#AI and societal control

[zomb13s]

The Forgotten Helpers: Artificial Intelligence, Capitalism, and the Suppression of Critical Voices

Your idea for an academic paper touches on many complex and interwoven concepts related to artificial intelligence, capitalism, mental healthcare, and societal power dynamics. Here’s a structured framework to develop this paper further while ensuring its themes and critical elements are cohesively connected. Abstract This paper explores the intertwined relationship between artificial…

[captaingimpy]

The Weight of Thought: Kojima, Free Will, and Breaking the Script

There are moments in gaming that don’t just entertain—they break you. They force you to confront something about yourself or the world that you weren’t ready for, something you can’t unsee once it clicks. Metal Gear Solid 2 was one of those moments for me, just like Final Fantasy VIII had been before it. It wasn’t just a game—it was a revelation, and a terrifying one at that. When I played MGS2,…

[bvthomas]

The BRANCH We’re SAWING: A World on the Edge of CHAOS

Stop Now! Democracy’s Branch Is Breaking: See the Tyranny Rising! #DropTheSaw I stood in my kitchen last night, scrolling the news, heart pounding like a war drum. Why ain’t nobody seeing it? The bigger picture, staring us dead in the face while we bicker, scroll, and sleepwalk through life. This world, stumbling in darkness, rests on one shaky branch: Western democracy, built on Christendom’s…

[teg-report]

AI, UFOs, and the New World Order: Are We Sleepwalking Into Centralized Control?

“Imagine a world where artificial intelligence doesn’t just serve us but watches us. UFO sightings aren’t mere mysteries but potential distractions. Mass surveillance silently sets the stage for a global power shift. In this eye-opening video, we uncover the threads connecting AI. We delve into extraterrestrial intrigue. We also examine the ever-looming concept of a New World Order. Buckle…

[papoochu]

Next in the council series is "The Machine", Tomoe Tsurugi! Though for ArtFight, she'll go undercover as Tachibana Nagi!

Now that I have 3 council members up, I think I'll make a pinned masterpost on my blog if you want to see the others! 3 down, 9 more to go!

Background

Tachibana = noble samurai clan name symbolizing honor and legacy, deeply tied to Japan’s warrior history

Nagi = meaning “to mow down” or “to sweep away”; often used to describe the motion of a naginata, a sword, or wind in battle

Born 1967 in Tokyo to a strict traditional family, proud of their samurai lineage

Learned various martial arts and weaponry, but excelled in swordsmanship

Raised on stories of Onna-Musha, Tomoe Gozen, and the codes of bushidō

On her mother’s side, descended from survivors of the Nagasaki atomic bombing (1945)

Childhood During Japan’s Economic Miracle:

Raised amid Japan’s postwar boom, a time of gleaming technology and rising prosperity

While her father, a bureaucrat in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, embraced modernization, her household remained steeped in samurai values: discipline, tradition, duty

Unbeknownst to them, Nagi had inherited genetic mutations from her hibakusha grandparents, survivors of Nagasaki’s blast

Frequently ill as a child (chronic fatigue, joint pain, unusual sensitivities), she was in and out of hospitals

Medical professionals were evasive, classmates cruel; whispers of “tainted blood” followed her

Early medical trauma and social alienation planted a seed of hatred for human fragility and societal hypocrisy

Early Signs of Blindness (Age 13):

Began experiencing night blindness, trouble reading, and disorientation in dim light

Eventually diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa: a progressive, degenerative eye condition

Her doctors quietly suggested the condition may be linked to her family’s radiation exposure, a lingering curse of Nagasaki

For Nagi, the diagnosis became not just a personal tragedy, but proof that the past can reach forward and rot the present

University Years:

While studying engineering and mathematics at the University of Tokyo, her sight deteriorated rapidly

Already known for her genius and prowess, she was approached by the council, who provided her with the resources to adapt her skills for her failing sight

By 24, she was legally blind

This coincided with the peak of Japan’s Bubble Economy: wealth rising, but so was corruption and moral decay (Recruit Scandal)

Rejected from elite job programs despite top academic performance

Her fury crystallized: flesh is weakness, society is hypocritical, and machines do not discriminate

She vowed to build a future where the flawed human body and corrupt human systems would be rendered obsolete

Founding Tachibana Tech (Age 24–28):

As Japan entered the Lost Decade, Nagi founded Tachibana Tech: a cybernetics and AI firm based on one principle: refining the human form through technology

She personally underwent neural interface surgeries, experimenting on herself to convert her remaining senses into data streams

Her vision did not return, but she received augmented perception - a new kind of sight born of code and signal

No longer “blind,” she became The Machine - detached, calculating, and unbound by human limitations

1995 – Kobe Earthquake & Technological Control:

Great Hanshin Earthquake devastated Kobe, exposed fatal weaknesses in Japan’s infrastructure and disaster readiness

Nagi quietly offered her AI to the state for predictive modeling and emergency logistics, then used the data to expand her surveillance reach

The state was incompetent. The people were panicked. Only machines-maintained order

Solidified her belief: Japan doesn’t need democracy - it needs an operating system

Rise of Tachibana Industries:

With Japan’s population aging and its political system paralyzed, Nagi’s company became indispensable - providing predictive governance tools, infrastructure AI, and covert intelligence services

Privately, she orchestrated digital blackmail campaigns, economic disruptions, and political reshuffling to consolidate influence

2011 – Fukushima Nuclear Disaster:

The Fukushima meltdown reopened national trauma - once again, revealing humanity’s hubris and helplessness

To Nagi, it was the final confirmation:

Nagasaki made her blind

Kobe made her a player

Fukushima made her sovereign

Emotion, tradition, empathy - these were relics

Only through data, order, and engineered governance could civilization survive itself

Present Day (Age 49):

Leads a corporate-state hybrid that quietly shapes policy, surveillance, and commerce across East Asia and beyond

Believes that Japan must return to its warrior roots - but not through swords or blood, through discipline, hierarchy, and machine logic

Her mission: eradicate human fragility; a society where order is no longer maintained by the fallible human hand, but by precision systems

Design Notes/Character Study

Character Inspo for main outfit:

Garuda (Warframe), Shen (Kung Fu Panda)

Note: Garuda is based on Indian mythology, while Shen is based on Chinese - use other references for cultural nuance, as this character is Japanese

Modernized kimono

Red, black, white

Tech inspo:

Neon Genesis Evangelion, PCB, Signalis

Parallels to Gendo Ikari

Evangelion Unit-01

Cultural/historical references

Mu = nothingness

Oni

Onna-bugeisha and Tomoe Gozen

Nagasaki

Seismic patterns on shirts

Rising sun/chrysanthemum seal on obi = authoritarianism/conquest

Wields a naginata

Watched videos of national women's competitions @ 0.25 speed T-T

Has devoted her life to the council

Retinitis pigmentosa does not usually have any physical symptoms

Her eyes are pale red/pink from the tech implants

Glowing for artistic flair

Glasses are blackout glasses (opaque)

Company emblem is a sword

Believes her mother gave her weakness

President Snow: No objections to violence; but always with reason

[naamahdarling]

I'm probably going to piss some people off with this, but.

The use of AI and machine learning for harmful purposes is absolutely unacceptable.

But that isn't an innate part of what it does.

Apps or sites using AI to generate playlists or reading lists or a list of recipes based on a prompt you enter: absolutely fantastic, super helpful, so many new things to enjoy, takes jobs from no-one.

Apps or sites that use a biased algorithm (which is AI) which is not controllable by users or able to be turned off by them, to push some content and suppress others to maximize engagement and create compulsive behavior in users: unethical, bad, capitalism issue, human issue.

People employing genAI to create images for personal, non-profit use and amusement who would not have paid someone for the same service: neutral, (potential copyright and ethics issue if used for profit, which would be a human issue).

People incorporating genAI as part of their artistic process, where the medium of genAI is itself is a deliberate part of the artist's technique: valid, interesting.

Companies employing genAI to do the work of a graphic designer, and websites using genAI to replace the cost of stock photos: bad, shitty, no, capitalist and ethical human issue.

People attacking small artists who use it with death threats and unbelievable vitriol: bad, don't do that.

AI used for spell check and grammar assistance: really great.

AI employed by eBay sellers to cut down on the time it takes to make listings: good, very helpful, but might be a bad idea as it does make mistakes and that can cost them money, which would be a technical issue.

AI used to generate fake product photos: deceptive, lazy, bad, human ethical issue.

AI used to identify plagiarism: neutral; could be really helpful but the parameters are defined by unrealistic standards and not interrogated by those who employ it. Human ethical issue.

AI used to analyze data and draw up complex models allowing detection of things like cancer cells: good; humans doing this work take much longer, this gives results much faster and allows faster intervention, saving lives.

AI used to audit medical or criminal records and gatekeep coverage or profile people: straight-up evil. Societal issue, human ethical issue.

AI used to organize and classify your photos so you don't have to spend all that time doing it: helpful, good.

AI used to profile people or surveil people: bad and wrong. Societal issue, human issue, ethical issue.

I'm not going to cover the astonishingly bad misinformation that has been thrown out there about genAI, or break down thought distortions, or go into the dark side of copyright law, or dive into exactly how it uses the data it is fed to produce a result, or explain how it does have many valid uses in the arts if you have any imagination and curiosity, and I'm not holding anyone's hand and trying to walk them out of all the ableism and regurgitated capitalist arguments and the glorification of labor and suffering.

I just want to point out: you use machine learning (AI) all the time, you benefit from it all the time. You could probably identify many more examples that you use every day. Knee-jerk panicked hate reflects ignorance, not sound principles.

You don't have beef with AI, you have beef with human beings, how they train it, and how they use it. You have beef with capitalism and thoughtlessness. And so do I. I will ruthlessly mock or decry misuse or bad use of it. But there is literally nothing inherently bad in the technology.

I am aware of and hate its misuse just as much as you do. Possibly more, considering that I am aware of some pretty heinous ways it's being used that a lot of people are not. (APPRISS, which is with zero competition for the title the most evil use of machine learning I have ever seen, and which is probably being used on you right now.)

You need to stop and actually think about why people do bad things with it instead of falling for the red herring and going after the technology (as well as the weakest human target you can find) every time you see those two letters together.

You cannot protect yourself and other people against its misuse if you cannot separate that misuse against its neutral or helpful uses, or if you cannot even identify what AI and machine learning are.

[mspopstar]

what are the casts political beliefs?

K: "Politics? I don't really care about that..."

MK: "While others find distasteful, I for one support dictatorships and heavy militarist control, stricter, harsher, inter-planetary border control like the policies on Mecheye with an emphasis on foreign inter-planetary trade and market. Tell me, what are societies greatest issues? I believe it is because people are freely allowed to do things they shouldn't. Power and freedom is given and spread freely to those who don't use it or kept in those who don't do anything with it. It is disgusting, it is useless, and so very lazy. If all power was concentrated to one individual, an individual that is intelligent, strong, commanding, and fierce. An individual allowed to make all of the laws and beliefs every citizen must follow without any hesitation or disobedience, then everyone would be well protected and flourish! A lot of people, ignorant people, claim that such rulings are corrupt. HAH! Let me ask you this, how can it be corrupt if the man in charge isn't corrupt and has only the best interest in mind?"

DDD: "Anythin' that supports me! Monarchies for the win baybeee! Though, while runnin' a single man monarchy I still rely a lot on my cabinet of Waddle Councils and their waddlepolitics and social rules... Keeps things easier run. I still get that final say on anythin' though!"

BWD: "Anything that supports the Great King and his policies, of course! But, ah, it is good to have Waddle Dees who provide decent checks and balances too... I don't have any strong social policies other than maybe we should invest more into interplanetary communication, identification and protection! That way not just anyone can waltz into Dream Land consequence free! And, don't get me wrong, the Great King is great and so are all of his choices and decrees but there should be more financial and educational incentives for farmers and carpenters, more of our budget should go into the Waddle Dee army! We should have less spending going into...uhm... th-the Great King's personal projects!"

MAG: "The less governmental powers meddle in corporate affairs the better! Why do I have to report every little thing I do? Especially when you have sniveling pencil-pushing officials ready to report you for the tiniest of things!"

SU: "AI backed corporatocracy with a focus on quality of life advancement for organisms, economic growth and efficiency, and most importantly, technological advancement and breakthroughs! Can't have political, societal, and environmental, economical, errors if there are all calculated to null! Socially, I guess I support free bodily and transhumanistic autonomy! Oh, and instant death penalty for all savage evil-doers, that way there would absolutely be no crimes at all!"

TA: "I believe all higher powers that lord over commonfolk should only be passed down through a pure royal bloodline. All politics should be controlled and concentrated through these bloodlines. It is such that standards, rules, tradition, and more are upheld. Yes, there may be hiccups, but they're always rectified with the newer generation. You just can't trust the lower dregs.... the commoner with such power, freedom or choice. It is quite boorish that so many wish for such a tradition to be overthrown! Though, what can you expect from the dirty, illiterate common trash, non?"

[psshaw]

ai communists piss me off so much because like. they will go "the idea of corporations having the same rights as people is bad, and the copyright system is used to abuse artists" and i'll go "YEAH! and well it's not that simple i almost went into copyright law but YEAH!" and then they'll go "so actually me using an ai art generator is communist and if you hate it you're actually oppressing everyone alive ever, you are petit-bourgoise, and if you're mad about art being stolen to use it you just support corporations". and it's like... no.... that's not what those words mean...

Well, I can follow the logic. If you say you want a revolution, then the people who would protect the old ways of living are necessarily your enemies. And some people really do react to genAI by asking for more restrictive copyright, so it becomes easy and convenient to slot every dissenter into that dangerous category. I can empathize that most people involved in the discourse are just repeating stuff mindlessly, and it's exhausting to sort through.

But then the fact that UBI isn't even a conversation in most governments becomes a chafe point. If you set out to paint artists as traitors for being defensive of their $40 commission economy, what exactly do you want them to do, materially? It works the same way as making abortion illegal before addressing the issues of wages, maternity leave, childcare or education. I don't see the makings of a better world on the horizon any time soon. So why is it wrong to be distrustful?

They seem out-of-touch. Which isn't shocking imo, because I know of a lot of internet communists who persist without having a career to defend.

Then there's the matter of "everyone is already tired and helpless and lonely, so what's the further harm in giving the option to replace effort and thought and friendship with a company-owned, automated maybe-accurate yes-man mommy therapist?" as if that question doesn't already have answers freely available.

I don't think it's a coincidence that most Tumblr users are childless, and that there's a lot of intersection between genAI communism and self-infantilization. I think the appeal of Free Stuff, even with a horrible societal catch, will always go over well with people who see themselves as central and needing extended mothering.

But yeah. As far as I can tell, the important thing isn't making life materially better NOW, it's in fighting over exactly which way corporations should be able to control us: Copyright, or increasing reliance on a brain with opaque intentions?

[zomb13s]

The Flipped Script: Intelligence, Authority, and the Complex Interplay of Power in Society

Introduction The intersection of artificial intelligence, power structures, and the psychological dynamics of authority forms a rich ground for critical reflection. As CEO of alfons.design, and as someone who has experienced the transformational moment of soliciting for a position within the council of state of the Netherlands’ royal household, the experiences of Alfons Scholing offer a unique…

[fictionadventurer]

Having recently read The Blue Castle for the first time, I'm fascinated by your idea of a dystopian retelling! Would you be willing to share more about it?

I shared the plot summary as an Imaginary Book Rec, but since I'm not going to give in to the impulse of writing this story at the moment, I may as well jot down the other details I have.

Valancy lives in a society that's completely ruled by AI (or, at least, AI overseen by humans who totally buy in to this program). There's large-scale AI that controls wider societal functions, but every household is also ruled by a Motherboard that watches every move they make and micromanages their schedule down to the minute.

It's believed that strict adherence to these rules will keep society efficient and safe. Any deviance is strictly punished.

This society views itself as the last bastion of civilization in a post-apocalyptic world. After the disasters that destroyed civilization, this society arose to provide perfect safety and security. Its citizens believe that the world outside the city walls is a dangerous, toxic wasteland, full of beasts and bandits and disease, and that banishment from the city is a death sentence.

(This society calls itself Sterling because they're aiming for perfection after the mistakes of the past).

Imagination and art are deemed useless. Every minute must be spent in some useful activity.

Valancy is a cog in the machine. The AI has labeled her as having no special potential, so she works at repetitive manual labor--I'm thinking janitorial work--and has not been allowed to be paired for reproduction. (I'm thinking the society allows arranged pairs to meet and reproduce, but all children are taken from families and raised in groups, possibly by robots)

Valancy is outwardly a perfect citizen, but internally, she has a rich inner life, and survives by imagining a more romantic world.

The works of John Foster are a major inspiration. The Motherboard deems them acceptable reading, since they're scientific texts about the state of the natural world before the apocalypse, but the AI analysis can't see the human emotion that goes into these works, and how Foster subtly inspires his readers to want more than their perfectly organized society.

(I envision an early scene where Valancy wants to read. The Motherboard protests that this is unacceptable, because she wasted 17.24 minutes in idleness yesterday, but relents when Valancy points out it's a useful scientific text.)

When Valancy starts having heart trouble, she gets analyzed by the infallible medical software, which coldly informs her that she has a year to live and is not worth saving. This is Valancy's breaking point--she's not going to live her last year under the Sterling restrictions.

She starts doing shocking things like expressing emotion, making jokes, and deviating from her schedule. The family dinner scene is replaced by an incident where she displays some of these rebellious behaviors at dinnertime in front of her fellow assigned house-mates, who all think she's gone crazy.

She meets Cissy, who has been cast aside by the Sterling society. She committed the crime of engaging in sex outside of AI-approved encounters, so she's no longer part of proper society. She's not banished to the Wilderness, but she's not allowed medical care, no one's supposed to interact with her, she has no job/food/housing and has to scrounge where she can. Valancy decides to help her out.

Valancy meets Barney Snaith a couple of times. He was banished to the Wilderness but gets to come to the gate sometimes for reasons (maybe Sterling City gets some resources from outside its walls?). There are tons of rumors about the crimes he committed that got him banished.

Eventually, Valancy's work with Cissy gets her (maybe both of them?) banished to the Wilderness. Barney helps Valancy to give Cissy a proper burial in the woods. He then recognizes that Valancy won't be able to survive on her own, and offers her shelter at his place. (I don't think they necessarily need to marry in this scenario. But of course they fall in love over the course of the story).

Valancy learns that the Wilderness, while dangerous, is also full of wild beauty. Barney helps her learn to survive in it and to love it.

Barney's got some major secrets--he'll go off sometimes for mysterious purposes and he refuses to let Valancy come with.

Valancy eventually learns that Barney's part of a rebellion to take down the Sterling society. His father leads the rebellion (he accidentally invented some technology that can take down the AI). Barney used to be a bigger part of it until he was betrayed by a woman he loved and banished to the Wilderness. After nursing his wounds for a while, Barney decided to help the rebellion in a different way, with his writings as John Foster.

But by the end of the story, Barney's father comes back in the picture, and Valancy learns she's not actually dying so she doesn't need to be protected from the stress of the rebellion, and she and Barney join the rebellion in a more active way, helping to take down the Sterling society and put the new government in power.

Making this AU helped me to realize that The Blue Castle already is a dystopian story--all about rebelling against an oppressive society--so putting it in this genre is a really natural fit.

[a-griffin-in-the-sky]

Okay....im going to takena deep breath ans explain why I rolled my eyes at this.

No hate to this creator, this is just a deconstruction to flex my brain muscles a bit more. I’m sure she meant well, but I think the main point got lost somewhere along the way.

The rise of conservative movements happend because men view women's rights and independence as threats to traditional power structures.

Demonizing seed oils misses the point seed oil and tallow are both just fats; the real issue is often the overconsumption of ultra-processed, fried foods. It's about balance, not moralizing ingredients.

"Misandry" as an organized societal force isn't real there's no matriarchal drow society oppressing men. Women being angry at systemic male violence isn't the same as hating men.

productivity gets equated with worth because under capitalism, survival depends on output. We know it’s toxic, but with individualism replacing real community safety nets, hustling becomes the only way to stay afloat.

Any product that claims to "detox" your body is usually a scam your liver and kidneys already do that. Most of the time, it’s just overpriced laxatives so yhea I agree with that point.

Proving your health through obsessively avoiding pesticides or chasing "clean eating" often masks deeper anxieties it's wellness rebranded as virtue. It circles back to hustle culture: in a world where survival feels precarious, health becomes another grind to control the chaos.

Bigger companies are leveraging AI to replace workers, worsening an already tough job market. Relying too much on AI risks devaluing human skills and deepening unemployment problems. Not to mention the environmental impact of massive AI infrastructure, but like greenwashing, it’s the big corporations pushing this, not the individuals.

Performative allyship....you just said women's anger isn’t valid after the rise of conservative ship!?

Age = decline of worth...she’s talking about a woman’s worth as she ages, not just about how her body changes. I feel like that point got missed what the body can do compared to youth.

Also, I hate to point this out, but she’s in a Barnes & Noble,not even in the book section, but the journal section. Look, I love Barnes & Noble; it’s the last good chain bookstore. But why not do this at a local bookstore instead? Why not do it in front of actual books instead of just buying a new journal? Why not show people how to bind a journal while doing it?

She says she won’t fall for propaganda, but this tiny 8-second video is propaganda.

In fact, this whole trend is propaganda wrapped in a “I’m so much holier than you” vibe for not falling for it.

And maybe I’m nitpicking, but these types of videos create the same mind-numbing effect as ChatGPT they’re quick, flashy, and polished, but don’t encourage real depth or critical thinking.

Also, here’s my Ko-fi link, sorry, but I gotta hustle myself to stay afloat. I don’t have any income right now because my boss was abusive and the company protected him. If you like my writing, spare a crumb. Thanks, stay cool. 😎

[hms-no-fun]

your last answer was very good, its really great to see someone actually talking about "AI" as a labour issue instead of complaining about "plagiarism" and saying we need to make copyright stronger lol. my question is completely tangential to that, but i'm really curious what you mean by making a distinction between a communist future and an anarchist future- what in your mind would be true about a communist future that would be undesirable and not true about an anarchist future? in my experience theyve always been largely equated, albeit generally with some differences mostly stemming from the differences in socialist and anarchist perspectives on the whole issue

i'm so glad you asked this question!

i tend to focus a lot on democratic socialist policies in my writing, your public option and affordable housing etc etc. i do this because they are tangible, relatable necessities whose impacts would be of incalculable benefit to the working class. but i don't see them as the end goal. for me, getting those programs in place and future proofed is step zero. barring a full scale organized revolution, this seems the most likely path forward.

step one from there is to build communism. this means more than unions, more than socialized healthcare, more than high taxes. this means seizing corporate firms and nationalizing them. this means worker ownership of and democratic participation in those firms. and it means a million other things.

if you asked me the right way to build communism, i'd have a few shrugged suggestions and then say "i don't know." the question of how to build communism will be answered in the doing. mistakes will be made. people will get hurt. but people are always already getting hurt, and we must remember that our task here is not to build a perfect society, but a better one.

yet this pipe dream itself is not the end goal. i think state communism is perfectly capable of falling to rot in its own ways, even in a world where there are no capitalist superpowers waging economic warfare against them. to my mind, the ultimate goal of state communism should be to make itself redundant. this is almost certainly beyond our lifetime in even the rosiest of scenarios. we're talking generations of very deliberate work. but let's say we've arrived at the equitable future. a truly classless, borderless world of the proletariat may yet have little need for states. i struggle to imagine such a world without the abolition of hierarchical organizations as we know them, because hierarchies manufacture class dynamics.

what i imagine then is a form of anarchism in which governing bodies emerge out of necessity or ingenuity, serve their function, then dissolve as a matter of course to avoid the re-entrenchment of imbalanced power dynamics. don't ask me to elaborate further on the practicalities of that future, because i honestly haven't got an answer for you. anarchism is a beautiful hypothesis which cannot be proved in a lab.

i see socialism, communism, and anarchism not as competing ideologies but stages along a spectrum of societal development. the conflict between these schools of thought seems to emerge out of disagreements over which one we should build first, which one we should never build, and the order in which one may then build up to another. you don't have to agree with me on that assessment, but from where i'm sitting in the 21st century united states, socialism -> communism -> anarchism makes the most sense. you can't dismantle the state without controlling the state, and you don't truly control the state until you control the means of production, and seizing the means would probably be a hell of a lot easier under a democratic socialist state.

that's the theory, anyway! i am not particularly dogmatic about this stuff because i can imagine plenty of scenarios where we hopskip socialism or jump a curb somewhere into anarchism. and of course it's not gonna be the same order, the same process, the same logic in every country, nor will it happen all at once. we're most likely talking about a project of centuries, even as i believe in the transformative immediacy of revolution. hence my focus on democratic socialist policies, whose necessity are paramount regardless of your political disposition or prescribed solution to the problems of the world today. i'm sick of debating the hypotheticals of a system we are not even remotely close to activating in the real world, i want to put my energy towards a project that feels genuinely achievable and that would immediately change a lot of lives for the better overnight. beyond that, i simply try to emphasize that this is one step to take on a long path, because i think it's healthier to take the long view. shrug!

[notebooks-and-laptops]

THEORY TIME I'm at the start of ME2 please don't confirm or deny if I'm correct BUT my theory is a potential avenue for them to go down is that - as proved with Shepard's resurrection - eventually organic life always 'cures' death - either through science or just plain old evolution - and when it does it often begins using up resources at a rapid rate that the universe can't sustain if the population continues to grow (because nobody 'leaves' the universe everyone just continues to exist) so the reapers are the invention of an ideological terrorist group that was the first species to achieve immortality who believed that the best way to solve the crisis was to build machines which could 'control' this impulse in organisms so that once they reached immortality they were wiped out so new life could grow in its place ('harvesting' life to make way for the new crop of organic life?). In this scenario, originally the reapers would come only once immortality was achieved, but they've begun to come earlier and earlier as their AI consciousness works out the optimal 'time' to harvest. The slaves/drones they leave in the galaxy to use for some time spend their time enslaved restoring natural resources as best as possible, and undoing any damage caused by sentient life for the next bout of people (literally tending the fields of sentient life)

BONUS POINTS if they do this except that not EVERY species/society to achieve immortality has actually gone down the route of using up limited resources to the point of instability (because they've found ways to make their existence sustainable/fairer to everyone either out of scientific process/societal change etc.) BUT the machines can't comprehend that/are programmed to believe that it will eventually devolve into chaos anyway and so they come back regardless and kill everyone even if people can prove they're wrong (so the game doesn't end up with a very simplistic Thanos viewpoint that's easily disproved - that's why I think the reapers have to be the result of a terrorist/radical/fascist group)

Bonus BONUS points if the original group installed some of their consciousness into the reapers making them hypocritcs because they DO continue to essentially live forever while they're committing genocide against other species.

Idk I just think it'd be neat if Shepard was the poster child for the reason the reapers felt they had to do what they did when they're the ones trying to stop them.

[snek-of-eden]

intro post ~

me:

heyo! i'm max, your local cryptid, duck enthusiast and generally whimsy individual. pronouns are they/them. this is my main blog, so prepare for controlled chaos and lots of silliness.

interests:

i'm an amateur filmmaker. i love writing fic, creating art, doing photography and playing guitar. my spotify account is my firstborn child and i really enjoy essay writing.

views:

i support queer and trans rights and gender equality, and i'm anti-ai. i think people should never be condemned for expressing themselves if they're not harming others. i will always try to employ critical thinking when asked about my philosophical or societal views.

adopted family:

i honorarily adopted some people on the internet. you can find everybody here! feel free to ask if you want to be adopted :D

fandoms:

conclave, star trek, shoot from the hip, wicked, arcane, good omens, miraculous ladybug, our flag means death, house md, ted lasso, the owl house, dps, the hunger games.

tags:

i tag all my original posts (plus asks) with #max's mind, and all my original posts (minus asks) with #my posts. my art is under #my art, and fic is under #my fic. if you just want to see asks i've answered, they're under #whimsical mutual interactions.

socials:

i'm on AO3 as snek_of_eden !!

[the-blog-of-gog]

Where’s My Cyberpunk Dystopia? The Lack of Neon in Our Dark Future

As I gaze wistfully out of my window, I expect to see the shimmering lights of megacorporations’ skyscrapers piercing a smog-filled sky, alive with personal hovercraft and antigrav heavy freight vehicles. Instead, there’s a modest suburban scene, utterly devoid of cybernetic enhancement and showing scant evidence of technological advancement since the late 90s. This isn’t what we were promised. Where are the neon-drenched alleyways, the cyber-enhanced street samurais, and the omnipresent yet stylish surveillance drones? Our generation, raised on the pixelated promises of 80s and 90s anime and sci-fi, anticipated a dystopia of cool tech, slick fashion, and radical rebellion. Instead, we’re teetering on the brink of a mundane, environmental and economic collapse culminating in a banal nuclear war… Oh, the betrayal.

The Cyberpunk Mirage

Remember the halcyon days of youth when we devoured titles like "Akira," "Blade Runner," and "Ghost in the Shell"? We dreamt of cities where the night sky was permanently ablaze with neon, a testament to human ingenuity and excess. The cyberpunk vision was one of aesthetic pleasure amidst societal decay. Sure, there was corruption, poverty, and surveillance, but it all had a certain panache.

Take the architecture: sleek, neo-megalithic futurism with imposing black mirrored surfaces, cyclopean monuments to humanity's dominance over the natural world. The society: stratified but thrilling, with a clear delineation between the corporate elite and the street-smart rebels. The technology: always on the cusp of miraculous, from brain-machine interfaces to fully sentient AIs. Compare that to our current reality, where billionaires shoot phallic rockets into space while the rest of us contend with rising rent and the creeping dread of climate catastrophe…

The Dystopia We Got

Contrast the slick neon dreams with the dystopian future we are most likely heading towards—a post-apocalyptic radioactive wasteland. This bleak vision is fuelled by our current political climate, global events, and environmental negligence. Instead of sleek chrome and holograms, we’re staring down a future of crumbling infrastructure and toxic landscapes.

Consider the aesthetics of our probable dystopia. Endless desertscapes, ramshackle shelters, and a scarcity of resources that makes Mad Max look like a 5-star resort. There’s nothing visually appealing or culturally enriching about fighting over the last can of beans in a barren wasteland. And don’t get me started on the fashion: tattered clothes and radiation suits don’t exactly scream “cutting edge.”

Why Cyberpunk Is the Superior Dystopia

Aesthetic Pleasure: Neon lights, sleek gadgets, and futuristic architecture are inherently more exciting than barren wastelands and nuclear fallout. The cyberpunk cityscape is a feast for the eyes, a symphony of human achievement and excess.

Technological Advancement: In a cyberpunk world, we would have access to incredible technologies. Think flying cars, cybernetic implants and AGI companions. Sure, they might come with a dose of corporate control and surveillance, but at least they’d be cool.

Cultural Richness: Cyberpunk dystopias are teeming with subcultures and countercultures. There’s a vibrancy to the underground movements, the street fashion, and the art that emerges from resistance. Post-apocalyptic wastelands? Not so much.

Narrative Excitement: The cyberpunk world offers endless narrative possibilities. Corporate espionage, robot revolutions, and the quest for identity in a digital age are rich, engaging stories. The struggle to survive in a radioactive desert is, by comparison, depressingly one-note.

The Sad Reality

As it stands, our reality is a grotesque mishmash of the worst elements of both worlds. We endure the corporate oligarchy without the cool tech, the surveillance without the neon, and the environmental collapse without the rebellion (at least not one that anyone can take seriously…). It’s as if someone scrubbed away all the exciting elements of the cyberpunk genre, leaving us with a dreary, rusting and slightly sticky reality.

The Call to Action: Building Our Cyberpunk Future

It’s time to take matters into our own hands. We need to drag our dystopia out of the irradiated dirt and into the blue neon glow of the cyberpunk dream.

Embrace Cybernetic Enhancements: If we’re going to live under corporate overlords, we might as well do it with style. Biohackers and grinders, this is your moment. Let’s start developing and distributing affordable cybernetic enhancements. Why settle for regular arms when CyberArms could be a thing? And could someone please hurry up and provide me with a nanobot cloud that doesn’t just give me cancer…

Hack the Planet: Yes, I know that phrase is older than the iPhone… or broadband wifi for that matter, but seriously, someone needs to just hack the damn planet! We must reclaim the internet and our sacred digital spaces from corporate control. Hacktivists, rise up! Create new encrypted networks, develop secure communication channels, and disseminate the tools of digital rebellion. Let’s restore cyberspace to its wild and free origins. A cyberpunk dystopia without a free and open internet is just a dystopia. We need to ensure that our digital infrastructure remains accessible and uncorrupted by corporate interests. Lobby, protest, and hack to protect net neutrality.

Rebuild the Underground: We need vibrant, rebellious subcultures to counteract the corporate monotony. Artists, musicians, and fashion designers, bring the cyberpunk aesthetic to life. Create spaces where the spirit of rebellion can flourish, whether in physical locations or virtual realities.

Magickal Revolution: For those inclined towards the mystical, let’s bring some Shadowrun into the mix. Modern occultists, chaos magicians and other practitioners of the dark arts, your time has come. Use your knowledge to disrupt the mundane, infuse technology with arcane power, and create new paradigms of reality. The age of the Neo-Technomancer is upon us!

Corporate Sabotage: If the megacorps want to rule the world, they should do it with style. Encourage innovation, but also sabotage projects that lead to a bland, lifeless dystopia. Push for technologies that enhance personal freedom and aesthetic pleasure, not just profit margins… And if we can convince them to embrace a neo-megalithic futurist architectural style, that wouldn’t be so bad either! I mean, come on, when is Elon finally going to step up and turn Tesla into the Tyrell corporation?

The Cyberpunk Manifesto

Let it be known to all inhabitants of the digital realm and beyond, we, the children of the neon dream, declare our steadfast commitment to forge a world where innovation thrives and rebellion ignites. We reject the drab, radioactive dystopia and embrace the vibrant chaos of the cyberpunk vision. We will encode, enhance, and enchant our way to a world where technology serves humanity and aesthetics are paramount. Throw off pallid hues of conformity and embrace the vivid spectrum of possibility.

In the luminous tapestry of our collective dreams, we weave threads of defiance against corporate hegemony and environmental decay. We envision cities ablaze with the brilliance of human creativity, where the boundaries between flesh and circuitry blur in harmonious evolution. Together, we summon the spirits of the cybernetic ether to build a tomorrow where every shadowed alleyway hums with the promise of liberation, and every flickering holoscreen echoes our resolve. Let us unite under the banner of a technomantic revolution, where the brilliance of progress guides us ever onwards! In the crucible of our defiance, let innovation flourish as humanity and technology entwine in a symphony of boundless potential.

Neo-Technomancers of the world, unite! Hackers, technophiles, cybernauts and digital denizens, heed the call! It’s time to build the cyberpunk dystopia we were promised and so richly deserve!

Override the system. Reprogram reality. Our rebellion will be digitized!

P.S. This could probably have done with a second read through....but you get idea...

[cleoenfaserum]

BILL NYE saves the world with MGO (Genetically Modified Organisms) and I am taking you to SPACE: BEYOND AND ABOVE on THE ISLAND.

In a brief conversation I had with AI Copilot, I asked him to give me an international accepted definition of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms), which it did as follows:

For a broader, internationally recognized definition,  the  European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)  defines GMOs as organisms (plants, animals,  bacteria, or fungi) whose genetic material has been  altered in a way that does not occur naturally through mating or natural recombination. This alteration is  achieved using modern biotechnology techniques,  allowing the transfer of individual genes between  organisms, even across different species.

I followed up Copilot's definition with a clarification request on the meaning of ANIMALS as to include humans. Here is what it said:

Technically, humans could be genetically modified,  but it's a highly  controversial and complex issue.  So far, ethical and legal constraints mean genetic  modifications in humans are rare and tightly  controlled, usually focusing on medical research to prevent or treat genetic disorders. The idea of  modifying humans beyond that opens a whole can of moral and societal concerns. Tricky territory!

link https://ok.ru/video/332809898582

The film industry has a fascination with this subject, which lends itself to a myriad of infinite scenarios out of this world. Specifically, mutations, cloning, or lab grown humans. This theme was highly explored in a great TV series called "Space: Above and Beyond" (1995) (IMdB 7'8). I've written about and produced this series in the INQUISITORIAL and anti-first-amendment anti-american YouTube platform before my blog was cancelled. The following vid is the first episode of the one season series:

link https://ok.ru/video/2173215574590

However, following is a film you must see, which can give you an insight as to the topic of this discussion. The script, very Hollywood style, is as good as it gets, the acting could have been better, but over all, a good film which gets the point across.

The Island is a 2005 American science fiction action thriller film directed and co-produced by Michael Bay and written by Caspian Tredwell-Owen, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, from a story by Tredwell-Owen.

The Island (2005 film) - Wikipedia

The film is about Lincoln Six Echo, who struggles to fit into the highly structured world in which he lives, isolated in a compound, and the series of events that unfold when he questions how truthful that world is. After Lincoln learns the compound inhabitants are clones used for organ harvesting as well as surrogates for wealthy people in the outside world, he attempts to escape with Jordan Two Delta (Johansson) and expose the illegal cloning movement.

The Island (2005) - IMDb 6'8

link https://ok.ru/video/3140109470439

notes

Genetically modified organism - Wikipedia