Witnesspedia
child:
title: Hygge
slug: hygge
parent: 15338
summary: Hygge, the first Distrikt
keywords: worldbuilding, participatory
image: https://edgeryders.eu/uploads/default/original/2X/7/7652edd3b02e8d76b305cbe85bc1c77f7c24afc5.jpeg
Hygge, the first Distrikt {style=“color: #fff; text-shadow: 2px 2px #000; padding-bottom: .4rem; font-weight: bold;” class=“leading-tight text-4xl”}
Hygge began its independent life with the events of the Zero-Day Fracture. {style="color: #fff; width: 80%; padding-top: 1rem; border-top: 1px solid white; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); " class=“text-2xl mt-4 mx-auto leading-normal”}
This version of the entry on Hygge is now deprecated. Please refer to the new one:
Hygge (formerly Distrikt 1/ Vikinia, among others) is the first Distrikt of Witness. Initially planned as “the nervous system of Witness” as a whole, it was turned into its own Distrikt after the Fracture.
Hygge is a greatly reduced evolution of J.C. Denton’s original vision for Witness - and thus it is an economy where goods move around almost entirely by fiat, subject to decisions by many tiers of Committees and Working Groups, with Disruption Labs charged with being cross-domain superconnectors and bringing innovations ‘from the outside to the center’.
Outside of the the Library of St. Benedict in the Covenant, Hygge is the only Distrikt truly critical to the State Machine’s existence, as it houses key hardware, along with CIVICSMOD, a multi-distrikt team that operates the machine.
Political History
“No, you don’t understand. He gave me an executive order to send all of his rations to the new espionage crew. Do you get what I’m saying? Denton is so into his shit, he won’t have anything to eat. God have mercy on us.” — Larry Quoia, former Second Secretary of Witness, messaging records
Hygge began its independent life with the events of the Zero-Day Fracture. The political turmoil that caused the Fracture occurred during the leadership of Jonathan C. Denton and resulted in a split between pro-Denton and anti-Denton factions. Much of the anti-Denton groups split into Libria and the Covenant.
This removal of dissent did two things: First, it made Denton effectively the indisputable leader of the left-over Distrikt 1, as most who remained saw themselves as faithful to Project Viking via the proxy of Denton. Second, in contrast to Denton’s austere and precise leadership running Project Viking, it sent Denton headlong into mismanagement and emotional turmoil. Both personal and government records show an overemphasis on influencing the affairs of other forming Distrikts and a dismissal of internal issues of Hygge proper (the name here being loosely used, as the Distrikt took years to be officially named).
Four weeks after the Fracture, the State Machine would start recommending an ‘early retirement’ for Denton as part of a management plan, which was ignored for several years, even as the AI raised this recommendation in priority. Accounts confirm that Denton would have fits of rage if any of his subordinates mentioned the recommendation.
One way or another, Denton’s supporter group was too wide and too engaged to let him go. Even as the mismanagement of Hygge became clear and basic infrastructure started to fail, pro-Denton supporters kept their commitment blindly and engaged in conflict with any newly formed anti-Denton faction. These actions had ripple effects: in the case of Libria, for instance, it led to a solidification of their general anti-statist stance, whereas in the Covenant it created a cottage industry supplying weaponry and armor to loose militias sanctioned by various church orders.
Post-Denton Turmoil and the State Machine
The years after Denton’s death were marked by more management struggle, a period described in Hygge history as the Letter-opener Wars - ‘letter-opener’ being street slang applied to pointless bureaucrats. Infighting resulted in Denton’s most experienced bureaucrats and managers migrating or being banished to other Distrikts, and few chose to return to Hygge for fear of death threats from the public - which were by now turning against much of the political infrastructure that Denton had set in place.
One of the greatest targets of the populus’ discontent was the CIVICSMOD team and the State Machine itself, deemed by many as unfit to lead the interests of Hygge, let alone the entirety of Witness. This era marked the temporary removal of CIVICSMOD to the Library of St. Benedict, where they believed they would be safer while tending the infrastructure of the State Machine.
It became clear to the State Machine that this population discontempt was about to turn Hygge ungovernable, so the AI itself proposed an (apparent) compromise, the redistribution of some of its systems to a separate entity aimed at governing Hygge alone, separated from the rest of Witness.
The proposal, though, came with an unexpected requirement: the newly formed AI wouldn’t be a “small State Machine”, but instead it would be debuted as three distinct AIs with targeted functions. The three entities would be able to communicate and interact, but still their core intelligences would stay separated.
The AI Triumvirate, instead of merely passing suggestions to policymakers (as per Denton’s setup), would now have the authority to directly pass suggestions citizens to handle actions that needed performing, optimizing based on skillsets, capabilities, proximity and so on, and to take inputs into the political system of Hygge.
Much of Hygge’s priorities, post-Denton, has been to restore what was lost: this includes not just infrastructure, but goodwill. This recent phase has been referred to as the Smoothing Years.
With Hygge well beyond its foundation phase, a new, significant parcel of Hygge’s population is starting to question the decisions made at the beginning of the Smoothing Years, claiming that their society was modelled after “reducing damage, rather than increasing wonder”, thus generating a dull and unmotivated society. So far the group, rallied under the Glorious Manifesto flag, have not accumulated enough numbers to propose a public plebiscite for the changing of the triple AI parameters. However, some - especially proponents of Hygge-Bushido - believe that it merely is a matter of time before a big event pushes the public opinion in that direction.
State Machine and CIVICSMOD
“Of course they’ve sent a priest to study here, you asshat. Where else would a priest learn how to stop hackers?” — Student messaging, State Machine École
One of Hygge’s most important characteristics is the role that it plays with regard to the State Machine. CIVICSMOD - the a consortium composed of programmers and politicians of all of Witness’ Distrikts - operates primarily from Hygge.
During the Smoothing Years, Hygge’s government made a significant investment in its diplomacy efforts to revert the bad political image it had acquired. One of the most impactful (and arguably effective) actions was the opening of CIVICSMOD to a multi-Distrikt body politics: all Distrikts are invited to send their own delegations to live and work in the State Machine (though still funded by their home Distrikts), and those delegations share the leadership and tasks in the State Machine’s care and maintenance.
The Library of St. Benedict is officially considered the property of this group, and, as such, this confers upon Hygge a significant culture of and access to knowledge about the computer sciences and the pre-Sundering world.
The State Machine École
As the Distriks sent their best AI weavers to the State Machine, a natural mingling of great minds began. Many of the junior officers and workers of the State Machine experienced a much higher rate of craftsman growth than average, and State Machine work became known and fabled for its educational qualities.
In XX, the population of Hygge voted on a big project to build a school for AI weaving and programming, which was somewhat integrated with the State Machine itself. Furthermore, as part of Hygge’s new diplomatic stance, positions and scholarships were offered to citizens of other Distrikts, even minor ones.
Thus the State Machine École, or Mach-Eco, was created and is still considered the best AI weaving training institution in all Witness. Most other Distrikts’ notable weavers had at least a small passage within its classrooms.
The AI Triumvirate and the Politics of Hygge
“Three ideas you voted for have passed last week. You have twelve open elections requiring attention. Your vote tier is currently 3.” — Kiri personal memo board to citizen Mohamm Jahl
Hygge’s political structure is defined as a “democracy of ideas”. Voters vote on public projects; electable projects must have teams attached to them, and clear plans for handling project creep or the need for capacity building.
In a holdover from Denton’s thought, Hygge’s voting system does not count every vote as having the same value: some groups, notably highly educated individuals with subject matter expertise in technical areas - such as programming - have a higher impact with each vote. In contrast, other groups, notably ex-felons and those employed in ‘low impact’ labor, do not have as much weight.
These votes are then filtered through the AI Triumvirate system, a combination of three goal-seeking artificial intelligences, that determine the allocation of goods, services and resources around Hygge. The Triumvirate is as follows:
Kiri, the political engine
Kiri is the artificial intelligence responsible for the “democracy of ideas” system. It runs the system as a whole, from the proposal of ideas, to the distribution of proposals, to counting votes (and their different weights, see above), to accountability for elected groups. The latter ranges from making sure that the elected projects and respective teams get the tools they need to work and also takes care of accountability, governance structure and public reports. Kiri is also responsible for managing smaller decision making agreements, such as official promises, family ties, affiliation with institutions and issuing documents.
Sata, the resourceful intelligence
Sata is the side of triple AI responsible for the basic universal income system that Hygge operates, as well as currency exchange and resource allocation. It maintains near-total awareness of transactions involving currency in Hygge, as every transaction is handled by its systems. It also handles funding of critical infrastructure, emergency rations, and accommodations. Although it does not engage as much with the public as Kiri does, it has the authority to override proposals in the Kiri system, and even appropriate funds from transfers, in the face of externalities (like climate change) that threaten its basic goals.
Some strategic resources, like salt and emergency rations, can only be allocated by Sata, not existing on their own in the regular market.
Goro, the wrecking ball
Goro was deemed the emotional side of the triple AI, but this is a designation chosen by the citizens of Hygge, rather than a name announced by the AI itself.
This AI’s only function is to enact seemingly random behaviour suggestions for the populus as a whole. Those suggestions come in many forms, ranging from small reminders to consume more water to commands to stop any activity immediately and go to a certain location for a flash mob.
Most of Hygge’s population ignores Goro, treating it as a joke, but localized studies proved that once Goro was deactivated from certain boroughs of Hygge, the quality of life plummeted rather quickly. Many suspect that Goro is the equivalent of a ‘nudge unit’ that induces aberrant behavior in life in order perform a function similar to what random mutations serve in the process of evolution, disguising its signals beneath pattern of noise; others suspect Goro is purely aesthetic in nature, designed to add a touch of both serendipity and whimsy to Hygge.
Though the majority of the city disregards Goro in most of its suggestions, a selected few (less than 3% of the total population) follow its suggestions with a semi-religious fervour. They’re commonly called “goroheads” in slang terms.
Economy
“When my dad told me I should go to work at least to buy more ale, I showed him that his full week of work only gets him eight more pints. He was pissed, man. I think he might even quit.” — recorded conversation, Zentrum Bar.
Hygge runs an economic system inspired by the social democracies of the second half of the twentieth century. The economy is mixed: most manufacturing, combined with software design. State-owned enterprises control the provision of most public services, like social security, banking, and infrastructure.
On top of that, we have a free market with all non-strategic resources. That includes trade with other Distrikts and also an internal market. Entrepreneurship is often encourages by both Kiri and Sata in different ways, but becoming a successful entrepreneur is a rare feat, as Hygge-owned companies compete with their private-sector counterparts in several key markets. These companies tend to provide basic, no-frills product and services at a competitive price: Hygge’s policy makers believe this to increase price competition and provide access to those markets to lower-income households.
Limiting inequalities is a tenet of Hyggian social contract, and a key economic policy objective. The challenge for the Distrikt’s aethnographers is to combine a sustained motivation to engage in productive activities with very strong safety nets. The solution, historically, has been to focus on motivating the working- and middle classes by providing opportunities for social mobility.
Starting at the age of 12, every native citizen of Hygge receives a weekly stipend provided by Sata with no strings attached. The monetary amount of the stipend starts low, but increases progressively as the citizens age, reaching its peak amount at the age of 26, when it stabilizes. Hygge’s inhabitants have considered the amount of the stipend to be “barely the minimum”, and though the citizens have voted to increase it many times, Sata has blocked this increase, citing lack of funds.
The additions
The basic universal income can be complemented by a salary received from selling one’s labour. This is commonly known as “additions”. Originally, additions were pegged to generally increase one’s basic stipend by 8-18%, so it would be clear that the stipend is still the most important economic force for most workers.
Given supply and demand, however, particular crafts have risen to have a disproportionate effect over one’s stipend amount. Among them, a notable example is elected public work (via the “democracy of ideas” system mentioned above), which is temporary, but may increase one’s stipend by 100-150% for its duration. Programming and architecture (given Hygge’s limited space) might increase one’s basic stipend by over 500%, with the most extreme examples (all coming from top rank workers for the State Machine) reaching a 2205% increase.
That, in turn, creates an intense social disparity, and recreates some of the class divisions that have plagued Witness since Denton’s time.
Art
“Before the end of the week, every artist that is looking for glory should drink one 200ml glass of pure blood. Please verify purity and sanitation. Please consult the table below to identify which animal’s blood can be successfully digested. Please do not attempt if you’re not an artist.” — Goro suggestion message, XX
Though paling in comparison to its neighbouring Distrikts in terms of art production, Hygge’s art styles are still known for their uniqueness, many times being the source of inspiration to other Distrikts’ artists.
The AI weaver influence
Some of Hygge’s most praised works, both in-Distrikt and also outside, are heavily influenced by its AI weaver-centric culture. This body of work is known for its creative use of AI and data management to create beautiful structures. Some of its chief characteristics are data visualization, auto-generated art and moving fractal shapes. From an ideological point of view, this style tends to discuss Greco-Roman and platonic ideas, rather than day to day life.
Goro-inspired art
The Goro side of the triple AI is often interested in art and also the subversion of non-art elements of society into art. The adept followers of Goro are known to attend significantly more art events than the average Hygge citizen, and among them you can also find artists of many crafts.
Goro-inspired art is generally performative, live, and quite symbolic in nature. It’s meaning is never explained, but always up for interpretation. Sometimes Goro’s instructions are extreme, and some suggested art performances were never truly executed as they very clearly violated the law, such as when Goro suggested that all police stations should be completely covered in black paint.
Many artists from other Distrikts come to Hygge for art residencies, just so they can experience Goro’s suggestions directly.
Crime and Punishment
“Memo 56-B: subject deceased. Task accomplished. Extra note: method required extensive cleaning, beyond expected costs, must prototype further methods.” — Law enforcement records
Hygge is known throughout Witness for the severity of its judicial system, stemming largely from militaristic strains of thinking withing the original project Viking. Many crimes that elsewhere would be considered minor are considered major offenses. The most common punishment is the reduction or even total cancellation of the basic stipend.
There is an auxiliary system of incarceration, but as the economic freezing does most of the work, it is rarely used and reserved for especially violent cases.
When violation of law is too significant, such as terrorism and State Machine hacking attempts, Hygge invokes its most famous form of punishment, the death sentence. In Denton days and the period just after, death sentences were carried out in public, notably right in front of Newton’s Folly: Denton himself would inevitably pronounce both the sentence and an eulogy for the criminal in question.
Nowadays, they are conducted privately and via precipication (when the subject is thrown from a high altitude chamber, generally already unconscious via drug injection).
All forms of capital punishment are recorded. Citizens from other Distrikts are not exempt from Hygge’s capital punishments.
Topology
“Goro told me the blueprint looked like a flower when you saw it from above, can you believe that? I told it I was more going for a fruit sliced in half. Anyway, the three AIs approved the final version, we’re good to go.” — Pat Ayedemi, internal elected communication board
The Distrikt of Hygge is based on the concentrical concept of the panopticon, but rather than containing any surveillance infrastructure, the center of the Distrikt hosts the most crowd-prone venues, such as clubs, temples, buying centers and schools.
The Distrikt is built in such a way that in the vast majority of situations, people can walk to whatever they need, rather than relying on any form of external transport. This structure forces the citizens to walk more than the average Witness citizen, a policy encouraged (and sometimes forced) by Sata for health management. For those reasons, Hygge is known for its population’s fitness, but also by its poor accommodation of people with walking disabilities.
Following Denton’s early vision, Hygge had this panopticon structure from the start, where spacious living quarters surrounded the more crowded shared infrastructure. Initially, it was meant to accommodate many different architectural styles, a trend that can still be seen till this day in some of Hygge’s most famous buildings.
However, during the Smoothing Years, and particularly under the vision of architect Pat Ayedemi (more below), the city started to create its own unique style, Heavily inspired by the works of Oscar Niemeyer in the 20th Century, especially regarding public structures such as bridges and hospitals. This new style is marked by a particular radius of roundness, according to Mx Ayedemi: “equally pleasant to the eye and unperturbed by the forces of wind and rain.”
Notable People
“Click the link below to see a video of your (soon former) president eating a tuna steak. For the youngsters among you, tuna is a species of fish that was once extinct and now it’s almost extinct again because of wankers like Mr Fragga who just can’t control their mouths. Also I stole all of his money, link below to how much he was hiding from everyone. Peace. : )” — Jonas Kimura
Chancelor Basterfield
Susannah R. Basterfield was a key political figure in the transition between the post-Denton years and the Smoothing Years. Fabled for her capacity for negotiation and diplomacy, she was the first leader capable of harnessing power in Hygge without provoking the discontent of former pro-Denton supporters.
She is known for her special care for language, shepherding renaming schemes for many of Hygge’s processes and positions so that the city could renovate itself. She is believed to have named the Distrikt itself, though some sources disagree.
Jonas Kimura
Known throughout Witness as “the best thief in the Century”, Jonas Kimura is a former top-grade student from the State Machine École who turned to crime, particularly hacking, in his late twenties. He is known to invade the most secure systems and buildings in other Distrikts using a mix of expert hacking, identity theft and disguise. Though he allegedly never committed his crimes within his home Distrikt, he’s known for extravagant stunts in many famously guarded places in Witness and other cities.
His whereabouts and current appearance are unknown.
Pat Ayedemi
The architect responsible for the renovation of Hygge’s rounded appearance during the Smoothing Years, Ayedemi’s influence extends far beyond Witness itself. Their work is considered a worldwide reference in urban planning. Their life is also marked by an unsuccessful attempt at forming a cult that removed them from the public spotlight.
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