Lifestyles of the Rich and (In)Famous - what would you do?

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

If money were no object...what heroic/villainous thing(s) would you do?

 

This week, the EuroMillions jackpot has hit its maximum of €220m (£184m in the UK, $255m in the US, or 7.8ml of Gretzky tears in Canada).

It doesn't keep rolling like the USA - once it's maxed, it "cascades" down and splits amongst the winners of the first available prize tier.

But needless to say, that kind of split ain't to be sneezed at.

 

So if you had plenty to spare - and €220m is plenty in any country - how would you indulge your dreams of heroism (and/or villainy?)

I've got three in mind, but feel free to add as few or as many as you like.

 

Me:

1) The Lair. Because if you've got villain money (or spoiled brat emoboi inheritance), you need an iconic crib to go with it.

And for a Psi/Emp old hippy like me, where better than your very own power pyramid - with a pool?

https://www.lionard.com/extraordinary-sea-front-luxury-villa-sardinia.html

 

2) The Tech. I'm interested in a lot of branches of science, but - given recent events in my life - robotics and prosthetic musculature has taken on more than casual interest. I support Team Unlimbited when I can, but would be investing heavily in some more sophisticated gear so I'm still punching well into old age. It's a sector that's definitely coming of age, and I'll need it to walk my terrifying robot sniper guard dogs so they don't leak oil on the carpet.

 

3) The Foundation. Every wealthy hero needs a Foundation, not least for tax reasons, disguising those tricky purchases of bulletproof tyres, and having regular balls to look fabulous at (and lure unsuspecting villains into traps. You're not the only ones who can plan, y'know.) But the Dreamweaver Foundation - or similar, less Adobe-copyright-lawyer-baiting name - would specialise in small, rapid grants to small, local charities that are in serious, short-term trouble.

 

So what would you do?

Edited October 13, 2021 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[GraspingVileTerror]

Restore City of Heroes to paid development, with an emphasis on diverse content generation and ethical job security for developers.

[Luminara]

12 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

If money were no object...what heroic/villainous thing(s) would you do?

 

Fund foster homes for abused and molested children.  Provide grants for dementia research, cystic fibrosis research and cancer research.  Build a cat rescue village.  Buy the BBC and hand it over to Jeremy Clarkson.  Begin colonization of the moon and Mars.

[InvaderStych]

2 hours ago, Luminara said:

Buy the BBC and hand it over to Jeremy Clarkson.

 

Thank you for this.  I needed to read something like this.  I want to live in this world.

[Triumphant]

Most likely nothing, because I would probably die of shock/heart attack, after learning that I had won that much money.  😛

[UltraAlt]

16 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

So if you had plenty to spare - and €220m is plenty in any country - how would you indulge your dreams of heroism (and/or villainy?)

 

Invest some of it in stock. (takes money to make money)

 

Set-up monthly donations to probably multiple food banks at a sustainable rate for the next 20-40 years. Covering the area that I live in now and expanding outwards as sustainably able.

 

Find some way to donate to public education especially to reading, mathematics, and science education at the K-6th grade level. The foundation of a child's learning is critical to the rest of their life.

 

Most likely have to move someplace else as your name and the city you live in often announced when you win. So I guess I would make that my new lair.

 

Most likely have to quit my job for the same reason as above and put on the mask.

 

Probably donate some to cancer research. 

 

And quite possibly use funds to investigate and properly out corrupt politicians and political machinations of such criminals ... using methods as stealthy as possible.

 

Possibly build some sort of low income housing for those that are truly in need. Though I think that this would be a money losing proposition if done properly.

 

Game when I wanted to and get busy on the writing that I never have time to do because of a full time job and my gaming habits. 

 

Might have time to build a giant robot suit in my spare time.

 

Space tourism is still too expensive or I might be attracted to that.

[biostem]

The real world doesn't work like movies or video games - trying to build a lair or actually engage in superheroism/villainy wouldn't last too long.  You'd be far better off trying to start a charity that could both help people and keep your memory "alive" after you no longer are, or create a product line that is extremely exploitative but nevertheless sells really well, (if you want to be villainous).

 

If we're talking about a scenario where things are a bit more fantastical, then what I'd want to do is to create some sort of powersuit/life sustaining tech for myself, and I'd sell/give away less powerful versions of it to help the crippled/paralyzed and/or supplement construction workers, etc.  I'd probably avoid directly producing military products, and create a fairly cohesive PR campaign talking about our "tremendous breakthroughs" that allow a person to lift and move at a normal rate, (no overtly superhuman stuff).

 

Realistically, though, I think I'd be too chicken to participate in the heroing directly - I'd probably stick to telepresence and/or drones instead.

 

I've been rewatching "Thunderbirds are Go!" lately, and something like International Rescue would be really cool to implement as well...

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

9 hours ago, biostem said:

The real world doesn't work like movies or video games - trying to build a lair or actually engage in superheroism/villainy wouldn't last too long.  You'd be far better off trying to start a charity that could both help people and keep your memory "alive" after you no longer are, or create a product line that is extremely exploitative but nevertheless sells really well, (if you want to be villainous).

 

I had a thought about this while casually writing a sketch idea.

If you wanted to go unnoticed as a supervillain, start a marketing agency.

• No-one has any idea what the hell they do. Including people who work there.
• They buy and expense for all kinds of strange and inexplicable things.
• They never have to produce anything tangible to show for it, or that doesn't disappear after a month or so.
• Staff training in martial arts and/or firearms is clearly motivational training... and survival is a great performance incentive.
• Ad execs are pretty evil to start with, so a lot of behaviours - keeping odd hours, referring to staff as "minions", regular bouts of insane laughter - can be written off as common industry practice.

9 hours ago, biostem said:

I've been rewatching "Thunderbirds are Go!" lately, and something like International Rescue would be really cool to implement as well...

 

They kinda exist already. But giving them the proper kit would be fun.

https://www.rescue-uk.org/who-we-are

 

This mob are also pretty awesome: pre-made shelter and disaster response kits, ready to ship at a moment's notice in near-indestructible (and therefore also insanely useful) boxes.

https://www.shelterbox.org/about/how-we-work/

 

13 hours ago, Luminara said:

Buy the BBC and hand it over to Jeremy Clarkson. 

Not sure if heroic or villainous act here?

Mind you, having worked with the guy, good at making the right puffling noises to satisfy the Daily Mail and DCMS, but way too lazy to make many changes. Not such a bad idea either way.

Edited October 14, 2021 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Luminara]

9 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Not sure if heroic or villainous act here?

 

Considering that we live in a time when practically anything said or done is bound to send someone into a tizzy because too many people have become reliant on having someone to "protect" them from the horror of having to mature emotionally, and we're dependent on nanny states and Internet police to guard us from imagined and perceived offenses, instead of growing up and letting the meaningless, petty stuff slide, I see someone acting as a hatpin aimed directly at the over-inflated egos of everyone, including himself, to be heroic.  At the head of a global broadcasting network which reaches over a billion people, he'd be the perfect anodyne to a lot of our juvenile snowflake stupidity.  And entertaining.

 

Besides,

[Techwright]

Not sure exactly what I'd do, but as one who loves kids, always wanted kids, but will probably never have them, I'd probably find some way to put the rest of my days, and my new-found fortune into an orphanage somewhere, likely adopting several of the orphans, and serving as one of the mentors and patrons to the rest.  I can think of no finer end to my life than pouring love onto children who need it, and raising a wise and respectable generation, even if I'm too old to play football with them.  That, to me, is heroic.

Edited November 9, 2021 by Techwright

[ner879]

On 10/13/2021 at 3:27 PM, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

The Foundation. Every wealthy hero needs a Foundation, not least for tax reasons, disguising those tricky purchases of bulletproof tyres, and having regular balls to look fabulous at (and lure unsuspecting villains into traps. You're not the only ones who can plan, y'know.) But the Dreamweaver Foundation - or similar, less Adobe-copyright-lawyer-baiting name - would specialise in small, rapid grants to small, local charities that are in serious, short-term trouble.

 

Agree with it, Sometimes I felt that if rich people helps to growing on food and human empowerment then world should be changed.  But mostly people has not a time to personally help anyone or donate local charities.