Goldkin @Goldkin@awoo.space

This also means that we should get comfortable with the idea of bureaucracy as a good thing, and as a means for people to specialize. Because the alternative is... well, *gestures at everything*

Something I'm not sure is generally understood: when a politician or businessman says they're going to reduce bureaucracy, it means they're making a grab for power.

The main benefit of bureaucracy in businesses and government is to diffuse power. Conversely, abuses happen when that power is grabbed by smaller and smaller parties.

It's why the current rogue's gallery of fuckwits are all populists promising to cut headcount. It's how they dress their lust for power as a public good.

When he won in 2016, it felt like disorienting punch in the gut. I spent so much time trying to convince people what was coming. I had naive hope that our institutions would save us. I had to plead constantly to get people to care for each other and, more importantly, vote.

This is different. We all know what he is. We know what is coming if he survives in power. I feel galvanized and ready to fight.

For now, grieve and prepare. Tomorrow begins the work of being the change we must see in the world.

In case you ever wondered why billionaires came to attack democracy and AI came to attack writing and art: power always tries to destroy imagination and storytelling. It is often the last bastion that they cannot control and the first source of successful resistance against them.

No matter how hard they try, no matter whom they hurt, they will not succeed. And it terrifies them. As it should.

While deleting my old tweets to prevent scraping from AI, a quote from Ursula K. Le Guin bubbled up to the top completely on accident. I chose to keep it there.

Finally getting around to deleting my tweets from my former Twitter account. Unfortunate, but long past time.

Like others, I'll be keeping my account itself to prevent impersonation and reuse of the URL (unless it's pried from me by the site's fascist owner).

Really happy with how far Masto and other alternatives have come since Twitter was acquired, it's been really comfy here by comparison.

I have recently learned that Caves of Qud now has workshop mods that:

1. Add fully sprited dragonfolk
2. Add a collectible card game
3. Add fishing

I already love Qud, and this gives me an excuse to play it even more. 💜

The thing about Bezos killing WaPo's endorsement of Harris, Soon-Shiong killing LA Times' wall-to-wall coverage of their Harris endorsement, and Elon using Twitter as his personal propaganda arm to elect nazis into power, is that I could not better demonstrate if I tried how society is incompatible with the existence of billionaires.

Great job, assholes. Taxing you at 95% and breaking the control you have over your businesses is the *politest* response to you throwing in with nazis to keep your ill-gotten fortunes.

Anyway. If you haven't voted already, please do. These assholes need to be shown the door, unceremoniously thrown through it, and shut down in every aspect of our politics other than their singular right to one vote.

Also an icewing named Brauby the Seven-headed Scream is notable in that they'd also make an excellent metal band cover.

Discovered that there's a Wings of Fire mod for Dwarf Fortress. Decided to try it to see what absolute disasters it would generate, and heck, it did not disappoint.

Shoutout to Dreadbeard the seawing and his disaster of a battle polycule. Absolute legends.