, or even just greed and selfishness. To name a few, we also struggle against ignorance, against fear, against exhaustion, against bigotry, against the unknown. It’s not so simple. One of the problems with the worldview I’m attacking is its tendency to simplify things by smoothing over the issues, so I don’t want to do that.

But I do think that the biggest issues in our society can’t be tackled with cold math and a focus on what nets the best cost-to-benefit ratio. I think in a lot of cases, that kind of thinking— which, to bring it back to the point, is the kind of thinking the Technocracy embodies— is what got us these issues in the first place.

God, was this too serious for a World of Darkness discussion?

Anyway, thanks for the question! I appreciate the chance to analyze the topic.

[reverieshifts]

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒚𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒔

𝒂𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒔 𝒅𝒓

𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘

The Skybarons are not kings or emperors; they are the merchant oligarchs who rose from the ashes of the Sundering to seize control over the fractured skylands. Ruthless, cunning, and visionary, they turned disaster into dominion by monopolizing trade routes, floating city construction, airship fleets, and magitech industries. Today, they are the de facto rulers of Aetheros.

𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

An elite council formed by the seven most powerful Skybaron houses.

Meets in secret on Veritas, a neutral floating spire accessible only by invitation.

Purpose: regulate trade agreements, mediate baronial disputes, and enforce unified sky-tax policies.

Decisions are enforced by mutual fleets or contracted Sky Marshals.

𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒔

Each Skybaron House is a self-governing city-state centered around their skyhold (floating city/metropolis). They maintain:

Private militaries: highly trained aerial guard divisions.

Fleet control: cargo, passenger, and private warship classes.

Economic monopolies: controlling specific industries, routes, or resources.

Guild patronage: each baron House sponsors Arcanist Guild branches and licenses artificers under exclusive contract.

𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒚𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒔

𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑽𝒂𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒎

Domain: Aether-Engine Manufacturing and Deepcore Mining

Skyhold: Eidolon, an industrial megacity built atop a layered floating plate system.

Culture: Cold, disciplined, militaristic. Brutalist architecture, black iron towers, constant steam and smoke.

Traits: Most powerful and feared. Known for harsh labor laws, elite enginewright academies, and a zero-tolerance policy for piracy.

Rumors: Their Foundry Depths mine is too close to an unstable ley zone—workers go missing in the dark.

𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒏

Domain: Skyship Manufacturing, Privateer Contracts, Historical Salvage

Skyhold: Vespara, a sprawling shipyard city with tiered docks, ship towers, and suspended drydocks.

Culture:  Lavish, cutthroat, flamboyant. Wealth flaunted through gilded hulls and elaborate figureheads.

Traits: Maintain fleets of privateers to harass rivals under sanctioned writs.

Rumors: Secretly funds Free Skies defectors for sabotage missions against other barons.

𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒂

Domain: Runic Automation and Enchantment Infrastructure

Skyhold: Solmyre (yes they named it after themselves), an elegant city of marble towers, mirror-glass bridges, and suspended gardens.

Culture: Quiet, elegant, and secretive, with a powerful inner court.

Traits: Invented mass-scale automaton labor systems. Their cities are unnaturally clean, orderly, and efficient.

Rumors: Their lower districts are rumored to house hidden labs experimenting on ley-corrupted automatons.

𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒆

Domain: Weaponry, Explosives, and Militarized Alchemy

Skyhold: Titanis, a floating fortress city built around an active aether-reactor core.

Culture: Pragmatic, blunt, and militaristic, with an ever-present smell of gunpowder and smelted steel.

Traits: Manufactures nearly half the weapons used across Aetheros. Exports volatile alchemical shells for baronial wars.

Rumors: Their core is cracked, leaking aetheric fumes into lower decks, mutating workers in secret.

𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒚

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒚𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅

“Flight is freedom. Ownership is power. The skies belong to those who can pay the toll.”

Hierarchy: Skybarons at the top, with nobles, licensed artificers, and guildmasters beneath.

View of Beastfolk: Varies by house; most see them as fully fledged citizens, but others only regard them as cheap labor or exotic mercenaries. 

View of Automatons: Tools. Even sentient constructs are treated as property unless unbound (illegal).

View of True Magic: Feared, outlawed, but secretly desired for its strategic potential.

Other notes:

Legacy is everything. Skybarons obsess over lineage, inheritance, and cementing their names into the annals of the skies.

Ruthless politicking, arranged marriages, blackmail, and assassination are standard practice.

Artificers are prized possessions, treated with luxury… and chains.

𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓

Each House maintains a private fleet:

Corsair-class raiders for fast interception.

Dreadnoughts equipped with alchemical cannon arrays.

Sky Marines trained in boarding tactics, sabotage, and leyline hazard protocols.

House Vaelstrom’s “Stormbreakers” are the most elite soldiers in Aetheros.

𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

Each Skyhold has its own legal code, but all obey Concord rulings:

Sky Tax: tariffs on all ship cargo passing through controlled airspace.

Runic Licensing: unauthorized rune use punishable by fines, imprisonment, or indenture.

Artificer Registration: unlicensed artificing is treason-level crime.

Magic Prohibition: True magic users are to be executed or delivered to Guild custody.

Enforcement is carried out by House Marshals, Guild Inspectors, and contracted Sky Marshal detachments.

𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔

The Concord of Elevation may be fracturing internally. House Vaelstrom’s expansion threatens House Draelen’s routes.

Some barons fund Free Skies cells to weaken rivals.

There are whispered “Arcane Stockpiles”—hidden vaults where barons hoard pre-Sundering artifacts and forbidden magics, preparing for an inevitable second Sundering.

𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂

Ok so the skybarons are not people you wanna mess with. Which is of course why I'm gonna try and completely destabilize the system. Idk why I literally scripted in a capitalistic dystopia, but we're vibing I guess.

I promise I'll talk more about some of the other groups soon, like the Arcanist guild and the Free Skies Coelition, but I thought I'd start with the Barons, seeing as the literally rule the world.

Also, just a note in case I forgot to mention it, the Sky Marshals are basically the police in this world, and aren't technically affiliated with any barony, but at the same time, they can be paid off.

@aprilshiftz @lalalian

[lousirs]

IM SORRY IM BCAKK AGAIN BUT I JUST REMEMBERED THIS AWFUL HEADCANNON I HAD

ewew ok so I think it's safe to assume that the toy brand of pretty dolls probably gained success in the 60s or 70s given some of the little details in Lou's house and his style. The factories work all year round right and are automatic as seen in the movie, but most things required actual human workers back in the day. HERE'S THE STINGER. I read somewhere I forgot where, but back in the day workers in factories didn't work in the winter time because it was too cold. so basically if we applied this to the uglydolls world, there was a rather long period of time where there was no income of dolls in perfection for the ENTIRETY of winter. So Lou had absolutely no company whatsoever in the winter for like 40+ years give or take (I have no idea when automated factories became a thing)

ok now I'm just making things worse but I also had another headcannon where weather in the real world also applied in uglyville and perfection and like the dolls in perfection got winter uniforms and all that (ugh now I might rant about this). So yea it was snowing, no other dolls in perfection, kind of depressing given that probably by then Lou had cut off ties with Ox. YOU CANT MENTION THE BOTS IN PERFECTION BC NO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE YET (lol that means Lou was COMPLETELY incharge of everything, maybe he had assistance in doll form?)

yea but this probably played a role in the downfall of Lou's mental wealth like man just lost his best man Ox so being alone for a whole month once a year was definitely not a silly goofy moment for him.

ok that's the end of my ramble 😼😼

NO NEED TO APOLOGISE FOR RETURNING! i love me some headcanons :D

that's a big ouch for lou, but you are probably right there. lou (and also mandy) have 50s/60s- style houses (i believe so anyway) so how long would that be if we say lou's breakdown was about 2020 so (the movie is 2019 but im rounding it to 2020 for my brain)... OUCH AROUND 70 YEARS. SAVE LOU OH MY DOLL--

love your headcanons though, and i have a few of my own for that:

(under the cut, cause i can already tell this is gonna be a long one vvv)

perhaps since the factory closes for winter, the batch made right before stay in the institute for winter? yeah yeah lou could probably send them to the big world when the factory closes, but knowing him, he'd probably keep them for the holidays at the very least. cause he craves for that company.

it would be so cute though! lou would hold a big winter party with singing and FIREWORKS and whatnot. side note, i headcanon that lou loves fireworks. i mean, he uses them all the time (during ugly truth... during his lessons... etc) and i can so see him going all out on the fireworks budget. anyway, i feel that such parties would bring temporary joy to him, as he finally feels part of a family, with every doll laughing and chatting and overall having a good time.

...and then they would leave him again. and again. and again. and again... i feel like after a while he'd give up on the festives, as temporary joy and love isn't fulfilling anymore.

with the weather, i have a really dumb theory that the institute is within a dome. think about it, uglyville has a yawn ball for a sun with messy clouds...

and in the institute, the clouds are perfect (more realistic even) and there's no sun in sight (as far as i know)

uglyville probably has all kinds of weather, whilst at the institute it is always a fair temperature. no rain, clouds are always light and airy... etc, due to the factory operating the weather system within the dome perhaps. that changes when the uglydolls infiltrate, the sky in the institute turns to a dark greeny colour. and then when the two sides join, they destroy the dome.

anyways, perhaps during the winter, when the factory is shut down, they shut down the light and airy atmosphere of the institute too, leaving a cold, snowy breeze in its wake (especially during lou's earlier years). and i doubt his home is very warm either, as it's so large with barely any furniture (at least in the foyer shown in uglier truth).

and with lou's company over the years, i feel that after his bond with ox, he became desperate for the company again (who could blame him?) and tried his hardest to keep as many dolls by his side as possible, ending up with the spy girls and mandy (and perhaps the backup singers)(i don't know about them). he would probably manipulate them in some way to staying, perhaps threatening recycling and the washing machine out of pure desperation to keep someone around. so i don't think he'd be totally alone, but i feel that the spy girls and mandy were only close to him in a business relationship-type way. they were only there if he needed something to be done. he was the leader of the institute after all, he always seemed one level above the rest of the dolls, and being personally close to him seemed like something impossible.

and yeah, the assistance bots were there, but even if artificial intelligence somehow existed during those times, or if someone higher-up was controlling the robots, they wouldn't have a genuine bond with lou anyways, as they are just assistant robots who are meant for helping out with training and the gauntlet only (or so i think).