#Cory Atom

[tractisvir]

Invincible season 3 day!

[fleshmonk]

Atom Eve from Invincible

[dk-thrive]

everything we thought was so solid changes

Ninety-eight percent of the atoms that constitute our physical form are exchanged every year, replaced by particles that have lived a trillion lives. Gas. Liquid. Solid. Dinosaur. We are literally matter changing form every moment of every day. By that measure I’m not the same person as the person who started this sentence. Likewise, the cells that make up our bodies are replaced every seven to ten years. Ironically, the meat suit we’re all wearing that we understand as the consistent “self�� is not solid at all. We experience ourselves as constant but are anything but. We attach an identity to ourselves and everything else and hold on for dear life, often kicking and screaming when everything we thought was so solid changes.

— Cory Richards, The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within (Random House, July 9, 2024)

[flipjack]

More stills from “Transatlantic”

[kmrstudios]

“KMR Studios VLOG #1: My Invincible Haul!”

In the first edition of the KMR Studios VLOG series, I feel very 'Invincible'!

https://rumble.com/v4m3fl3-kmr-studios-vlog-1-my-invincible-haul.html

[mostlysignssomeportents]

MLMs are the mirror-world version of community organizing

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/05/power-of-positive-thinking/#the-socialism-of-fools

In her unmissable 2023 book Doppelganger, Naomi Klein paints a picture of a "mirror world" of right wing and conspiratorial beliefs that are warped, false reflections of real crises:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/05/not-that-naomi/#if-the-naomi-be-klein-youre-doing-just-fine

For example, Qanon's obsession with "child trafficking" is a mirror-world version of the real crises of child poverty, child labor, border family separations and kids in cages. Anti-vax is the mirror-world version of the true story of the Sacklers and their fellow opioid barons making billions on Oxy and fent, with the collusion of corrupt FDA officials and a pliant bankruptcy court system. Xenophobic panic about "immigrants stealing jobs" is the mirror world version of the well-documented fact that big business shipped jobs to low-waged territories abroad, weakening US labor and smashing US unions. Cryptocurrency talk about "decentralization" is the mirror-world version of the decay of every industry (including tech) into a monopoly or a cartel.

Klein is at pains to point out that other political thinkers have described this phenomenon. Back in the 19th century, leftists called antisemitism "the socialism of fools." Socialism – the idea that working people are preyed upon by capital – is reflected in the warped mirror as "working people are preyed upon by international Jewish bankers."

The mirror world is a critical concept, because it shows that far right and conspiratorial beliefs are often uneasy neighbors with real, serious political movements. The swivel-eyed loons have a point, in other words:

https://locusmag.com/2023/05/commentary-cory-doctorow-the-swivel-eyed-loons-have-a-point/

Once you understand the mirror world, you start to realize that many right wing conspiracists could have been directed into productive movements, if only they'd understood that their problems were with systems, not sinister individuals (this is why Trump has ordered a purge of any federally funded research that contains the word "systemic"):

https://mamot.fr/@Lazarou@mastodon.social/113943287435897828

This also explains why the "tropes" of right wing conspiratorialism sometimes echo left wing, radical thought. I once had a (genuinely unhinged) dialog with a self-described German "progressive" who told me that criticizing the finance industry as parasitic on the real economy was "structurally antisemitic." Nonsense like this is why Klein's "mirror world" is so important: unless you understand the mirror world, you can end up believing that "progressive" just means "defending anything the right hates."

Historian Erik Baker is the author of a new book, Make Your Own Job: How the Entrepreneurial Work Ethic Exhausted America, which has some very interesting things to say about the mirror world:

https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674293601

In a recent edition of the always-excellent Know Your Enemy podcast, the hosts interviewed Baker about the book, and the conversation turned to the subject of pyramid schemes, the "multilevel marketing systems" that are woven into so many religious, right-wing movements:

https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/know-your-enemy-the-entrepreneurial-ethic/

MLMs have it all: prosperity gospel ("God rewards virtue with wealth"), atomization ("you are an entrepreneur and everyone in your life is your potential customer"), and rabid anti-Communism ("solidarity is a trick to make you poorer").

The rise of the far right can't be separated from the history of MLMs. The modern MLM starts with Amway, a cultlike national scam that was founded by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos (father-in-law of Betsy DeVos).

Rank-and-file members of the Amway cult lived in dire poverty, convinced that their financial predicament was their own fault for not faithfully following the "sure-fire" Amway method for building a business. Andrea Pitzer's gripping memoir of growing up in an Amway household offers a glimpse of the human cost of the cult:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/amway-america/681479/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxYkntna5M_rYEv4707Zqqs

Amway – and MLMs like it – don't just bleed out their members by convincing them to buy mountains of useless crap they're supposed to sell to their families, while enriching the people at the top of the pyramid who sell it to them. The "toxic positivity" of multi-level marketing cults forces members deep into debt to pay for seminars and retreats where they are supposed to learn how to repair the personal defects that keep them from being "successful entrepreneurs." The topline of the cult isn't just getting rich selling stuff – they're making bank by selling false hope, literally, in Hilton ballrooms and convention centers across the country, where hearing an MLM scammer berate you for being a "bad entrepreneur" costs thousands of dollars.

Amway destroyed so many lives that Richard Nixon's FTC decided to investigate it. The investigation wasn't going well for Amway, which was facing an existential crisis that they were rescued from by Nixon's resignation. You see, Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, was the former Congressman of Amway co-founder Jay Van Andel, who was also the head of the US Chamber of Commerce, the most powerful business lobbyist in America.

At Ford's direction, the FTC exonerated Amway of all wrongdoing. But it's even worse than that: Ford's FTC actually crafted a rule that differentiated legal pyramid schemes from illegal ones, based on Amway's destructive business practices. Under this new rule, any pyramid scheme that had the same structure as Amway was presumptively legal. Every MLM operating in America today is built on the Amway model, taking advantage of the FTC's Amway rule to operate in the open, without fear of legal repercussions.

MLMs prey on the poor and desperate: women, people of color, people in dying small towns and decaying rustbelt cities. It's not just that these people are desperate – it's that they only survive through networks of mutual aid. Poor women rely on other poor women to help with child care, marginalized people rely on one another for help with home maintenance, small loans, a place to crash after an eviction, or a place to park the RV you're living out of.

In other words, people who lack monetary capital must rely on social capital for survival. That's why MLMs target these people: an MLM is a system for destructively transforming social capital into monetary capital. MLMs exhort their members to mine their social relationships for "leads" and "customers" and to use the language of social solidarity ("women helping women") to wheedle, guilt, and arm-twist people from your mutual aid network into buying things they don't need and can't afford.

But it's worse, because what MLMs really sell is MLMs. The real purpose of an MLM sales call is to convince the "customer" to become an MLM salesperson, who owes you a share of every sale they make and is incentivized to buy stock they don't need (from you) in order to make quotas. And of course, their real job is to sign up other salespeople to work under them, and so on.

An MLM isn't just a pathogen, in other words – it's a contagion. When someone in your social support network gets the MLM disease, they don't just burn all their social ties with you and the people you rely on – they convince more people in your social group to do the same.

Which brings me back to the mirror world, and Erik Baker's conversation with the Know Your Enemy podcast. Baker starts to talk about who gets big into Amway: "people who already effectively lead by the force of their charisma and personality many other people in their lives. Right? Because you're able to sell to those people, and you're able to recruit those people. What are we talking about? Well, they're effectively recruiting organizers, people who have a natural capacity for organizing and then sending them out in the world to organize on behalf of Christian capitalism."

Listening to this, I was thunderstruck: MLM recruiters are the mirror world version of union organizers. In her memoir of growing up in Amway, Andrea Pitzer talks about how her mom would approach strangers and try to lead them through a kind of structured discussion:

Everywhere we went—the mall, state parks, grocery stores—she’d ask people whether they could use a little more money each month. “I’d love to set up a time to talk to you about an exciting business opportunity.” The words should have seemed suspect. Yet people almost always gave her their number. Her confidence and professionalism were reassuring, and her enthusiasm was electric, even, at first, to me. “What would you do with $1 million?” she’d ask, spinning me around the kitchen.

This kind of person, having this kind of dialog, is exactly how union organizers work. In A Collective Bargain, Jane McAlevey's classic book on labor organizing, she describes how she would seek out the charismatic, outgoing workers in a job-site, the natural leaders, and recruit them to help bring the other workers onboard:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/23/a-collective-bargain/

Organizer training focuses on how to have a "structured organizing conversation," which McAlevey described in a 2019 Jacobin article:

“If you had a magic wand and could change three things about life in America [or her town or city or school], what would you change?” The rest of your conversation needs to be anchored to her answers to that question.

https://jacobin.com/2019/11/thanksgiving-organizing-activism-friends-family-conversation-presidential-election

The MLM conversation and the union conversation have eerily similar structures, but the former is designed to commodify and destroy solidarity, and the latter is designed to reinforce and mobilize solidarity. Seen in this light, an MLM is a mirror world union, one that converts solidarity into misery and powerlessness instead of joy and strength.

The MLM movement doesn't just make men like Rich De Vos and Jay Van Andel into billionaires. MLM bosses are heavy funders of the right, a blank check for the Heritage Foundation. Trump is the MLM president, a grifter who grew up on the gospel of Norman Vincent Peale – a key figure in MLM cult dynamics – who tells his followers that wealth is a sign of virtue. Trump boasts about all the people he's ripped off, boasting about how getting away with cheating "makes me smart":

https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/04/its-not-a-lie/#its-a-premature-truth

The corollary is that being cheated means you're stupid. Caveat emptor, the motto of the cryptocurrency industry ("not your wallet, not your coins") that spent hundreds of millions to get Trump elected.

Tech has its own mirror world. The people who used tech to find fellow weirdos and make delightful and wonderful things are mirrored by the people who used tech to find fellow weirdos and call for fascism, ethnic cleansing, and concentration camps.

In Picks and Shovels, my next novel (Feb 17), I introduce readers to a fictitious 1980s religious computer sales cult called Fidelity Computing, run by an orthodox rabbi, a Catholic priest and a Mormon rabbi:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865908/picksandshovels

Fidelity is a faith scam, a pyramid scheme that is parasitic upon the bonds of faith and fellowship. Martin Hench, the hero of the story – a hard-fighting high tech forensic accountant – goes to work for a competing business, Computing Freedom, run by three Fidelity ex-employees who have left their faiths and their employers to pursue a vision of computers that is about liberation, rather than control.

The women of Computing Freedom – a queer orthodox woman who's been kicked out of her family, a Mormon woman who's renounced the LDS over its opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, and a nun who's left her order to throw in with the Liberation Theology movement – are all charismatic, energetic, inspirational organizers.

Because of course they are – that's why they were so good at selling computers for the Reverend Sirs who sit at the top of Fidelity Computing's pyramid scheme.

Hearing Baker's interview and reading Pitzer's memoir last week made it all click together for me. Not just that MLMs destroy social bonds, but that within every person who gets sucked into an MLM, there's a community organizer who could be building the bonds that MLMs destroy.

[reading-writing-revolution]

Jo Ellen Grzyb, a member of this Substack community, noted in response to one of my posts that she’s seeing a lot of the phrase “courage is contagious.” She mentioned Bernie, AOC, Cory Booker, Tim Walz, Jasmine Crockett, and Elizabeth Warren. She’s right. And in these darkening times, this contagion is critically important. A staggering 36,000 people attended Bernie and AOC’s rally in Los Angeles; 34,000 attended their rally in Denver. These numbers are unprecedented. Yesterday, hundreds of thousands of you turned out in your communities to condemn Trump and his regime. In front of the White House, protesters shouted “shame!” This is the contagion of courage. Every person who stands up to the Trump regime’s lawlessness and cruelty summons others to do the same. Every prominent politician who stands up to Trump’s tyranny invites other politicians to stand up to it. Every institutional leader who defies Trump’s orders encourages other institutional leaders to defy similar orders. When Harvard has the courage to say no to Trump, leaders of other universities are fortified to do the same. When law firms such as Perkins Coie and Williams & Connolly stand up to his tyranny, they make it easier for other firms to join them. It is not that America lacks courage. It is just that we’ve become so cut off from one another — so atomized and isolated — that many of us feel alone. That loneliness makes us feel vulnerable and fearful. Likewise, the leaders of many of our institutions — universities, law firms, museums, media — are so disconnected from one another that they fear their institutions are vulnerable to Trump’s tyranny. But when all of us are surrounded by courageous people and brave institutional leaders, all of us become more courageous. We gain strength from the courage of others.

Sunday thought - Robert Reich

[your-pal-nebula]

WordGirl characters portrayed by Miiverse posts (featuring my OCs) (I got all of these from Tonka Joey's youtube video about Miiverse)

-----

Violet: Is anime over yet?

Becky: Clarify please.

Violet: Has it ended?

Becky: Anime is a Japense animation style that has been used for a very long time and I doubt it will end anytime soon.

Violet: damn

----- Scoops: How many atoms are there in the universe there's gotta be like a million -----

Victoria: I love all the building in this game. I wish I could build a meaningful relationship with my parents

-----

Tobey: My least favorite character is Sonic becuase he's fast like my mom when she chases me with the belt ----- Silver: Cigarettes are like hamsters. They're fine, until you put them in your mouth and light them on fire ----- Cori: Sometimes I let my phone die and envy it ----- Tobey: Pokemon Sun and Moon makes me wish I had a girlfriend ----- Eileen: The wiiU weally isn't doing that bad i mean if they sold awound six million units there's only seven million people on eawth so almost evewyone has a wiiU ----- Silver: Yeah I love slendermen dad men is my men Cori: that's cool. ----- Rex: Halloween. Time to take out dead grandpa (RIP) and scare the absolute living censored out of Grandma. Johnson: That's not funny. Even for trolling, I find it most upsetting. Johnson: I am horrifically furious with you. ----- Victor/Veronica: Kyle got kicked out of his house. He got a few minutes to pack up and leave. The first and only thing he takes is a bottle of ranch. Are you kidding me? -----

[thevaultoftheatomicspaceage]

A photograph of students with the atomic reactor in Cory Hall at UC Berkeley. December 6, 1957.

[snowstar716]

SUPER SMASH BROS. CHARACTER THEME SONGS (in my opinion)

Mario: Jump - Van Halen

Donkey Kong: Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang

Link: Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Samus: Iron Man - Black Sabbath

Dark Samus: Take Me Over - Red

Yoshi: Walk The Dinosaur - Was (Not Was)

Kirby: Counting Stars - OneRepublic

Fox: Wings Of Steel - Wings Of Steel

Pikachu: Thunder - Imagine Dragons

Luigi: Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.

Ness: It's The End Of The World As We Know It - R.E.M.

Captain Falcon: Don't Stop Me Now - Queen

Jigglypuff: Symphony - Clean Bandit

Peach: Holding Out For A Hero - Bonnie Tyler

Daisy: Umbrella - Rihanna

Bowser: Be Prepared (Cover) - Jonathan Young

Ice Climbers: Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

Sheik: Keep It Undercover - Zendaya

Zelda: When You're Gone - Avril Lavigne

Dr. Mario: Doctor - Jack Stauber

Pichu: Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant

Falco: Birds - Imagine Dragons

Marth: Hero - Skillet

Lucina: Time - Pink Floyd

Young Link: Go The Distance - Michael Bolton

Ganondorf: Hail To The King - Avenged Sevenfold

Mewtwo: Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace

Roy: Burning Down The House - Talking Heads

Chrom: Awake & Alive - Skillet

Mr. Game & Watch: Game Over - Falling In Reverse

Meta Knight: Wrong Side Of Heaven - Five Finger Death Punch

Pit: Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz

Dark Pit: Bring Me To Life - Evanescence

Zero Suit Samus: Unstoppable - Sia

Wario: Thrift Shop - Macklemore

Snake: Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

Ike: Legend - Jaroslav Beck

Squirtle, Ivysaur, & Charizard/Pokémon Trainer: We Are The Champions - Queen

Diddy Kong: It's Tricky - Run-DMC

Lucas: I'm Just A Kid - Simple Plan

Sonic: Runaway Baby - Bruno Mars

King Dedede: Fat - “Weird Al” Yankovic

Olimar/Alph: Rocket Man - Elton John

Lucario: Aura - Dennis Lloyd

R.O.B.: Boom - P.O.D.

Toon Link: Come Sail Away - Styx

Wolf: Three Little Pigs - Green Jelly

Villager: Psycho Killer - The Talking Heads

Mega Man: More Than Meets The Eye - Linkin Park

Wii Fit Trainer: Physical - Olivia Newton-John

Rosalina & Luma: All The Stars - SZA

Little Mac: Free Fallin’ - Tom Petty

Greninja: The Ninja Song - Cory Williams

Palutena: Goddess - Iggy Azalea

PAC-MAN: PAC-MAN Fever - Buckner & Garcia

Robin: Magic - Mystery Skulls

Shulk: Into The Future - Chef’Special

Bowser Jr., Larry, Roy, Wendy, Iggy, Morton, Lemmy, Ludwig: Horrible Kids - Set It Off

Duck Hunt: Atomic Dog - George Clinton

Ryu: Karate - Tenacious D

Ken: Through The Fire & Flames - DragonForce

Cloud: Push It To The Limit - Scarface

Corrin: The Middle - Maren Morris

Bayonetta: Daisy - AshNikko

Inkling: Paint It Black - The Rolling Stones

Ridley: Die MF Die - Dope

Simon: Whip It - Devo

Richter: The Sound Of Silence (Cover) - Disturbed

King K. Rool: Crocodile Rock - Elton John

Isabelle: Best Day Ever - DJ Cadence

Incineroar: Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor

Piranha Plant: Mean Green Mother From Outer Space - Levi Stubbs

Joker: The Joker & The Thief - Wolfmother

Hero: Magic - Pilot

Banjo & Kazooie: Best Friend - Weezer

Terry: Fight To Win - Your Favorite Martian

Byleth: School’s Out - Alice Cooper

Min Min: Unleash The Dragon - JT Music

Steve, Alex, Zombie, & Enderman: Diamonds - Rihanna

Sephiroth: Evil Angel - Breaking Benjamin

Pyra & Mythra: Warriors - Aaliyah Rose

Kazuya: My Demons - Starset

Sora: When Can I See You Again? - Owl City

Mii Fighters: Critical Hit - No More Kings

Sans: Spooky Scary Skeletons (Remix) - The Living Tombstone

Cuphead: I Ain't Worried - OneRepublic

Vault Boy: Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy

Shantae: Friend Like Me - Robin Williams

Doom Slayer: Out Of Hell - Skillet

Hammer Bro: U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer

Chain Chomp: Who Let The Dogs Out? - Baha Men

Thwomp: Crushcrushcrush - Paramore

Waluigi: Loser - Beck

KlapTrap: Chomp Chomp - Alestorm

Skull Kid: Masks - Aviators

Moon: Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Midna: The Wolf - SIAMÉS

Ghirahim: Welcome To The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance

Metroid: Parasite - DAGames

Mother Brain: Intergalactic - Beastie Boys

Nightmare: Nightmare - Avenged Sevenfold

Knuckle Joe: Fighter - The Cast of Glee

Chef Kawasaki: Eat It - “Weird Al” Yankovic

Andross: Imperial March - John Williams

Krystal: Keep Holding On - Avril Lavigne

Samurai Goroh: Heavy Metal Samurai - Metalucifer

Starman: Starman - David Bowie

Jeff: Rocketeer - Far East Movement

Tiki: Dragonhearted - TryHardNinja

Lyn: Forsaken - Within Temptation

Black Knight: Fight The Knight - Crush 40

Phosphora: Electric Shock - F(x)

Ashley: Hocus Pocus - Marnik

Burrowing Snagret: Angry Birds Rap - JT Music

Kapp'n: Another One Rides The Bus - “Weird Al” Yankovic

Riki: Happy - Pharrell Williams

Color TV-Game 15: New Game - Nitro Fun

Sheriff: I Fought The Law - The Clash

Devil: The Devil Went Down To Georgia - Charlie Daniels

Takamaru: Warriors - Imagine Dragons

Dr. Wright: We Built This City - Starship

Flies & Hand: Fly - Marshmello

Prince Of Sablé: Adventure - Matthew Parker

Sukapon: Robot Rock - Daft Punk

Isaac: With Great Power - JT Music

Starfy: Shooting Star - Owl City

Nintendog: Dogsong - Toby Fox

Dr. Kawashima: Teach You How To Die - JT Music

Vince: Happy Accidents - CG5

Nikki: Mi Mi Mi - SEREBRO

Dillon: Rollin’ - Limp Bizkit

Yuri Kozukata: The Spook - KSHMR

Arcade Bunny: Drunk Arcade - Bombs Away

Spring Man: This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race - Fall Out Boy

Squid Sisters: Just Dance - Lady Gaga

Ghosts: Ghost - Mystery Skulls

Bomberman: Dynamite - Taio Cruz

Alucard: Vampire - Lazyboy Empire

Wily Capsule: Crazy = Genius - Panic! At The Disco

Zero: On My Own - Ashes Remain

Knuckles: Fight Back - NEFFEX

Shadow: Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People

Guile: This Is America - Childish Gambino

Akira: Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas

Gray Fox: Another Way Out - Hollywood Undead

Rodin: Heathens - Twenty One Pilots

Shovel Knight: Diggy Diggy Hole (Cover) - Wind Rose

All Pokémon: Evolution - KoRn

Master Hand & Crazy Hand: I Will Not Be Moved - DAGames

Giga Bowser: Godzilla - Eminem

Ganon: The Beast - Tech N9ne

Galleom: I Am Machine - Three Days Grace

Rathalos: Dragonborn - Jeremy Soule

Dracula: In The Dark Of The Night (Cover) - Jonathan Young

Marx: Alastor’s Game - The Living Tombstone

Galeem & Darkhon: This Is The End - NateWantsToBattle

[augustheart]

hello i am a fan of z listers (mostly from superman stories). I mean I'm also a fan of a lot of popular characters but z listers are great

Like Kral of Titan - who only appears in one issue. Or Superman's best son Gregor Nagy - who only appears in one issue. Or Kathy Warren, Clark's genius "sister" - who has a very similar origin to the best version of Lena, pre-crisis lena, and only appears twice . Or Marsboy - Clark's first "rival" who only appears thrice. Or Gary the Witchboy - Clark's first friend ever - who only appears thrice. Or Clark's brothers, Cory (appears a bit more than 3 times), Kral, and Mighto (only appears once). Or Dr Metropolis. Or Pops from Captain Atom. Or batboy. Or Superlad. Or Linda lee danvers clone. Or Judy/Equila. Or Orana. Or Ar-Val. Or tlano.

or a bunch of the russian superheros that didn't actually show up much (the group in firestorm, the russian checkmate guy)

D-listers are also cool. I like blue devil (specifically his pre-magic only version...) and amethyst (specifically pre-giffen...)

Oh! And the Weird. His mini was great...

I think he might be closer to z than d though...

first:

SOYUZ MENTIONED!!!!!!!

next:

i love being a fan of c-z list characters. i love all these weird little guys who never show up more than once and who you have to explain whenever anyone asks you about them. i do think my definition of "popular character" is very skewed by how much i like them/see them talked about online though; there have been conversations where i'll call ralph dibny a b-lister and have to be very gently told that he really isn't. but there's something about those oddball one-off or two-off characters that i get very attached to. even the side characters in very mainstream and popular-at-the-time books don't get much love (doyle christie from wally's flash run, anyone?) much less, say, starbright from astro city, who has one appearance. maybe that doesn't count because it's a different earth though... either way, big fan of the characters literally no one else on the face of the planet is a fan of.

[azspot]

The problem with encryption is that it works. The little distraction rectangle you have in your pocket, when you take it out and aim your camera at something and press the shutter button, if you’ve got full disc encryption turned on, in the time it takes for your phone to play that little click, click sound, that photo is scrambled so thoroughly that if every hydrogen atom in the universe were turned into a computer and it did nothing until the end of the universe but try to guess what the key was that was needed to de-scramble it, that we would run out of universe long, long before we ran out of possible keys for you to have used for your phone to have generated and to scramble that photo.

Cory Doctorow

[satoshi-mochida]

Invincible Presents: Atom Eve launches November 14

Gematsu Source

Comic book-style visual novel Invincible Presents: Atom Eve will launch for PC via Steam and “additional platforms soon to be announced” on November 14, publisher Skybound Games and developer Terrible Posture Games announced. It will feature English, French, German, and Spanish language support.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

Invincible Presents: Atom Eve is the first original Invincible game from Skybound Games, the creator-led company behind Invincible and The Walking Dead. Experience an original story with striking art directed by Rossi Gifford and creative direction by award-winning writer Jill Murray, and explore the life of Atom Eve in a world filled with beloved characters. Based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley.

Atomic, With Agency

Play as Atom Eve, the fan-favorite superhero from the Invincible universe! Get to know Eve like never before as she navigates her life with the Teen Team, her family, and her friends while figuring out the best way to use her incredible powers as a force for good.

Determine Your Destiny

Doing the right thing sounds easy until you’re the one making the decisions. Your choices shape your relationships with the people around you and will define the outcome of the story across multiple paths. Choose how to develop Atom Eve’s skills and increase her power, unlock special combat skills, or choose to unlock unique dialogue options to further play your story, your way.

Comic Book Combat

Take on new and familiar foes in light, turn-based combat woven into visual novel gameplay and wield the powers of Atom Eve as your story flows seamlessly into vivid action that feels like a comic book come to life.

View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

[comicbookclub]

Meet The Invincible Season 2 Cast: Walton Goggins As Cecil Stedman

Here's what you need to know about Walton Goggins' Cecil Stedman on #Invincible Season 2.

Tomorrow (November 2) Invincible Season 2 premieres on Prime Video. And we’ve already brought you up to speed on Invincible (Steven Yeun) himself, as well as Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs). So let’s turn it over to an intriguing supporting character: Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins). Stedman is a key character in the adult animated series and in the comic books by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan…

[michaelcosio]

In Loving Memory Of the Fallen

This memorial is dedicated to the courage and honor of our fallen teammates. Their dedication and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Here are the names of our fallen. Each name is accompanied by a page dedicated to honoring and remembering them, where photos or stories can be shared.

* Indicates those who are the Original 43

January

Casey Casavant (Rooster)*

Steve Gernet (G-Man)*

Ron Johnson (Cat Daddy)*

Arthur Laguna (Art)*

Shane Stansfield (War Baby)*

Jerome McCauley (Jerry)*

Matt Fineran*

Walter Fisher*

William Reid Ray (Billy)

Sean Hawkins (Hawk)

James Patrick Flynn (Seven)

Dean Leon Silva (Windex)

Christopher P. Gaffney

February

Nicholas W. Leotti*

Michael McInnis (Mac)

Jim Grey (Mammal)

Lance Warren (#1 Dad)

Cory Gene Wainscott

Lee Eric Martin (Biggin)

Keith Jorgensen (Snake Doctor)

Tommy Lopez

Jeffrey Keith Reynolds (Festus)

Richard Garcia (Witch Doctor)

Charles Hughes (Hugo)

Glen Wenzel

March

Wesley John Kealoha Batlona (Wes)*

Stephen Scotten Helvenston (Scott)*

Mike Teague (Iron Mike)*

Jerko Gerald Zovko (Jerry)*

Bruce T Durr (Bee)*

James Cantrell (Tracker)*

Stuart Rice

William Posch

Michael Tharp

April

Peter Goodfellow (Dingo)*

Robert Gore (Jason)*

Curtis Hundley (Sparky)*

Steven McGovern*

Jason Obert*

David Patterson (Mike)*

Luke Petrik (Black Diamond)*

Eric Smith*

Patrick Waterbury (Stazi)

Craig Fuller (Firecracker)*

Norman Spruill (Old School)

Abraham Bronn

Scott Sandefer (Sandman)

May

Thomas Jaichner (Bama)*

Thomas Capel (Grundle)

Brandon Teague

Steven Powell (Junior)

June

Richard Bruce (Kato)*

Krzysztof Kaskos*

Jarrod Little*

Christopher Neidrich*

Artur Zukowski*

David Olinger (Dave-O)

Joshua Hernandez (Pedro)*

Corey Meile (Olaf)

William Larson (Gunz)

July

William Hinchman (Sonny)*

Roland Tressler (Johny Quest)*

Michael Sacks (Max)*

Cory Gray

Antouine Castenada (Lips)

Sean Barton (Taxi)

Duane Xanders

Bart Baker

August

Charles Geisler (Bullfrog)

Philip VanDyke

William Woods (Brian)*

Joseph Bixler (Bix)

Michael Oyer

Roger Abshire (Nitro)

Christopher Hartsock

Mike Hawley (Mike)

September

David Shepherd (Chief)*

Stephen Sullivan*

Peter Tocci (Bear)*

Kenneth Webb (2B)*

Jack McCracken (Stagger)

Atom Ziniewicz

Carlos Guerrero (Tony)

Alan Nowak

Robert Schierenberg

Chad Burke

October

Rod Richardson (K2)*

Thomas Capel (Grundle)

Brandon Teague

Steven Powell (Junior)

Eric Chapa

Nickolaus Dillon

Jordan Pyle

November

David Randolph*

Noel English*

Loren Hammer (Butch)*

Melin Rowe*

David Laconte

Thomas Mitchell

Christopher Coene (Superfly)

Steven White (Blanco)

Raymond Tanner

December

Dane Paresi*

Scott Roberson*

Jeremy Wise*

Scott Brachmann (Mongo)

Ken Bell (Thumper)

Christopher Shellhamer

James Parker Jr. (Doc)

Sean Bowles (Rock Ape)

Terrance Cullinan

Jason Terrell (Turbo)

Col George Smith (Doc Smith)

Willard Baber (Buddy)

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[thursdaygarbageday]

**Title: The Peanut Butter Chronicles: A Tale of Three Cities**In a bustling universe not too different from our own, three companions—Dion and Terrence—found themselves wandering the vibrant streets of New York City. Meanwhile, their friends Brad, Cory, and Tye were exploring the rich history of Philadelphia, while you, Chris, embarked on an adventure in Pittsburgh. Though miles apart, their journeys were humorously intertwined through the magic of friendship, laughter, and, of course, the beloved peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

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**Chapter 1: New York, New York**

Under the dazzling lights of Times Square, Dion turned to Terrence with a grin. “You know what they say, Terrence: ‘I’m not a complete idiot; some parts are missing!’”

Terrence chuckled, tossing a pretzel into his mouth. “Well, if you’re half an idiot,” he retorted, “what does that make me? A quarter?”

As they strolled through the crowds, Dion suddenly stopped and pulled out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from his backpack. “Lunch time!” he announced dramatically, as if unveiling a trophy.

“Only you would bring PB&J to New York,” Terrence teased, but his stomach rumbled in agreement. They sat down on the steps of a nearby subway entrance, nestled among a crowd of bustling tourists.

“Do you know the difference between a peanut butter sandwich and a joke?” Dion said, grinning as he took a big bite. “One is nutty, and the other is just plain nuts!”

Terrence rolled his eyes but couldn’t help laughing. “And speaking of plain nuts, I hear the pigeons have been stealing more sandwiches lately. Watch your back!”

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**Chapter 2: Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love**

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Brad, Cory, and Tye were standing in front of the Liberty Bell, pondering its cracked surface.

“Why did the Liberty Bell go to school?” Brad asked, looking serious.

“Why?” Cory replied inquisitively.

“To get a little *crack*-tastic education!” Brad burst out, causing Tye to snort.

Tye shook his head. “You always bring up the worst puns, Brad. It’s like eating a sandwich without peanut butter: simply unacceptable!”

Brad pulled a homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwich from his backpack, proudly holding it up like a trophy. “At least *I* am prepared! Quote of the day? ‘If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving definitely isn’t for you!’”

“Exactly!” Cory chimed in. “But let’s face it, we have the best view of the city—and the best PB&J!” They all dug in, savoring the flavors, and reminiscing about times spent together.

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**Chapter 3: Pittsburgh, the City of Bridges**

In Pittsburgh, Chris was sitting on the edge of Point State Park, gazing at the confluence of rivers and the magnificent skyline. With a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in hand, Chris reflected on how the world felt both vast and small.

“Did you hear about the peanut butter that got arrested?” Chris mused aloud. “It was charged with spreading too much joy!”

Sitting beside him was a friendly local named Sam, who burst out laughing. “Good one! But here’s my favorite: ‘Never trust an atom; they make up everything!’”

Chris smiled, taking a hearty bite. “Man, these sandwiches make life better, don’t they? It’s like they’re a perfect metaphor for friendship—simple, sweet, and sometimes a little sticky!”

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**Epilogue: A Delicious Connection**

As the three groups enjoyed their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in their respective cities, they each felt a magical connection, as if the universe had linked them through laughter and love. They might be separated by miles, but their shared jokes and memories echoed in the air like a gust of wind, weaving their friendship tighter.

A month later, they planned a reunion—all three cities coming together in a grand picnic at the confluence where Chris lived. Peanut butter and jelly would be the main dish, naturally, accompanied by a medley of jokes.

Together, they chanted, “Life is not about the destination, but about the sandwiches we share along the way!” And as the sun set behind the hills of Pittsburgh, laughter filled the air, binding the trio even closer.

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And so, the adventures of Dion, Terrence, Brad, Cory, Tye, and Chris continued—forever united by the joy of a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich and the whimsical joy of shared laughter.