Attention Is a Resource. They Control the Flow.
The Pulse Union is a massive cooperative of artists, performers, streamers, designers, influencers, venue operators, and identity architects centered in Neon Row—but felt across the entire City.
They are not entertainers.
They are cultural labor.
In a society where survival is guaranteed, meaning becomes scarce.
The Pulse Union produces meaning at scale.
They decide what is visible.
They decide what feels relevant.
They decide what the City is talking about right now.
The Pulse Union formed during a period of cultural stagnation, when guaranteed survival produced a quiet crisis of apathy.
Art existed—but it was fragmented.
Creators competed individually for attention.
Platforms exploited visibility without accountability.
Neon Row workers unionized not for wages, but for reach.
They negotiated collective control over:
Major distribution platforms
Venue access
Algorithmic visibility pipelines
Cultural event scheduling
Once unified, they realized something dangerous:
Culture moves faster than law.
The Pulse Union operates as a hybrid between a labor union, platform cooperative, and cultural cartel.
Creator Guilds – Medium-specific collectives (music, AR art, performance, fashion, memetics)
Visibility Councils – Allocate spotlight time, trending boosts, and platform access
Venue Syndics – Control physical and virtual performance spaces
Dispute Moderation Cells – Handle internal conflict and public backlash
Membership is voluntary—but exclusion is devastating.
Visibility is leverage
Outrage is a tool, not a mistake
Trends are temporary—impact isn’t
Neutrality is indistinguishable from opposition
Creators argue constantly.
They still vote together when threatened.
The Pulse Union does not censor.
It redirects attention.
Signals trend amplification
Buries narratives under novelty
Elevates voices that align with the moment
Lets controversies burn—or suffocates them with silence
When the Union aligns behind a message, it becomes unavoidable.
When it withdraws attention, causes wither.
The City does not tell the Pulse Union what to promote.
It asks.
To citizens, the Pulse Union is omnipresent.
They shape:
Fashion cycles
Slang and memetics
Protest aesthetics
What counts as “cool,” “radical,” or “outdated”
Supporters see them as:
Cultural democratizers
A defense against corporate media
Artists with collective power
Critics accuse them of:
Manufacturing outrage
Performing activism
Turning identity into commodity
Both views are accurate.
The Patrons: Constant tension. Patronage seeks stability; Pulse thrives on disruption.
Block Councils: Uneasy allies. Street legitimacy matters.
Mirror Syndicates: Overlapping territory. Identity is both art and weapon.
Assembly Secretariat: Mutual frustration. Law can’t keep up with trends.
External Interests: Aggressive courting. Cultural influence travels easily.
Players encounter the Pulse Union when perception becomes reality.
A movement needs visibility to survive
A scandal threatens to erase someone’s career
A fabricated controversy spirals out of control
The Union fractures over a political line
External actors attempt to hijack cultural channels
Players may:
Negotiate spotlight access
Protect or expose creators
Trigger or suppress viral movements
Become cultural symbols themselves
The Pulse Union respects authenticity that resonates.
They punish irrelevance.
The Pulse Union is perpetually unstable.
Idealists believe art should challenge power
Strategists see culture as leverage
Opportunists chase clout above consequence
When consensus breaks, culture splinters overnight.
But even fractured, the Union remains powerful.
Because attention always flows somewhere.
The Pulse Union never needed weapons.
They control something far more volatile:
What people care about.
In a City where no one owns the streets, the systems, or the future—
the Pulse Union owns the moment.
And moments, stacked together, become history.