Three-Gear Currency System

“Credits access. Marks unlock. Joules protect.”

Liana Banyan uses three interlocking currencies that serve different purposes but mesh like gears in a machine. This isn’t complexity for complexity’s sake — it’s separation of concerns applied to economics.

Why Three Currencies?

The Problem with One Currency

If you have only one currency:

• Buying power = reputation (unfair)
• Early wealth = permanent advantage
• Can’t reward different behaviors differently

The Three-Gear Solution

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                              │
│         CREDITS          MARKS           JOULES             │
│         ⚙️               ⚙️               ⚙️                 │
│        /   \            /   \            /   \              │
│   (Service)      (Reputation)     (Locked Value)            │
│                                                              │
│   Can buy: YES      Can buy: NO       Can buy: NO           │
│   Transfer: NO      Transfer: NO      Transfer: NO          │
│   Cash out: NO      Cash out: NO      Cash out: NO          │
│                                                              │
│         ↓               ↓               ↓                   │
│      ACCESS          UNLOCK          PROTECT                │
│                                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Each gear turns independently but they mesh together.

Gear 1: Credits

The service access currency

What Credits Are

• 1 Credit = $1 worth of platform services
• Primary transaction currency
• Used for voting, purchasing, backing

How to Get Credits

What Credits Do

• Vote on projects
• Purchase products
• Back campaigns
• Donate to initiatives
• Pay for services

Credit Rules

Analogy: Arcade tokens. Valuable here, only here.

Gear 2: MARKS

The reputation currency

What MARKS Are

• Reputation tokens you can’t buy
• Earned only through contribution
• Measure of community trust

How to Earn MARKS

What MARKS Unlock

MARK Rules

Analogy: Loyalty status. You earned it, you keep it.

Gear 3: Joules

The locked-value service currency

What Joules Are

• Service credits with locked-in value at earning time
• Like a special token that always buys the same amount
• Earned when you back projects or contribute

How to Earn Joules

The Locked Value Advantage

REGULAR CREDITS:
  Year 1: 100 Credits buys X services
  Year 3: Prices adjust
  Year 3: 100 Credits might buy less

JOULES:
  Year 1: Earn 100 Joules (worth 100 Credits)
  Year 3: Those 100 Joules STILL buy 100 Credits worth
  Result: Purchasing power PROTECTED

Analogy: Forever stamps. Always valid for one first-class letter, regardless of future price increases.

What Joules Provide

• Locked service value — Inflation protection
• Voting weight — Governance influence
• Attribution — Your name in records
• Priority access — Earlier feature access

Joule Rules

How the Gears Mesh

The Participation Cycle

1. BUY CREDITS
        ↓
2. USE PLATFORM (back projects, complete tasks)
        ↓
3. EARN JOULES (locked-value service credits)
        ↓
4. EARN MARKS (reputation unlocks multipliers)
        ↓
5. JOULES + MARKS = Better rates on future activity
        ↓
6. BUILD YOUR BUSINESS (use services for external ventures)
        ↓
   REPEAT (advantage compounds)

Example Journey

Marcus joins Liana Banyan:

1. Buys 100 Credits ($100)
2. Backs HexIsle at Pre-Mint (50 credits)
   • Earns 250 Joules (50 × 5x)
3. Project ships → Platform allocates 25 bonus Credits
4. Completes a bounty → Earns 50 MARKS + 100 Credits
5. After 6 months:
   • 475 Credits (from bonuses and work)
   • 250 Joules (locked value)
   • 200 MARKS (Sprout level)

Marcus’s $100 → Operational advantage that compounds.

Currency Comparison Table

Why Non-Transferable?

All three currencies are non-transferable because:

1. Prevents speculation — Can’t buy MARKS from others
2. Rewards participation — Must engage to earn
3. Stops manipulation — Can’t create markets
4. Legal compliance — Not securities if non-transferable
5. Fair distribution — Wealth comes from contribution

The Arcade Token Model

All three currencies work like arcade tokens:

This is NOT an investment platform. You’re buying service access, like a gym membership or arcade tokens.

Making Real Money

The currencies don’t cash out. Here’s how members actually make money:

1. Complete gig work — Others pay you for tasks
2. Build a business — Use platform services for your operations
3. Raise capital externally — Kickstarter, Wefunder, etc.
4. Keep your profits — LB is your vendor, not investor

Credits and Joules make your business cheaper to operate. They’re tools for building, not income sources.

Implementation Notes

AI Role

• Calculates all balances
• Applies multipliers
• Tracks transactions

Human Role

• Sets earning rules (governance)
• Arbitrates disputes
• No manual balance adjustments

Database Structure

member_currencies (
  member_id,
  credits_balance,
  marks_total,    -- Never decreases
  joules_total,   -- Never decreases
  joules_locked_value  -- $ equivalent at earning
)

Credits access. Marks unlock. Joules protect. Build your business.

FOR THE KEEP!