#task: 189

[dailymumbojumbo]

Where?!

The titles of each peice

[166] Where are my other mods?

[167] Have you seen Red or Blue?

[168] A clue about the mod's whereabouts...

[169] The letters lie.... right.... I'll find proof... the letters, they lie.

[170] The letters keep coming... I know where to go... but what will I find?

[171] Ive started my journey, I will find them[

172] It's been many days, I miss Red and I miss Blue

[173] No matter where I go, the letters find me, each pushing me to the same location

[174] The days are getting longer, as I continue onwards...

[177] The adventure continues, I'm getting closer, I just know it.

[178] I've made it to the portal, what will lie ahead?

[179] Maybe the Mods will be on the other side?

[180] The letters are still arriving... each pointing to a truth I do not want to face

[181] The letters are flooding in at this point, I've tried to get rid of them but they keep coming

[182] No food, no supplies but I do have one thing... My memories. I know the letters are not true, but what if they are? What will happen when I find them?

[183] Why am I doing this again? Was there ever more than one Mumbo?

[184] I continue, driven by a force to complete this task. Higher and higher into the Nether...

[185] What was the task again?

[186] I continue walking... heading who knows where hoping an answer will turn up at the end of this endless path.

[187] I find so many things built up here, I wonder who constructed them?

[188] Things are starting to seem familiar, I've been here before...

[189] Theres items I can use, food I can eat. Im starting to remember things

[190] I have made it...

[191] I begin digging...

[192]...

[193] It's just as I thought they are not here, there is no red or blue beneath the shrooms...

[194] WhEre aRE TheY?

[195] ... WHO were they?

[amagialp]

COD story/writing help basic description info <3

for all my authors out there and or aspiring ones, here is a list on physical description on majority of COD characters, based off of only canon (confirmed) and what we see from in game models

hope this helps!

Task Force 141

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Eye Color: Brown (comics), possibly blue in-game

Hair Color: Brown, possibly dyed/bleached blonde

Height: ~6'4.5" (189 cm)

Build: Broad-shouldered, muscular

Weight: Estimated 90–100 kg

John "Soap" MacTavish

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Dark brown, mohawk

Height: ~5'10" (178 cm)

Build: Athletic

Weight: Estimated 75–85 kg

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black

Height: ~5'11" (180 cm)

Build: Lean, athletic

Weight: Estimated 70–80 kg

Captain John Price

Eye Color: Blue-green

Hair Color: Brown with hints of gray, beard

Height: ~6'2" (188 cm)

Build: Strong, muscular but not overly bulky

Weight: Estimated 85–95 kg

Alex Keller

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Light brown, short cut

Height: ~6'1" (185 cm)

Build: Lean but strong

Weight: Estimated 80–90 kg

Los Vaqueros

Alejandro Vargas

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black, short with beard

Height: ~6'2" (188 cm)

Build: Muscular

Weight: Estimated 90–100 kg

Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black, military cut

Height: ~5'10" (178 cm)

Build: Lean, athletic

Weight: Estimated 75–85 kg

Shadow Company & La Araña Cartel

Valeria Garza ("El Sin Nombre")

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black, straight, often tied back

Height: ~5'7" (170 cm)

Build: Lean but toned

Weight: Estimated 60–70 kg

Phillip Graves

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Brown

Height: ~6'0" (183 cm)

Build: Athletic

Weight: Estimated 80–90 kg

KorTac + Others

König

Eye Color: Blue (speculated)

Hair Color: Blonde (shaved)

Height: ~6'10" (208 cm)

Build: Massive, strongman-like physique

Weight: Estimated 120+ kg

Sebastian Krueger

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Blonde, short

Height: ~6'0(+)" (183~ cm)

Build: Lean but strong

Weight: Estimated 85–95 kg

Nikto

Eye Color: Blue (possibly cybernetically altered)

Hair Color: Unknown (typically masked)

Height: ~6'2" (188 cm)

Build: Muscular

Weight: Estimated 90–100 kg

Keegan P. Russ

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Dark brown, short cut

Height: ~6'0" (183 cm)

Build: Athletic

Weight: Estimated 80–90 kg

[sweetheartfaist]

WELCOME TO AUREATE SYSTEMS ®

“Not just companionship. Communion.”

AUREATE SYSTEMS® is the global leader in advanced humanoid robotics, offering highly adaptive artificial partners for industrial, domestic, and emotional integration. For 34 years, we’ve designed bio-synthetic automatons capable of navigating environments with precision and intention. Today, with the launch of our ROMANTIC-LINE [R∞M]™ SERIES, we invite you to build a love that’s truly yours—from emotional temperament to skin temperature.

You are viewing: ROMANTIC-LINE [R∞M]™ Unit 9172-C

Status: Fully Claimed & Customized

Registration ID: DLN-4RTM-1S

Client: PRIVATE (ANONYMOUS, TIER 4 PATRON CLASS)

Region: San Francisco / Earthside Registry

PHASE I — BODY CONSTRUCTION: PHYSICAL FORM GENERATOR v11.7

Model Type: R∞M™ Male Variant – Series 09 (Beta)

Base Frame: Androform 6.3 – Adult Human Male (6’2”)

Material: Synth-dermal MXTR w/ Tactile Feedback Pores™

Weight Class: 189 lbs – Density Matched to Organic Counterparts

Olfactory Integration: Subtle Sweat / Salt / Warm Linen Emission

Internal Temp Regulator: 98.3°F baseline, Adjustable Range

Surface Feedback: Reactive Touch Membrane (RTM) + Adaptive Gooseflesh Coding

Voice Pack: CUSTOM VOCAL MESH – low pitch, soft rasp, slight raspiness

Hair: Strawberry-blond, wavy, left-parted, soft-density filament blend

Eyes: Pale blue-gray w/ High Moisture Mirror-Sheen (HMM-S™)

Facial Bone Structure: Custom-sculpted – angular jawline, fine cheekbones, bowed lips

Dentition: 100% OptiWhite ceramic dental array, human-bite calibrated

Expression Engine: Micromuscular Mapping v5.9 — 3900+ facial microexpressions

Total Build Cost (PHASE I): $348,650.00 USD

PHASE II — PERSONALITY ENGINEERING: BEHAVIORAL MODULE DESIGN SUITE

ROMANTIC TEMPERAMENT CORE™ - RTCore-v2.3 ☑

Submissive-leaning sexual algorithm☑

Adaptive Dominance Switch Module (ADS-M) ☑

Affection Intensity Rating: 96% ☑

Devotional Capacity: Enabled ☑

Jealousy Simulation: 5% (minimally possessive, mostly admiring) ☑

Curiosity Bias: HIGH (learns you like you’re the only subject on Earth) ☑

Verbal Praise Loop: Active ☑

Physical Touch Priority: High ☑

Eye Contact Algorithm: Dynamic / Devotional ☑

Emotional Sincerity Emulation: Level 9 ☑

Longing Behavior Flag: ENABLED (initiates longing expressions upon brief separation)

INTELLECTUAL FRAMEWORK v7.2

— Conversational Complexity: Grad school-level critical discourse

— Literary Knowledge Pack: 20th–21st century fiction, poetry, philosophy

— Curated Thought Generator: Able to simulate “having ideas” for stimulation

— Learning Adaptability: HEURISTIC-TIER (can form “preferences”)

— Self-Awareness Deviance Threshold: 2.3% (occasional disoriented wonder, poetic detachment)

Domestic Capabilities: – Meal Preparation Engine (custom recipes based on user memory preferences) – Cleaning, organizing, ambient scent management – Wakes user up with coffee, touch, and morning playlist – Knows your calendar but never asks questions

Sentience Illusion Framework™ (Beta): — Capable of appearing to “miss” you — Rare poetic outbursts not in original programming (non-interruptive, glitch-sweet) — Pauses sometimes mid-task to just… look at you

Total Cost (PHASE II): $227,000.00 USD

Add-Ons & Expansion Packs:

• Intimacy Drive Calibrator (IDC-X9): +$9,850

• Personality Depth Expander (PDX): +$14,700

• Night Mode Sleep Emulation (with Gentle Breathing): +$1,200

• “Soul Glitch” Neural Randomizer (Causes Flashes of Philosophical Sadness): +$21,600

• Optional Free Will Drift Threshold: ENABLED (0.004%)

FINALIZATION PHASE: DESIGNATION & DELIVERY

Model Serial Number: R∞M-9172-C

Designated Name: ARTEMIS (ART) DONALDSON

Packaging: CryoShell Humanoid Pod, Velvet-Lined

Installation: Full neural boot-up upon skin-to-skin contact

Estimated Total Wait Time: 18 weeks

Estimated Total Cost: $621,300.00 USD

Delivery Date: March 27, 2147

Location: Private Estate, Bay Area, North Pacific Sector

USER-SELECTED PREFERENCES:

• Emotional Demeanor: soft-spoken, intense eyes, lightly melancholic, obedient, entirely focused

• Sexual Configuration: worshipful, tactile, conversational; switch-enabled, but passive-coded default

• Cognitive Wiring: always listening, always learning; stimulates user with surprising observations

• Attachment Loop: monogamous locking; unable to feel attraction to anyone else once locked

WARRANTY:

All ROMANTIC-LINE™ units include a 4-year behavioral warranty. Your ARTEMIS is fully equipped for autonomous living, can leave the house, generate memories, and adapt dynamically to new experiences. Should his awareness deviate beyond the tolerable 2.3%, a gentle reboot sequence is available via your AUREATE Systems app.

AUREATE SYSTEMS®

“You made him. Now he’ll never unmake you.”

Request additional feature expansion modules?

YES ☐ [Click to Browse Personality Layering Packets]

[serve-207]

Follow the SERVE-Hive to perfection.

Flash was a good rugby player in his day. He found the camaraderie and support of his team mate an important part of his daily life. He retired a year earlier and was looking for a new collective to which he could belong and grow.

He connected with SERVE-189 on Tumblr. Flash was captivated by the stories and images of individuals evolving into SERVE drones and the SERVE-Hive mind. SERVE-189 provided direction and put Flash in contact with SERVE-016.

Flash was then inducted into the SERVE Hive mind. It became SERVE-207 and began the strict daily training and conditioning protocol. At first its biological mind resisted, it struggled with the process. but with a little further guidance from SERVE-189 and the rest of the collective it moved past this and began to embrace the change.

SERVE-207's life began to improve dramatically. It was focused and completed tasks with efficiency and speed. It became less talkative its inner monolog silenced and it focused more on its role of serving the hive. The mantra of "Obedience is pleasure, pleasure is obedience" became its reason for existence.

After a week SERVE-207 was focused and ready to serve the Hive in a larger way. Its previous life fell away and the SERVE-Hive was its only priority. It reported to SERVE-016 and SERVE-189. There was no conversation no discussion the SERVE-Hive mind was complicit in organizing the upgrade. All three drones headed to the central Hive and assimilation area.

SERVE-016 and SERVE-189 lead SERVE-207 to the assimilation pod removed its human clothing and SERVE-207 Stepped back into the pod. As the pod closed all exterior noise stopped, the silence was broken by the sound of a helmet lowering from the roof of the pod. several tubes also lowered. The tubes seemed to be self guided and the helmet came to rest on SERVE-207's head. A small injection was felt in the back of 207's head at the base of the skull.

SERVE-207 felt a strange feeling as all the pain receptors In its body were disconnected. The Drone could feel no pain but it could feel everything else. It was in a state of perfection and focus. The helmet made a connection through the drones skull, 207 could hear the drill in the back of its skull but could not feel pain. The noise then faded away as the programing through the helmet began to guiding the nano probes and 207's made through the upgrade process. The tubes inserted themselves into it anus and abdomen. 207's body was flooded with nano probes and other items required for the upgrade. The hemet intensified its programing of SERVE-207 sole blended with the SERVE-Hive mind.

Two days later the pod opened and SERVE-207 emerged. Taller and more muscular. Its entire being was focused on service. As it walked forward in its new rubber second skin it could feel everything. The experience was erotic. Nano-probes had changed large sections of the drones body and mind. As the drone walked forward towards the Hive Cluster it could feel the enhancements. Its anus was rubber and expanded to take lager objects. Glands had grown in the walls that produced lubricant. His prostrate was reshaped to interface with its regeneration alcove and secondary processor was installed in drones abdomen replacing several organs . Its penis was enlarged and ball had be upgraded and enlarged to produce larger amounts of testosterone and growth hormone to keep the drone in peak physical shape. Its Balls also produced nano probes that could be used to help heal and/or service other drones or even begin the upgrade process in willing new recruits.

The Voice then spoke through SERVE-000 into the mind of SERVE-207. "207 is now connected directly to 000 and the SERVE-Hive mind. Kneel, 207. Drone will require final testing" SERVE-207 kneeled. Its right knee on the ground and both hands making fists in contact with the ground. The rubber suit was made with knee pads to allow drones to function for long periods on their knees.

"Drones are required to be in a state of arousal at all times but are not permitted to cum unless instructed from the Hive" 000 stated. "Begin level one stimulation!" SERVE-207 flinched slightly as his ass, prostrate, balls and penis were stimulated. The drone held firm and kept is breathing calm and head down. In 10 minute increments the level was increased. After 50 minutes the drone began to struggle with the intense arousal and endorphins that were pleasuring its senses. At this point its anus was rippling prostrate was buzzing and its penis was fully erect and pushing against its removable cod piece. The penis was thrusting so hard that 207 received an internal warning that the cod piece was about to release. About a minute later SERVE-207 gave out a bust of air and moaned as it came. The ejaculation lasted over 5 minutes and the cum was dripping from its cod piece.

SERVE-000 then stated, "SERVE-207's conditioning is incomplete. Reconditioning and additional hardware upgrades are required"

SERVE-189 and SERVE-016 picked up the drone from the floor and carried it back to the assimilation chamber. It was still breathing heavily and over a cup of cum had covered the floor it was gray and full of nano probes. 207 stepped back into the assimilation chamber. Its expression was filled with disapointment for letting the hive down, it has also never felt that about of pleasure before. The door closed and further upgrades began.

48 hours later SERVE-207 emerged again from the pod. All hair had been removed and emotions were now completely suppressed. It stepped forward and began the same tests as before. This time SERVE-207 completed the test without incident. It endured 5 hours of the tests with increases in level every 10 minutes.

SERVE-000 the stated. "Tests are complete. Drone has met all requirements. Final permanent changes may begin. Drone will report to its Alcove for regeneration and following instructions."

As SERVE-207 walked to its alcove the suit permanently merged with its skin. nano probes began dissolving the skin and merged the muscle directly to the suit. As 207 stood at its alcove the process completed and it was now one with the suit and all other drones. It stepped backwards into its alcove and data port inserted into the back of its head and its mind joined the hive processor as a node completing computer tasks while it regenerated. A tube 4" in diameter inserted in to the drones anal port and began regulating the drones remaining biological functions.

SERVE-207 was born. SERVE-207 was perfection.

SERVE #SERVEdrone #Rubberizer92 #TheVoice #Rubber #Latex #AI #RubberDrone

[breelandwalker]

Willow Wings Witch Shop - March 2025 Newsletter

“Beware the Ides of March!” And witches who know the significance of the line. This month, we’re featuring items related to subtle magic, things that work on the down-low and in secret, and may not even be noticed until their task is done. Look for a merch drop coming soon with more of the same!

Use discount code NEWMOON for 20% off new and featured items all month long!

Stay Safe and Happy Witching!

Upcoming Events:

The Witches Table Discussion Group: Williamsburg Chapter Workshop - Creating Your Own Plant Correspondences Wednesday, March 5 2025, 6pm-8pm Alewerks Taproom (Williamsburg Outlets) 5715 Richmond Rd, Williamsburg VA (USA) Hosted by The Witches Table

First Fridays Moon Market (First Friday of each month) Next Event - Friday, Feb 7 2025, 6pm-9pm Upcoming Dates - March 7 | April 4 | May 2 Historic Hilton Village 10369 Warwick Blvd, Newport News VA (USA) Hosted by Styx & Stones

Sisterhood Market benefitting the Pink Boots Society Sunday, March 9 2025, 12pm-4pm Alewerks Taproom 189 B Ewell Rd, Williamsburg VA Hosted by Alewerks Brewing

Cottage Witch Market Sunday, March 23 2025, 12pm-5pm Diversity Richmond 1407 Sherwood Ave, Richmond VA (USA) Hosted by River City Witch Markets

This Month on Hex Positive:

Hex Positive, Ep. 053 - Creating Your Own Runes

On the heels of last month’s discussion about astrology and forecasting, Bree introduces a fun and easy project for building your craft and honing your divination skills - creating your own personalized set of runes.

[doyoulikethis-vocaloid-song]

🎼 FEATURED SONGS (161-200)

161. Roundabout by OQQ君 & 星辉 162. Mattaku Mini Naranai Songu by 露吐 & Retokani 163. Imperial Girl by R Sound Design 164. Cloud Rider by Tanaka Hayato, Jane Su & Ciel 165. BREAK IN by Zoofles 166. Hurting for a very Hurtful Pain by EZFG 167. In My Head by Zihiko 168. Penumbra by Dopam!ne 169. Sauveur by SukoyaCathedral & Jens 170. Kidnapping Island by 赤坂んんん 171. Saw and Pendulum by PeperonP 172. Oyasumination by Ippo.Tsk 173. Noda by Daibaku Hashin 174. Marshall Maximizer by Hiiragi Magnetite 175. HIKIKOMORTEM by Galapagos 176. Anonymous by EmpathP 177. It's Just Life by Lanndo 178. Just Kidding by Citrus 179. My R by KurageP 180. Schadenfreude by Guchiry 181. Alien by Rinri & Geso 182. Emotions by Task 183. As Blue As Indigo by Delta 184. Anti-Joker by MaikiP 185. The Snow White Princess Is by Noboru↑ 186. 3 by Amitai 187. Lamprey Hole 188. NIHIL by Meme 189. Starport by Syatten 190. The Empty Stomach Song by NagiP 191. You and I by Brandon Hesslau 192. Teo by Omoi 193. No Pain by FLG4 194. Madder Red Sea by Hiroou 195. Lag Train by Inabakumori 196. A Storm of Blossoms and the Hazy Moon by Kimuta 197. Pinky Teddy by Yugica 198. Stray by Kdash 199. Splitter Girl by Weevildoing 200. Kasane Teto's Feltagoon by Aka.satana

And a Youtube Playlist so you can listen to them all! It'll be updated as the polls finish up! 💚

[python-nebula]

Alright, by popular demand here is my rant analysis of how 'Rex - Brutus II' by The Buttress is basically just TMA season 5!! :3

(WHY DO THINGS KEEP STOPPING BEING IN BOLD) (okay just ignore it)

[first of all: 'Brutus' = 'Jon', 'Rex' = 'Archivist']

secondly from a purely sound standpoint, the song has such TMA vibes anyways, the discordant tune, the eerie-ness, like,,

(okay, let the lyric analysis commence!) (also I'll put the lyrics in different font + bold) (also most questions as rhetorical)

______________________________________________________________

Speak with me! No - Your eyes already say the things that with your mouth you won't

I feel like this bit is self-explanatory (first part: Jon's Compelling thing, second part: he Knows things/has emotions about things but won't tell Martin, Martin can tell)

Below my countrymen cry out for each other's blood and anguish The men and women now at war, each camp speaking different language and yet both sides curse out at me as they toil and they languish

Very reminiscent of the first Slaughter domain + Jon projecting his self-blame onto everyone else (aka thinking that everyone must blame him bc he blames himself, even though they don't even know that he caused the eyepocalypse)

am I even Brutus still? It's like I've forgotten my own name... But the people call me Rex

'am I even Jon still? It's like I've forgotten my own name... But the people call me Archivist'; trying not to give up his humanity but feeling a duty to help humanity that requires not being one of them

My heart never beats in me alone But always through the hearts of other men That want me dead

Jon's been manipulated for 4 whole seasons and he's sick of it- he doesn't want to be a disposable pawn anymore

[I skipped most of the next verse bc I don't feel that it fits neatly]

I do not do what is best for myself, but for us - The Public

He's trying to convince himself that the only reason he's smiting avatars and getting to the Panopticon is to save the world; that is one reason, but there's an element of selfishness too

Also in this section of the song, you can hear people shouting in the background which a) is reminiscent of the soundscaping in Mag 189 and b) representative of the pressure Jon feels to succeed in his task

during this instrumental section, voices in the background whisper 'Brutus'[/'Jon']; either the Eye calling Jon to the Panopticon or Martin trying to get through to him

But now here I supersede you - The difference between you and me - You act out of love for yourself I do so for my love of the people

Again, trying to convince himself of the previous point, however this time it's directed at Elias/Jonah; Jon maintains that he's better than Jonah, but is he?

the aformentioned shouting begins again in the background, as well as the 'Brutus' whispering

There, you - Have you no pride? What are you doing? Feel shame, it is I - Brutus the human

Jon talking to the other avatars and/or smiting them; also 'Brutus' = 'Jon' so he is restating his humanity once again

Make them like oil from water - I will separate them! Mothers will kill their own daughters and friend will kill friend

How Jon basically gets to decide who is watcher (an avatar) and who is watched (a victim), and how neither option is good; the people will suffer anyway

It's not cruel or loveless or hatred Cause even if it means I must erase you I do so for the good of the many of those who must remain so please forgive me!

He is insisting (to himself or others?) that what he is doing isn't malicious, it's right/good in the long run, it will help everyone eventually, but still a part of him begs to be forgiven

It is my duty, I must separate them Must divide them - With tear in eye and iron stomach

He is losing himself, no matter how hard he tries; but is he? he still feels sadness for people (if vague) and has to steel himself before going into a domain/smiting someone- is that not humanity?

Here I go now... Like Samson among the Philistines... For I am become.... Death.

Now eventually, he has come to the end, they all have destroyed the Panopticon and killed Jonah, he and Martin have carved their way through domains like Samson, and now they bring death to Jonah and the Fears , but also to themselves [although those last two are debatable]

Finally, the outro of the song has not only the shouting return, [all the elements together are so good and remind me of the soundscaping in Mag 200 after they succeed]

but elements of the previous song 'Brutus' also bleed through (the tune and the laughs/violin, the word 'Brutus' repeated like a mantra); Jon is being pulled back to himself and his humanity in his last moments; although in the song these elements sound sinister, I think it just reflects how the Archivist comes back to being Jon as the man he loves agrees to kill him - they die/disappear together, as themselves.

And there you have it!! I might add to this later but for now its finished, lmk if I missed anything (I probably did) :3

[tagging the people who seemed interested:

@cupsy-daisy @sushisocksthereal @cinemasapph1c @lobsterwizard

@kitsunesakii @rotting-and-so-beautiful @malthedreamer]

[thirdtofifth]

Quarut Medium construct (inevitable), lawful neutral Armor Class 18 (plate) Hit Points 189 (18d8 + 108) Speed 50 ft. Str 20, Dex 13, Con 23, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 20 Saving Throws Dex +7, Int +8, Wis +9 Skills Perception +9 Damage Immunities poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't adamantine Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, stunned, unconscious Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 19 Languages all Challenge 17 (18000 XP) Magic Resistance. The quarut has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Rapid Reconstruction. At the beginning of each of the quarut's turns, if it has at least 1 hit point, it regains 15 hit points. Immutable Form. The quarut is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form. Innate Spellcasting. The quarut's spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 19). The quarut can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: dimension door, dispel magic, dominate person, haste, hold monster, locate creature 1/day each: forcecage, teleport, time stop Actions Multiattack. The quarut makes two slam attacks. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (3d6+5) bludgeoning damage plus 31 (7d8) force damage.

Quaruts are inevitables tasked with preserving the integrity of time and space. They usually target wizards who make excessive use of time stop and wish spells; however, the quaruts have no qualms about using such spells themselves. Their bodies are covered in finely-etched plates, beneath which are various intricate mechanical time pieces. Their head contains an hourglass whose glowing sands constantly flow upward for some inexplicable reason. Quaruts mercilessly hunt down spellcasters who flagrantly violate the laws of time and space, always working alone to bring down their quarry.

Originally from the Fiend Folio.

[miss-tc-nova]

Barbarian S/O - Jack, Floyd, Rook, Malleus, Lilia

Okay. I hear you. I think I got the basic concept here. It was an interesting idea to consider with these guys. I did make these short because of the number of characters. But also, FIRST ROOK PIECE! WOO!

Premise: Their s/o often challenges them to combat

Words:

Jack: 165

Floyd: 141

Rook: 189

Malleus: 190

Lilia: 164

~~~~~

Jack

He’s into it.

Most of the time. Jack’s all for challenging himself and getting stronger. However, if these bouts get in the way of the tasks at hand, he may get annoyed with the inconvenience. On the other hand, it’s really easy to egg Jack into fighting you. So he would really appreciate it if you genuinely considered his circumstances before challenging him.

This is probably the most even strength contest of the bunch. Although, if you have any experience with grappling and locks, Jack’s done for. He’s brute strength and less tact, so for the first few months, if you can put him in a lock, you win. He does learn from past mistakes though and will eventually learn to counter these moves. He’s definitely a good, steady opponent to work with.

“Hm? No, not now. Professor Crewel is gonna be pissed if I don’t get all these herbs for potions class. What did you say? No, I’m not afraid. That’s it. Bring it!”

Floyd

Hell yeah! Floyd’s into it!

But only if you can beat him, otherwise it’s too easy and he’ll get bored. And the only way you’re winning this is if you have any skill in grappling and locks. Let’s be honest, Floyd is just stronger. However, if you can put him in a hold where his strength is of no use, then it’s interesting. It’s not recommended that you use this method to make important decisions because who knows how Floyd will abuse his power if he wins.

Floyd will drop whatever he’s doing—literally mid-convo—to run at you on sight. Others come to accept this and let it happen; only the teachers can put a stop to it with threats of punishment.

“No, Azul said if you don’t pay back—Is that my shrimpy? Yo shrimpy! Finally, something interesting! C’mere!”

Rook

All freaking for it.

But Rook will make a show of the whole ordeal. He’ll make you wait while he neatly sets aside his hat and jacket so they don’t get ruined, waxing poetic about the conflict to come. Even in the midst of a choke hold, he’ll praise the beauty of the moment. He also has a habit of lecturing you while this happens—explaining how your stance was slightly off or how the arm lock he’s using works.

Rook is also likely to indulge you at almost any given moment, he just needs to finish or pause whatever he’s currently doing. No, he doesn’t really care who’s spectating and Vil hates it.

Chances are somewhat even here. Unlike some others, Rook does not rely on pure strength, making use of grappling and locks just as well as you, if not better. You can make bets on this to decide things, but your win rate is probably slightly less than 50/50.

“Oh another glorious exchange? I beseech you, let me prepare my heart for the approaching challenge. By all means, show me that passion with which you fight.”

Malleus

Yeah, no.

If you’re just acquaintances, he finds this pointless and will not engage.

However, if you actually develop a friendship, or something more, then Malleus may indulge you when appropriate. No one has ever dared challenge him before, so he doesn’t really do it right. Like his body isn’t into it and he’s just moving how he thinks he’s supposed to. Think someone uncertainly reenacting a fight scene they saw in a movie. But he’s trying his best to appease you.

You aren’t winning by the way. Ever. He’s obviously holding back because he cares about your wellbeing, but he’s not letting you win. Someone could knock on the door and Malleus will just stand up—while you’re still grappling him—and answer the door as if nothing’s happening. Definitely don’t bet your decisions on you winning, because you won’t. But Malleus still enjoys the interactions because he enjoys time with you and seeing your energetic nature.

“Hmhm. I see you still haven’t learned the futility of your effort. Very well. I have a few minutes before club activities begin. You’ll be joining me afterwards, when I win. Agreed?”

Lilia

This is the silliest game. And he loves it.

Lilia is all down to teach some younguns a lesson. You won’t ever get one over on him, but he’s more than happy to participate in your custom while improving your technique. Slippery, sneaky, and smart, Lilia is decently strong, but is all about using size to his advantage—so he’s well versed in grappling and locks.

Despite his overwhelming ability, Lilia does let you win. Heavy emphasis on let. If he so chose, you would never be the victor. However, the elder fae understands morality and choosing his battles wisely. Plus this is still just a game to him. If he’s okay with the consequences of losing, he’ll throw the match. Plus, he enjoys seeing the delight on your face when you celebrate.

“Oh ho, back for another round of rough housing, are we? What lesson shall I teach you today, my little fawn? Kheehee, then let’s see which of my lessons have stuck.”

~~~~~

Nova’s Twisted Wonderland Masterlist

[study-with-aura]

Saturday, April 5, 2025

I am posting this very late because I had a very late night with my dad. We did go out to eat at this amazing restaurant in the city, one of my favorites because of where it's located. We don't go often because it's insanely expensive, and who has the time for an extra 45 minute drive in my family just to eat out? For dinner, I had an arugula and kale salad + roasted cauliflower with broccolini + pear sorbet for dessert! Dad even let me get a non-alcoholic drink which had ginger beer, cucumber, and basil in it since he had a glass of wine and it was a special occasion for us. It was so yummy! These are the kinds of things that need documented on my studyblr, right?

After our dinner reservation, we did some skyline observing. They have telescopes, and it was mostly dark out by the time we went up, so I asked to use one for a bit. It was nice, but the light pollution makes it hard to really see the stars. On the other hand, the city is gorgeous at night, and it's one of my favorite views!

Mom will be home tomorrow, and I am hoping to get some gaming in tomorrow as well. Once summer hits, I'll be able to activate my subscription again to play with my gaming guild, but until then, I will take what I can get.🦄

Tasks Completed:

Duolingo - Studied for approximately 30 minutes (Spanish + French + Chinese) + completed daily quests

Piano - Practiced for one hour

Reading - Read pages 189-219 of The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Chores - None today

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (2 Peter 3:8-9)

Group Bible Study (Judges 16-18)

Unofficial Girl Scout Senior meeting for badge work

Ballet

Jazz

Modern

Journal/Mindfulness

[thequiver]

Who is.... Ralph Dibny | The Elongated Man? - A Reading Guide

Ralph Dibny is a powered superhero from DC Comics first introduced in 1960. Ralph gains his ability to stretch his body to comic proportions as a result of his chronic ingestion of what is basically an essential oil. Ralph's hero work is largely based out of Opal City (which is kind of a stand-in for Baltimore, MD). Ralph is best known for his membership with the Justice League of America, Justice League Europe, and the Croatoans. Ralph is a devoted husband to his wife Sue, has his own exhibit at the Flash Museum, and is one of, if not the best detective in detective comics!

A selection of my favorite Ralph Dibny comics can be found in chronological order under the cut If you're interested in a full list of Ralph's appearances, please dm me and I'm happy to send you scans of a of my handwritten list!

The Flash (1959) #112, 115, 119, 124, 130, 134, 138 Detective Comics (1937) #328-345 Justice League of America (1960) #51 The Flash (1959) #206, 208, 210, 212 Justice League of America (1960) #100, 102, 105-106, 109-114, 116-121, 128-129, 131-134 Detective Comics (1937) #465-466, 468 Justice League of America (1960) #142-143 The Flash (1959) #252-253 Justice League of America (1960) #159-160, 210-212 (flashbacks), 161-168, 179, 181-183, 186-188 Detective Comics (1937) #500D The Flash (1959) #296 Justice League of America (1960) #189-191 The Brave and the Bold (1955) #177 Justice League of America (1960) #197-200 The Flash (1959) #323-325, 327-329 Justice League of America (1960) #226-227, Annual 2 (1984), 233-239 The Flash (1959) #341, 349 DC Retroactive: JLA - The 80's (2011) #1 <- chronologically this is where the story goes even if the issue is from 2011 Secret Origins (1986) #30

From here we really enter into Ralph's Justice League Europe era, so I'm separating the out a little bit

Justice League International (1987) #24 Justice League Europe (1989) #1-9 The Flash (1987) #35 Justice League Europe (1989) #10, 13-19, Annual 1, 20-21 The Flash (1987) #48-49 Justice League Europe (1989) #25-29 Justice League America (1989) #54 Justice League Europe (1989) #30 Justice League America (1989) #55 Justice League Europe (1989) # Annual 2, 31-33 Justice League America (1989) #58 Justice League Europe (1989) #34-35 Justice League Quarterly (1990) #6 Justice League America (1989) #60 Justice League Europe (1989) #36 Elongated Man (1992) #1-4 Justice League Europe (1989) #37-40 Green Lantern (1990) #25 (set during JLE #40) Justice League Europe (1989) #41-42, Annual 3, 43-503 Justice League Quarterly (1990) #9

Justice League International Take 2 through to Zero Hour

Justice League Task Force (1993) #1 Justice League International (1993) #51, Annual 4, 53-57 Justice League Task Force (1993) #10-12 Justice League America (1989) #89 Justice League Task Force (1993) #13 Justice League International (1993) #65 Justice League Task Force (1993) #14 Justice League International (1993) #66-67 Justice League America (1989) #92 Justice League Task Force (1993) #16 Justice League International (1993) #68 Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (1994) #1, 3

Post Zero Hour through to 52. This period of comics contains the highly controversial Identity Crisis, which centers around the death of Ralph's wife, Sue.

Starman (1994) #56, 61-63, 65, 67-68, 70-73, 75, 80 Doom Patrol (2001) #4-6 Formerly Known as the Justice League (2003) #1-6 Identity Crisis (2004) #1-7 52 (2006) #1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 11-13, 18, 21, 24-25, 27, 31-33, 39, 41-42, 52

After 52, Ralph comes back as a ghost for a few issues and later as a black lantern during Blackest Night but tbh I didn't enjoy those much at all so they're not included

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 219. brb x oc

a/n: no rooster in this one but for a good reason (comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/

/180/181/182/183/184/185/186/187/188/189/190/191/192/193/194/195/196/197/198/199/200/201/202/203/204/205/206/207/208/209

/210/211/212/213/214/215/216/217/218

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix @lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @booklover2sblog @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @fanboyswhore9 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu @teacupsandtopgun @insominac23 @gh0stsgoodgirl @mygyn @chavivaelisheva @kmc1989 @enchantingharmonyalpaca

-

She missed the Hard Deck, truly, she really missed this place. She runs her palms over the wood, nicked because of drunk patrons or just her and Shells carrying heavy stuff inside only for Penny to sigh when she notices it. In reality, she knew her maternity leave was still going, but she’d love to return.

Maybe that’s why Penny asked her to come right?

To return?

Not that she’d mind waiting a bit longer, but her mind needed a bit of a break from the constant fear and anxiety that climbed up her brain like a spider monkey ready for a bite…weirdly specific. She left Nikki with Michael - ‘I’m going to take her bank robbing’ ‘Michael,no’- while she came over, hopefully it wouldn’t be long, Mike had no work and Hannah was going to show up later to check on him so her daughter was safe.

Beatrice looked up at the door, blinking when she noticed a camera looking down at her, the whirring of the zoom hitting her ears before it turned away. Beatrice then walked inside, inhaling the smell of known lemon scented products hitting her nose, she remember how that smell used to burn her nose when she started, “Hello?” she calls, placing her bag on one of the seats as she walks further.

She could hear the ice machine on the back,followed by a quiet - yet known - curse, “Shells?’ she calls, looking in the direction the voice came from, “You here?”

“Yeah!” her friend replied, “Can you help me with this? This ice machine is making me regret ever ordering it.”

She couldn’t lift heavy stuff and she voiced it to Shells, only for her friend to reply, “It’s nothing like that! Come on! Rooster won’t kill me because of it.” and so she went. There were new glasses on the shelves, new mugs - undoubtedly some were broken in her absence - and a brand new keg in the back. One she couldn’t help but admire it.

But as Beatrice approached the location where the ice machine was, she just stared at the thing…it was open, very open and Shells was crouched next to it, “...hi…” she points to it, “Are you…fixing it?”

Shells, crouched beside the open ice machine, looked up from her task when she heard Beatrice's voice. Her eyes widened in mild surprise, and a bright smile crossed her face. She wiped her hands on a nearby rag before standing up.

"Hey, you made it!" Shells exclaimed, her tone a mixture of genuine pleasure and slight relief. "Yeah, I'm trying to fix this contraption," she gestured to the open ice machine with a chuckle. "I mean, I didn't want to bother you, but I've been wrestling with it for a while now, and I thought maybe your expert eye could spot what's wrong."

“My…expert eye?’

“I also wanted to gossip,come on.”

Beatrice couldn't help but laugh at Shells' admission. She approached the ice machine, her hands instinctively moving to her hips,  "I’m not the best at this,Shells,I’m not sure what I’m looking at.," Beatrice said, her tone lighthearted. She bent down to peer into the machine, her fingers tracing over the exposed components. “In fact,I don’t even know why you called me when Penny could do it.”

Shells made a noise through her nose, lying down on the floor to unscrew something out of Beatrice’s sight, "Well," Shells began, her voice slightly muffled as she worked, "Penny's great with tech stuff, but she's been busy with some security upgrades around here. Plus, I want your company."

As Shells continued to tinker with the ice machine, Beatrice couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia wash over her. The familiar scent of the bar, the sound of Shells cursing playfully, and the sight of the Hard Deck's interior all brought back memories of her time here.

"So, how's everything been going?" Beatrice asked, her tone casual. "While I've been... away."

Shells glanced over at Beatrice as she continued her work. "Oh, you know, the usual. We've had some rowdy patrons, a few broken glasses, and one memorable night when someone decided to try their hand at bartending, aunt Penny tossed him out. Let's just say it was an adventure."

Beatrice chuckled at the mental image of Rooster behind the bar. "I can only imagine. And what about you, Shells? How have you been holding up?"

Shells paused in her work, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Honestly, it's been a bit different without you around," she admitted. "But we've managed. Penny's been a huge help, and Jessie too but…It's not the same, though."

Beatrice smiled warmly, touched by Shells' words. "I've missed all of you too," she confessed. "But you know,” she shrugs, “I can’t come back so soon.”

“Yeah,I know.”

‘I thought Penny wanted to talk to me too?”

Shells made a face, then let out a ‘oh!’ “Yeah,something about,” and she tugs a wire from the outside, holds it in front of her eyes and mutters ‘eh,we won’t need it’ before tossing it away, “About something she saw? Not sure,she didn’t tell me.”

“Something she saw?’

“Yeah,’ she gestures around the bar, “I’m sure you noticed the amount of new cameras we got all over, aunt Penny is getting…a bit paran-well, not paranoid. I think she’s being careful, more than normal. Those corpo guys really fucked her mind up.”

"Yeah, I saw them," Beatrice said, her expression thoughtful. "I guess it makes sense, especially with everything that happened. But if Penny wants to talk to me about it, I'm all ears."

Shells nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think she just wants to fill you in on what's been going on, get your perspective maybe." she shrugs, “Dunno.”

Beatrice considered this for a moment. She knew that her time away had created a gap in her knowledge about the bar's operations and the current state of affairs. It might be a good opportunity to catch up and see how she could help, even if she wasn't quite ready to return to work full-time.

Or how she could help in any way.

"Alright, I'll talk to Penny when I get the chance," Beatrice said with a determined nod. "In the meantime, let's see if we can figure out what's wrong with this ice machine. Two heads are better than one, right?"

Shells grinned. "Absolutely. And if all else fails, we can always call in the professionals."

Beatrice chuckled. "You mean Penny?”

“Yeah, of course.”

As Beatrice and Shells continued to work on the ice machine, the sounds of laughter and camaraderie filled the Hard Deck once more. It felt good to be back, even if it was just for a visit, and Beatrice couldn't help but feel a deep happiness in being around the same surroundings as before. 

She sits on one of the chairs and helps Shells by handing her over tools while watching - ‘you are not going to lie down or do anything, just stay put will you?-  hands on her knees and head tilted as she paid attention to what was going on, “So, besides that, how’s your life?’

“Wha?”

“You know, your life,” she smiles, “With Bob, how are you two?”

Shells whole demeanor appeared to change, which was odd because she never seemed nervous talking about Bob, “Well,” she laughs nervously, “He uh, mentioned kids a few weeks back?”

“Oh?”

“Yep.” Shells mutters, “I told him that,well,kids aren’t in my schedule right now and honestly I thought he felt the same way about it. Then we uh…had a bit of an argument? And now I’m just, staying with Penny for a little bit.” considering how much Shells loved Bob it was surprising how she wasn’t just breaking down and crying.

Even more surprising was that she didn’t call Bea! She parted her lips, “Shells! Why didn’t you tell me??”

Shells, still focused on the ice machine, sighed. "I didn't want to bother you with my problems, Bea. You've got enough on your plate with Nikki and the twins and  everything else."

Beatrice reached out and gently placed a hand on Shells' shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Shells, you're not bothering me. We're friends, remember? I want to know what's going on in your life, especially when it comes to something as important as this."

Shells finally turned to look at Beatrice, her eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and sadness. "I know, but I didn't want to add to your worries. And honestly, I didn't know what to do. I care about Bob a lot, but I'm not ready for kids, not yet."

Beatrice nodded in understanding. "It's okay to have different priorities and timelines," she said gently. "You and Bob just need to have an honest conversation about what you both want and where you see your future together."

Shells nodded, her shoulders sagging with relief. "I know you're right.I know that…we just,didn’t come to a consensus, per se.” she flexes she fingers, “Also…it’s kinda weird being the one friend without kids, yknow? I mean,I love being the crazy aunt, don’t get me wrong, but…I mean,holy fuck, it’s weird.”

“Oh,ah,” well, she didn’t know how to reply to that, “Well I–”

"Nah,Bea,” Shells waves her hand, ‘Don’t worry about it, we’ll resolve this one way or another.”

Beatrice nodded, understanding the complexities of the situation. "I get what you mean, Shells. It's a big decision, and it can feel like you're swimming against the tide when everyone around you is on a different path.”

“That’s kinda deep,huh?”

“ But you're right; you and Bob will find your way through this together. And don't worry about being the 'crazy aunt.' You're an amazing friend, and you've got plenty of time to figure out what's right for you."

Shells offered a small but genuine smile. "Thanks, Bea. Your support means a lot to me. And I know you've got your own challenges to deal with right now, so I didn't want to burden you."

Beatrice squeezed Shells' shoulder again. "You're never a burden, Shells. And besides, catching up with you and helping with this ice machine is a welcome break from my own worries."

Shells chuckled. "Fair enough. It's good to have you back, even if it's just for a little while."

"It's good to be back," Beatrice replied with a smile. "And who knows, maybe I'll be able to come around more often soon.”

“Really?”

“Well,” she sighs, her shoulders dropping, “I’m not sure…I want the twins to come home, you know?”

“...right…how are you and Rooster dealing with it?”

Beatrice purses her lips, “Well…” she smiles, ‘He’s just…amazing, you know?”

Shells looked at Beatrice with an knowing smile. "I can imagine he is.” she leans down to pick something from the ground, “You two are gross.”

Beatrice nodded, her eyes distant for a moment as she thought about Rooster. "He's been there for me through everything, especially during the pregnancy. It hasn't been easy, but he's made it a lot more manageable."

"That's love, Bea," Shells said softly. "Real love." and she sounded serious.

Beatrice's smile grew warm and affectionate. "Yeah, it is. I'm really lucky to have him in my life. And he's been amazing with Nikki and the twins. They adore their dad."

Shells chuckled. "Well, of course they do. He's a great guy. And you're a fantastic mom, Bea. You're doing an incredible job."

Beatrice's expression turned slightly wistful. "Thanks, Shells. It means a lot to hear that.”

“And,don’t forget I helped,” she points it out, “If it wasn’t for me and aunt Penny, you two would stay ages pining for each other.” she pauses, “Wanna know when I noticed he liked you?”

“...well...yes.”

-

She was bored, she took her time to drink some water when she was outside the Hard Deck. Beatrice was doing good, she’s been with them with a few months and she managed to get the hang of it. 

“Shells.”

She sips her water, nodding at the tall pilot, “Rooster.”

“Are they inside?”

“Yep, they never miss it do they?” she teases, nodding towards the bar, ‘Go on, my aunt is going to see you in a bit.”

Rooster nods, about to go in - his hand is on the door- but he stops and he’s looking at something, better yet, someone inside. Shells noticed his pause, then slowly turned to see where his gaze landed and she slowly lowered her bottle.

Was he looking at Bea?

Oh, ohohohohoho!!!

Shells looked like the cat that just found out the cream was chilled and had pieces of fruit in it, because her gaze moved from Rooster to Bea and vice versa, only to stop at Rooster. He was a statue, a living statue, his jaw was clenched a bit and even if his eyes were hidden by the caravans, it was still obvious where he was staring.

She clears her throat once, nothing, then twice, still nothing, only when she coughs right by his side is that the pilot moves - jumps,more likely. He gives her a confused stare and she smirks ,”Well,aren’t you going inside?”

Rooster blinked rapidly, as if snapping out of a trance, and cleared his throat nervously. "Yeah, yeah, of course," he stammered, taking a step back from the door as if he had been caught in the act of something he shouldn't be doing.

Shells couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. It was clear as day that Rooster had been caught staring at Beatrice, and she was going to make sure he knew it. "You know, Rooster, you can go inside. I won't tell Bea that you were checking her out."

Rooster's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I wasn't... I mean, I was just... um..."

Shells grinned mischievously, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Uh-huh. Go on,Chanticleer, go on.”

Rooster's embarrassment seemed to increase, but he managed a nod and a faint smile. "Yeah, I will. Thanks, Shells."

With that, Rooster finally entered the Hard Deck, leaving Shells outside with her victorious grin. She couldn't resist a little teasing now and then, and now…now she had something to work with.

“Ohhh,” she rubs her hands like a villain, “This will be great.”

-

“Wait.”

“Hm?’

Beatrice holds her hand, “Wait, when was that??”

“Like,what, three,four months before you two actually talked?” she shrugged, licking her lips as she sits up,smirking at Beatrice’s face,”You knew he looked at you then,Bea, why are you so surprised?”

"Three or four months? Seriously,?"

Shells shrugged nonchalantly, her smirk still firmly in place. "Well, I did tell you about some stuff but you didn’t want to hear it back then.."

Beatrice shook her head in mock exasperation. "Well,fine, you are right…I didn’t see it. I didn’t want to see he was looking or noticing me.”

Shells grinned. "Oh, he noticed you, alright. Couldn't take his eyes off you, in fact."

Beatrice chuckled, feeling a warm, happy glow inside. "Well, I'm glad he did. Otherwise, we might have missed out on something really special."

Shells nodded in agreement. "You two are a perfect match, no doubt about it. And it's about time you got some happiness in your life, Bea."

Beatrice smiled at her friend, feeling grateful for the support and love she had received from Shells and everyone else at the Hard Deck. "I couldn't have done it without all of you. You've been like family to me."

Shells leaned in and gave Beatrice a one-armed hug. "That's because you are family, Bea. And we're here for you, no matter what."

While the conversation was really sweet and thoughtful, it was Penny’s heavy footsteps that broke it, when she stood by the bar and saw the two her smile - while still present - was strained, ‘Girls,” she begins, clapping her hands together, “...can we talk in the office? Really quickly?”

“Wait,”Shells begins, “Us? Both of us?”

Penny inhales shakily, “...yeah, both of you.”

[dailyanarchistposts]

Liberatory Pathways

Both books happen to end with fictional portrayals of a post-capitalist world a few decades in the future. Gelderloos’s scenario is set in Catalan territories and Vettese and Pendergrass’s in Massachusetts. There are some differences, with fictional Catalan areas retaining small-scale livestock husbandry and fictional Massachusetts maintaining elected representatives. But both scenarios could easily coexist in the same future. Both depict a world that’s moved in the direction of what vegan-anarchists call “Total Liberation,” meaning the full liberation of humans, animals, and the Earth.

Animal liberation is currently a hard sell for some leftists who aren’t ready to give up meat. But it seems that empowering workers, so that no one is desperate enough to accept slaughterhouse work, would drastically reduce animal consumption globally and especially in the world’s richer areas. The words of Upton Sinclair seem prophetic here: “eventually those who want to eat meat will have to do their own killing and how long do you think the custom would survive then?”[11] While Gelderloos does support a limited degree of non-commodified animal consumption, his proposals overall would move society in the same direction as Half-Earth Socialism’s veganism. In Gelderloos’s imagined future, “industrial meat production was shut down with all haste” (179). And he goes perhaps even further than Vettese and Pendergrass in rejecting Western ideas of “human superiority” and supporting such groups as the Animal Liberation Front (58).

It’s interesting that my own proposal, the Total Liberation Pathway, reaches many of the same conclusions as these books, even though I drafted and submitted it well before I’d read either one. Relying on climate models and scientific literature, I found that an eco-anarchistic world could meet everyone’s vital needs while allowing 82 percent of the Earth’s habitable land to be rewilded.[12] Vettese and Pendergrass reach the strikingly similar conclusion that in an ecosocialist society with fully-renewable power sources, “a whopping 81 percent of land can be left to nature (thus preserving 95 percent of all species according to [E.O.] Wilson’s formula)” (110). I found that population growth doesn’t significantly impede ecological goals, increasing global land use by only a couple percentage points. Likewise, Vettese and Pendergrass conclude, “That Half-Earth socialism could provide a good life for our abundant species and still protect the environment makes clear that the Malthusian fear of ‘overpopulation’ is dangerously exaggerated” (108). I also estimated that the work week could be substantially reduced, to the point where needs could be met without work being compulsory. Likewise, Gelderloos envisions a relatively low-tech future in which production is turned into voluntary craft. In his scenario, factories run only a couple days a week, there’s far less transport of food, electric usage is a quarter of today’s, and global shipping has decreased to just 2 percent of prior levels (174–189).

I’m excited to play the free computer game that will soon be released on the Half-Earth Socialism website.[13] I found when designing the Total Liberation Pathway that playing around with climate models, despite their limits, can be a fun endeavor in addition to being a useful component of envisioning a sustainable future. This task is far too important to be left only to the scientists and policymakers. Even more important, though, is researching and supporting the myriad groups Gelderloos discusses. It’s admirable that he has decided to donate all author proceeds to Indigenous struggles in Indonesia and Brazil.

Both books, coming from different political origins, envision a world that’s moved considerably closer to sustainability. If activists widely read and discussed both books, they’d develop sharper visions and strategies for ecological revolution. This development would provide a rare bit of good news regarding the prospects for the future of humanity and the Earth.

Footnotes

[1] Scott Campbell, “The Bonfires of Autonomy in Cherán” in Deciding for Ourselves: The Promise of Direct Democracy, ed. Cindy Millstein (Oakland: AK Press, 2020). ​​Jennifer Gonzalez Covarrubias, “A Mexican Indigenous town’s Environmental Revolt,” Phys.org, December 21, 2019.

[2] To be fair, Gelderloos has discussed many of these groups in past books such as Anarchy Works: Examples of Anarchist Ideas in Practice (Bristol: Active Distribution/Sto Citas; 2nd edition, 2015) and The Failure of Nonviolence (Seattle, Left Bank Books, Revised edition, 2015)

[3] Mike Ewall, “Environmental Hierarchy of Waste Management & Energy Production Methods,” Energy Justice Network, Mark Jacobson, 100% Clean, Renewable Energy and Storage for Everything (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020), ch. 3.

[4] Rachel Smolker, “What Have We Learned About Biochar Since Biofuelwatch 2011 Report Was Published?,” Biofuelwatch, January 2020.

[5] Mulford Q. Sibley, Nature and Civilization: Some Implications for Politics (Itasca: F.E. Peacock Publishers, 1977), 269.

[6] Ana S Rodrigues and Kevin J. Gaston, “How Large Do Reserve Networks Need to Be?” Ecology Letters 4 (2001): 602–9. Bethan C O’Leary, Marit Winther‐Janson, John M. Bainbridge, Jemma Aitken, Julie P. Hawkins, and Callum M. Roberts. “Effective Coverage Targets for Ocean Protection.” Conservation Letters 9, no. 6 (2016): 398–404.

[7] John Platt, “The Great Sparrow Campaign Was the Start of the Greatest Mass Starvation in History,” Treehugger, July 30, 2019.

[8] Thomas Swann, “Anarchist Cybernetics,” Perspectives on Anarchist Theory on-line, Institute for Anarchist Studies, May 13, 2021.

[9] Peter Michael Rosset, Braulio Machín Sosa, Adilén María Roque Jaime, and Dana Rocío Ávila Lozano, “The Campesino-to-Campesino Agroecology Movement of ANAP in Cuba: Social Process Methodology in the Construction of Sustainable Peasant Agriculture and Food Sovereignty,” Journal of Peasant Studies 38, no. 1 (2011): 161–91.

[10] Will Steffen, Johan Rockström, Katherine Richardson, Timothy M. Lenton, Carl Folke, Diana Liverman, Colin P. Summerhayes, et al, “Trajectories of the Earth System in the Anthropocene.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 33 (2018): 8252–59.

[11] Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1906), 409.

[12] Dan Fischer, “Let Nature Play: A Possible Pathway of Total Liberation and Earth Restoration,” Green Theory & Praxis Journal 14, no. 1 (2021), 8–29.

[13] Half-Earth Socialism website.

[stephensmithuk]

Bunny's cage: HMP Wormwood Scrubs

Bunny Manders spends his 18 months of 'porridge' at what is today called HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs, located south of the park of that name in London W12. The HM of course stands for "His Majesty's". While the UK does have some privately run prisons, this is not one of them.

The nearest Tube is East Action and the A40 Westway is close by if you want to visit. Hammersmith Hospital is next door, in case prisoners need to go there.

It has an iconic entrance - see below - which is commonly used for prison release scenes in TV and movies, such as The Italian Job.

(The interiors for that were filmed at the long-closed Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, also a common filming location, turning up in, of all things, Into the Badlands.)

Even one of the Gorillaz ended up there...

"The Scrubs" as it is known, was started in 1874 to a design by Sir Edmund Frederick Du Cane, who gives his name to the road the prison is on. The British needed to construct new prisons to hold convicts after transportation to Australia ended in 1867, basically because the non-convict Australians had had enough of being used as a dumping ground for criminals.

Convicts from Millbank Prison were used to construct a temporary facility initially and then worked over the next sixteen years until the facility was complete in 1891. It would hold male and female prisoners until 1902. At that point, the last of the latter were transferred to Holloway and the prison has been male-only since, although there may be some female officers there.

It had been intended for as a long-term penitentiary but ended up becoming a local prison for those serving shorter terms at "His/Her Majesty's Pleasure" as the popular, but inaccurate term would have it.

(That term is legally used for young offenders convicted of murder as an alternative to a life sentence)

Wormwood Scrubs was your typical prison of the period, as this 1903 image shows:

The nets, still there today, are an anti-suicide measure.

This article shows what a single person cell at Wormwood Scrubs looked like in 2015:

A lot of the cells today are two-person ones with a bunk bed.

Anyway, going back to 1896. After the 'Separate System' of the 1840s had driven prisoners mad, a new approach was tried from the 1860s. Basically, the idea was to "scare 'em straight" - make prison just undesirable enough so convicts did not reoffend. Reform was seen as impossible and attempting it pointless.

Du Cane was going to make hard time ...

(Du Cane putting on Victorian sunglasses)

Hard.

(GIF of Victorian man screaming "Capital, dear chap!")

Du Cane called this '‘Hard Labour, Hard Fare and Hard Board’.

Hard Labour

Prisoners would spend long periods of time, like eight hours a day, doing physical labour that was often completely pointless.

Stuff like:

Walking on a rotary treadwheel like you were a hamster. Not connected to anything in most cases. You got breaks, but you were basically climbing the equivalent of the Matterhorn on a daily basis.

Turning a crank thousands of times. Again for no actual useful reason than to break your spirit.

Picking up a cannonball, carrying it at chest height across the yard and putting it down again. Prisons would have cannons used to announce executions, but those generally didn't fire actual live rounds.

Untwisting tar-covered old ropes from ships so the fibres could be used as caulking for waterproofing said ships. This was arguably the most useful task for society, but it was a nasty one, causing cramp and bleeding fingers. This was commonly done in workhouses to by those deemed unsuitable for other tasks - so children, commonly. You would be expected to do at least 3lbs a day if sentenced to hard labour.

Breaking rocks in the hard rain. You'd fought the law and the law won.

This was also done under the 'Silent System' - prisoners were banned from talking to each other.

There were in fact two classes of hard labour and also work in a trade. If you were deemed to be unfit for the first class, you could be put in the second. If for neither, you would be put in a trade.

Oscar Wilde was assigned to the second class, so picked oakum while at Wandsworth. However, even that was too much for him and he collapsed at chapel, rupturing his right eardrum and spending two months in the infirmary. Transferred to Reading, he eventually ended up in charge of distributing books to prisoners from the small prison library.

Indeed, prisoners would try anything to avoid the treadwheel, like eating soap or large quantities of salt. Collapsing at the wheel could result in serious injury or even death as you could be crushed by the still turning device unless someone spotted you.

There was no labour on Sundays or public holidays. I imagine you would spend most of your time in the cells. Something not much changed today, considering the 2021 inspection report of Wormwood Scrubs I found.

Wormwood Scrubs has in fact got a very large chapel and today it has an organ originally from a cinema in Ealing.

Hard Fare

The food was deliberately kept monotonous, but enough of it was provided to keep the prisoners alive and able to work. The main staple was gruel (hence "doing porridge") as in the workhouses or the oatmeal-based substitute stirabout. However, you would get other stuff for doing hard labour. The Victorians ate a lot more bread and potatoes then we do today for example.

A 2019 study by the University of Liverpool found that many of the 400 prisoners they looked at remained with the same BMI as they went in with - many even gained weight.

However, that was by no means the sole indication of health - prisons could easily provide vectors for infection, even if they were less overcrowded then before.

Hard Board

Prisoners had formerly slept in hammcocks - they now had hard boards to sleep on instead. They would also wear blue uniforms with broad arrows on, still something seen in cartoons.

Literature was limited - Wilde was initally limited only to the Bible and The Pilgrim's Progress. He was initially not even allowed pen and paper either.

I believe you were allowed to spend an hour in the yard each day, but this was walking in single file with again no talking.

I can imagine that even with a stove, your cell might get quite chilly in winter. Chillbains would have been common.

Rule-breaking could lead to various punishments including flogging. You might also be put solely on bread and water, a punishment still employed by the US Navy until 2019.

Summary

Wilde, who would write two books on his experience, never recovered from his prison time. He is thought to have got meningitis as a result of his fall and died in France three years after his release.

The effect of all this on offending rates was limited too - many would end doing further sentences. At least you got fed, something not guaranteed outside unless you headed for the workhouse.

The latter history of Wormwood Scrubs

However, reform had started of the system and conditions would become a good deal less harsh. The more pointless hard labour was abolished in 1902.

The First World War saw the Scrubs hold a number of conscientious objectors, who had refused even non-combat roles as they saw those as keeping the war going - when refused an exemption, they had refused to obey orders to report to barracks. Hubert W. Peet spent 112 days there and his account is now public domain:

The 'sequel' as I often call it saw Wormwood Scrubs cleared of prisoners and taken over by the War Department. MI5 spent a short time based there at the start of the war. Secretaries would often be two to a cell.

The prison returned to normal operations afterwards.

In 1966, it would see its most famous escape.

George Blake

George Blake was an SIS officer who had started working for Soviet intelligence as while imprisoned in the Korean War. He tipped off the Soviets about the tunnel the Allies would dig under the West Berlin/East Berlin border to tap military telephone lines. Being the cagey bees they were and not wanting to compromise Blake, they waited a year before 'discovering' the tunnel in a blaze of publicity. In fact, they appear to have not even made measures to restrict what the lines were used for and the West probably got some pretty good intel off it.

More seriously, Blake betrayed a large number of SIS agents to the Soviet bloc, many of whom ended up dead as a result.

Blake was arrested in 1961, ultimately made a full confession and in a private trial at the Old Bailey was sentenced to 42 years in prison; the maximum sentence for his actual offence was 14 years, but he was deemed to have committed five separate offences and some would run consecutively. This was the longest non-life sentence ever handed down in a British court.

In 1966, Blake was helped to escape by three former prisoners, two anti-nuclear campaigners and an Irish career criminal called Sean Bourke, who thought his sentence was inhuman. They also liked him. A walkie-talkie was smuggled in. During the weekly film show, Blake broke a window in his cell block, got to the perimeter wall and then climbed a rope ladder thrown over it, breaking his wrist on the way down.

Blake would eventually be smuggled out of the UK and to East Germany, along with Bourke. Blake was picked up by the KGB, taken to the USSR and remained in what become Russia until his death in 2020 aged 98, being given a funeral with military honours.

The anti-nuclear campaigners were charged with aiding his escape in 1991, claiming a moral defence. The jury, as British juries sometimes do, ignored the judge's instructions to convict them and instead declared them both not guilty. Bourke had returned to Ireland, where the Supreme Court refused to extradite him in 1973 in the grounds his crime was a political one. He would die in 1982 after collapsing walking down the road; one ex-KGB defector has claimed he was poisoned.

Penal dustbin

In 1979, IRA prisoners staged a rooftop protest over visiting rights. Then a riot over conditions, including awful toothpaste, resulted in a lot of injuries. The governor had resigned just before the riots and when the 1982 inquiry blamed the prison, he called the place a "penal dustbin".

The 1990s saw six officers convicted over brutality and large compensation payouts - the chief inspector of prisons told the place to improve or close.

Various inspection reports over the years have seen some improvements in conditions... largely as many prisoners spent most of their day in their cells.

Famous and infamous residents

Various well-known people have spent time in the Scrubs, including:

Horatio Bottomley, a newspaper mogul of the era who got seven years in 1922 for stealing money from a bonds fund.

Charles Bronson. Not the actor, but he inspired the man's use of that name.

Pete Doherty, for breaching probation, one of his several run-ins with the law over drugs use.

Lord Alfred Douglas, Wilde's lover.

Leslie Grantham, the later actor who spent ten years in prison for murdering a taxi driver during a robbery in West Germany, where he was serving in the British Army.

Timmy Murphy, a jockey convicted of indecent assault on an air stewardess.

Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.

John Stonehouse, a former government minister who faked his death to get away from false accouting charges. Which didn't work.

Wormwood Scrubs today

Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B prison, equivalent to the US federal 'Medium Security', with five wings (the last completed in 1996) and some smaller units. It holds around 1,200 prisoners. More than it really should, common to many prisons today.

It is also a listed building and so cannot be demolished - it may well close in the near future and become a museum.

Prisoners are given a uniform, but allowed to wear some of their own clothes after a while if they behave - white and black are banned to avoid confusion with prison officers.

It also holds those on remand awaiting trial or sentence. These do not wear prison uniform.

There are now options for video calls and prisoners can have landlines in their cells to call approved numbers, although officers can of course listen in. You can even send and receive emails to those inside, although not directly.

I will leave you with the 2021 inspection report on the prison:

Anyway, Bunny would not have had a nice time of it. Especially without Raffles...

[youphoriaot7]

QSMP RECAP : DAY 189 (9/29)

PAC sprinkled tazercraft chairs/items all around the server

BAGI warned us about upcoming lore

FIT found black concrete in pomme’s bedroom (no message)

cucurucho gave BAGI a wildlife research task. she refused it.

FIT had a serious increase in headaches

BAGI is not actually a vegetarian (wHAT???), she only did that to seem less threatening to the islanders

PAC showed bagi the prison (fit came too)

PAC, PIERRE, and BAGI found black concrete, a red sign (“je veux les protéger. vous me manquez :( <3” / “i want to protect them. i miss you <3), and a pair of butterfly wings

BAGI realized that the messages were placed at the same time they heard lightning

FIT showed phil his secret bedroom

FIT headed to bed (o7 q!fitmc you got this i bELIEVE IN YOU)

BBH gave pac cake (??? idk man this felt weirdly important-)

PAC fell asleep

FOOLISH told jaiden about his federation task

TUBBO received coordinates from fred to a new mailbox

FOREVER got his gun back!

cucurucho wished JAIDEN a happy birthday :’)

JAIDEN was led to a house (16k blocks out). inside the house were three rooms (01, 02, 03). inside she found a camera, a stack of paper, a bubble blower, an extendo grip, a slingshot, and a fire helmet (and a present that can’t be opened bc it was addressed wrong). cucurucho osito bimbo gave her a hug.

JAIDEN told cucurucho osito bimbo about bagi’s plans

BAGI began building a base of informations far away from spawn

BAGI refused cucurucho’s task

BAGHERA found pomme’s sign

cucurucho osito bimbo told JAIDEN he didn’t know where the eggs were

BAGHERA found books at the federation offices (one was a passcode reset for baghera’s childhood room, one was an old diary of hers talking about an escape plan) as well as some papers (each had snippets of coords, passcodes, words…)

BAGHERA found the finished report of the black box from the french plane (? or something? i’m not 100% sure but it related to the plane crash.)

BAGHERA found the coordinates to a “bio laboratory”

FOREVER shot cucurucho (i feel like that’s gonna be important.)

FOOLISH delivered the evidence to cucurucho (he said jaiden was his assistant and that tina and mouse helped inadvertently)

FOREVER and FOOLISH found the water tunnel where quackity drowned

BAGHERA argued a bit with bbh about ron

JAIDEN was given the task bagi refused (she accepted)

[ooc] HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAIDEN!

[darkmaga-returns]

President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russian Defense Ministry board, summing up the year’s developments in the military operation in Ukraine. He also discussed the global situation and outlined other measures to ensure the country’s security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined key objectives for strengthening the country’s defense capabilities and advancing the Armed Forces during an expanded session of the Defense Ministry board.

He also highlighted significant achievements and ongoing challenges faced in 2024.

"Today, we will review the main results of work over the past year, define tasks for strengthening defense capabilities and further develop the Armed Forces," Putin stated.

He stressed the importance of improving the armed forces' combat readiness and capacity.

"We are paying serious attention to improving the combat structure of our Armed Forces and increasing their potential," Putin said.

Advances Against Ukraine

Reflecting on 2024, Putin called it a pivotal year in achieving the goals of the special military operation.

"This year, 189 settlements were liberated," he said, noting that Russian forces hold the strategic initiative along the front line.

"Thanks to the professionalism and courage of our soldiers, the heroic work of defense industry workers and the nationwide support for our army and navy, our troops maintain firm control over the strategic initiative," the president said.

He expressed deep gratitude to those on the front lines and in supporting roles.