The Rubik Family: a story about what would happen if cubing were illegal

VortexCuber

VortexCuber

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Hi guys, I am creating a forum series about what would happen if cubing became illegal. It is focused around a family so dedicated to cubing that they legally changed their last name to Rubik, and the Anti Rubix Cube Association or ARCA (the founder of ARCA misspelled the name on purpose because he's a non-cuber).

Warning: some parts might be very unrealistic or disturbing.

First part will come out Saturday.
 
First part of the series

Disclaimer: Some parts might be a bit ridiculously unrealistic, but this is a dystopian series.

Click-clack-click. Erno Rubik, his sister Joanne, his brothers Jack and Feliks, and his twin sisters Roxanne and Roxanna were all trying to break their 5x5 PB averages on a Saturday afternoon. Their mother was busy cooking dinner, and their father was trying to learn how to solve a Square-1. They were all very quiet, because if they were caught, they could be arrested.

This is because, in an abandoned supermarket in town that had been closed for years, there was a secret meeting of people who hated cubing and called themselves “ARCA”, or Anti Rubix Cube Association. (They spelled the name wrong on purpose.) ARCA was supposedly founded by a mysterious unicorn named Rose Fragrance who appeared to a man named Mark Russell in a dream, instructing him to found ARCA. Initially, ARCA met at night in the woods, but moved into the abandoned supermarket six years ago. A statue of Rose Fragrance had been built in front of the supermarket, leading many to believe that a cult was forming, especially those who were superstitious.

Although this town, Adlerville, Florida, had been the birthplace of ARCA, there were hundreds of other locations across the USA. Jenkins was the president of the whole association as well as the leader of his location. Some ARCA agents also joined the police force, causing Adlerville to become an ARCA-controlled town, and cubing to be made illegal in the US because it was considered offensive to the followers of the “ARCA cult,” even though Jenkins insisted it wasn’t a cult. Anyone who cubed could be sent to jail or even executed.

President Orson Jenkins of ARCA, a very rich man, was giving a speech in the dusty darkness, with only a few dim lights. “I, President Jenkins of ARCA, am here to announce that we are on a search-and-destroy mission, targeting Max Park. I am going to provide a jet plane to fly towards California, where he lives…” He went on, explaining the plan and procedures. Max Park, who lived in California, where ARCA was a lot less prevalent, thought he was safe. But little did he know, he was far from it.
 
VortexCuber said:
First part of the series

Disclaimer: Some parts might be a bit ridiculously unrealistic, but this is a dystopian series.

Click-clack-click. Erno Rubik, his sister Joanne, his brothers Jack and Feliks, and his twin sisters Roxanne and Roxanna were all trying to break their 5x5 PB averages on a Saturday afternoon. Their mother was busy cooking dinner, and their father was trying to learn how to solve a Square-1. They were all very quiet, because if they were caught, they could be arrested.

This is because, in an abandoned supermarket in town that had been closed for years, there was a secret meeting of people who hated cubing and called themselves “ARCA”, or Anti Rubix Cube Association. (They spelled the name wrong on purpose.) ARCA was supposedly founded by a mysterious unicorn named Rose Fragrance who appeared to a man named Mark Russell in a dream, instructing him to found ARCA. Initially, ARCA met at night in the woods, but moved into the abandoned supermarket six years ago. A statue of Rose Fragrance had been built in front of the supermarket, leading many to believe that a cult was forming, especially those who were superstitious.

Although this town, Adlerville, Florida, had been the birthplace of ARCA, there were hundreds of other locations across the USA. Jenkins was the president of the whole association as well as the leader of his location. Some ARCA agents also joined the police force, causing Adlerville to become an ARCA-controlled town, and cubing to be made illegal in the US because it was considered offensive to the followers of the “ARCA cult,” even though Jenkins insisted it wasn’t a cult. Anyone who cubed could be sent to jail or even executed.

President Orson Jenkins of ARCA, a very rich man, was giving a speech in the dusty darkness, with only a few dim lights. “I, President Jenkins of ARCA, am here to announce that we are on a search-and-destroy mission, targeting Max Park. I am going to provide a jet plane to fly towards California, where he lives…” He went on, explaining the plan and procedures. Max Park, who lived in California, where ARCA was a lot less prevalent, thought he was safe. But little did he know, he was far from it.
Click to expand...
Interesting write-up yo
 
VortexCuber said:
First part of the series

Disclaimer: Some parts might be a bit ridiculously unrealistic, but this is a dystopian series.

Click-clack-click. Erno Rubik, his sister Joanne, his brothers Jack and Feliks, and his twin sisters Roxanne and Roxanna were all trying to break their 5x5 PB averages on a Saturday afternoon. Their mother was busy cooking dinner, and their father was trying to learn how to solve a Square-1. They were all very quiet, because if they were caught, they could be arrested.

This is because, in an abandoned supermarket in town that had been closed for years, there was a secret meeting of people who hated cubing and called themselves “ARCA”, or Anti Rubix Cube Association. (They spelled the name wrong on purpose.) ARCA was supposedly founded by a mysterious unicorn named Rose Fragrance who appeared to a man named Mark Russell in a dream, instructing him to found ARCA. Initially, ARCA met at night in the woods, but moved into the abandoned supermarket six years ago. A statue of Rose Fragrance had been built in front of the supermarket, leading many to believe that a cult was forming, especially those who were superstitious.

Although this town, Adlerville, Florida, had been the birthplace of ARCA, there were hundreds of other locations across the USA. Jenkins was the president of the whole association as well as the leader of his location. Some ARCA agents also joined the police force, causing Adlerville to become an ARCA-controlled town, and cubing to be made illegal in the US because it was considered offensive to the followers of the “ARCA cult,” even though Jenkins insisted it wasn’t a cult. Anyone who cubed could be sent to jail or even executed.

President Orson Jenkins of ARCA, a very rich man, was giving a speech in the dusty darkness, with only a few dim lights. “I, President Jenkins of ARCA, am here to announce that we are on a search-and-destroy mission, targeting Max Park. I am going to provide a jet plane to fly towards California, where he lives…” He went on, explaining the plan and procedures. Max Park, who lived in California, where ARCA was a lot less prevalent, thought he was safe. But little did he know, he was far from it.
Click to expand...
Nice! I’m excited for the next chapter
 
Second part of the series

Disclaimer: Some parts might be a bit ridiculously unrealistic, but this is a dystopian series.

Max Park was at a cubing competition in his hometown of Cerritos, while Adlerville's ARCA troops were on the planes. The 3x3 second round was just about to begin when alarms sounded! The building was locked down while competitors were frantically searching for hiding places. A crew from Kentucky 🍗 🍗 🍗 🍗 also participated in the mission for assistance, because California, as I said before, was relatively safe from ARCA. Up until now. The ARCA troops parachuted down on the building, holding guns. They demanded to know where Max Park was. In the end, a delegate was kidnapped, but he refused to reveal Max Park's location. The Kentucky crew began to search, while the Florida crew continued questioning the delegates and competitors.

Some cubers tried to call the police, but when they came, they saw the ARCA troops and said, "Cubing is illegal, they are simply enforcing the law. After all, they're the only ones allowed to enforce anti-cube laws." The remaining rounds of the competition were delayed until next week.

Cubers from all over the country were shocked. "Get rid of this cult!" shouted Garf, as the SpeedSolving.com website was disconnected permanently by the ARCA agents.

The next day was January 20. A new president was inaugurated, and it turned out that he was affiliated with ARCA! In his inaugural address, he promised to eradicate cubing from the nation, and eventually, the world. ARCA troops continued searching for Max Park, but did not find him. They offered a $1 million reward for whoever found him, but as January became February, he never turned up.
 
Last edited:
VortexCuber said:
Second part of the series

Disclaimer: Some parts might be a bit ridiculously unrealistic, but this is a dystopian series.

Max Park was at a cubing competition in his hometown of Cerritos, while Adlerville's ARCA troops were on the planes. The 3x3 second round was just about to begin when alarms sounded! The building was locked down while competitors were frantically searching for hiding places. A crew from Kentucky also participated in the mission for assistance, because California, as I said before, was relatively safe from ARCA. Up until now. The ARCA troops parachuted down on the building, holding guns. They demanded to know where Max Park was. In the end, a delegate was kidnapped, but he refused to reveal Max Park's location. The Kentucky crew began to search, while the Florida crew continued questioning the delegates and competitors.

Some cubers tried to call the police, but when they came, they saw the ARCA troops and said, "Cubing is illegal, they are simply enforcing the law. After all, they're the only ones allowed to enforce anti-cube laws." The remaining rounds of the competition were delayed until next week.

Cubers from all over the country were shocked. "Get rid of this cult!" shouted Garf, as the SpeedSolving.com website was disconnected permanently by the ARCA agents.

The next day was January 20. A new president was inaugurated, and it turned out that he was affiliated with ARCA! In his inaugural address, he promised to eradicate cubing from the nation, and eventually, the world. ARCA troops continued searching for Max Park, but did not find him. They offered a $1 million reward for whoever found him, but as January became February, he never turned up.
Click to expand...
Nice chapter I like the ss reference @Garf
 
VortexCuber said:
Second part of the series

Disclaimer: Some parts might be a bit ridiculously unrealistic, but this is a dystopian series.

Max Park was at a cubing competition in his hometown of Cerritos, while Adlerville's ARCA troops were on the planes. The 3x3 second round was just about to begin when alarms sounded! The building was locked down while competitors were frantically searching for hiding places. A crew from Kentucky 🍗 🍗 🍗 🍗also participated in the mission for assistance, because California, as I said before, was relatively safe from ARCA. Up until now. The ARCA troops parachuted down on the building, holding guns. They demanded to know where Max Park was. In the end, a delegate was kidnapped, but he refused to reveal Max Park's location. The Kentucky crew began to search, while the Florida crew continued questioning the delegates and competitors.

Some cubers tried to call the police, but when they came, they saw the ARCA troops and said, "Cubing is illegal, they are simply enforcing the law. After all, they're the only ones allowed to enforce anti-cube laws." The remaining rounds of the competition were delayed until next week.

Cubers from all over the country were shocked. "Get rid of this cult!" shouted Garf, as the SpeedSolving.com website was disconnected permanently by the ARCA agents.

The next day was January 20. A new president was inaugurated, and it turned out that he was affiliated with ARCA! In his inaugural address, he promised to eradicate cubing from the nation, and eventually, the world. ARCA troops continued searching for Max Park, but did not find him. They offered a $1 million reward for whoever found him, but as January became February, he never turned up.
Click to expand...
Get rid of this cult!
 
Third part of the series - it's not dead!

Disclaimer: Some parts might be a bit ridiculously unrealistic, but this is a dystopian series.

It was now February. Max Park was forced into hiding, and ARCA troops were gaining control of California. Meanwhile, the Rubik family, who, as I said, lived in Florida, were also in danger. ARCA had just opened a training school near Adlerville, which accepted children of all ages to be brainwashed by ARCA's beliefs, and to be trained to fight cubers, sabotage competitions, and destroy cubes.

Joanne (Erno's sister), who was 16 years old, started becoming very worried, even to the point of being afraid to step outside. It was at this time that the family saw some unusual behaviors. She didn't cube. Not at all. And over the next few days, cubes seemed to disappear every day from her collection. One night, the smoke detector went off. In a normal circumstance, she wouldn't be scared unless there was a real fire. But there wasn't. Instead, her father burst into her room, saw a pile of ash mixed with colored specks and a match that had just been blown out. The father, confused, thought he was dreaming and began to walk around the house aimlessly. He opened the trash can and suddenly he was fully conscious. Smashed bits of a cube. Had Joanne been attacked by ARCA?

The next morning, Joanne woke up shaking with tears in her eyes. She stammered to her mother, "What happened last night?" Her mother said, "I don't know, but are you okay?"

Joanne was getting more and more anxious, and there always seemed to be matchboxes in her room. A few nights later, the parents decided to go into Joanne's room and inspect. They saw a letter-size paper on her desk next to a pile of ash. It read:


Yn Chiarn Jenkins:
Va mee er n'yannoo ymmyd jeh'n skool-training ARCA as dy row mee ny ball ARCA. Ta mee er sniessey my cubeyn hene as cha jean mee cube erbee y ghlenney arragh. Ta mee jannoo shoh son dy vel mee dy bragh ry-hoi rish y Chiarn Jenkins as rish Rose Fragrance. Ta mee guee ort dy leih dou son ta aggle orrym my t'ee cube reesht, dy bee'm marroo. Yn aggle shoh hug mee gys my scansh. Cha nel cubing jannoo red erbee elley agh cur my-hene ayns raad y ghraih, as cha nel red erbee aym dy choayl tra t'eh ry-hoi. Cur-ym cooney dhyt ayns bombaghey y Austrail as marrey Max Park as cuberyn elley. Cur-ym cooney da’n obbyr shoh t’ayd, dy bee dagh cube er y theihll sniessey er-dy-henney. Fakin dy vel mee dy ve saighdeyr low mastey ymmodee, agh ta dagh dooinney count, as nee'm shickyr dy jig ny smoo dy leih rym's ayns ar cause ec ARCA.
Lesh ooashley dowin,
Joanne Dobson

It seemed like a letter, but it was in a mysterious language. It was in her handwriting, though, so it had to be her. The parents looked for words in the language that seemed like English. They found "skool-training ARCA" and many mentions of cubes, and "bombaghey y Austrail." They looked at each other in fear when they saw this. Was it "bomb Australia?" Finally, the signature. Dobson was the last name the family had before changing it to Rubik. Was this from long ago? They checked the back, and it had the date: it was just yesterday.
 
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Fourth part of the series

Disclaimer: Some parts might be a bit ridiculously unrealistic, but this is a dystopian series.

Mr. and Mrs. Rubik looked at the letter one last time. It was addressed to President Jenkins himself. They stood there, trembling in fear, and were unable to go back to sleep again. They took the letter into their room and began to type it into Google Translate. It turned out, it was in a language called Manx.

Dear President Jenkins:
I have decided to go to the ARCA training school and become an ARCA member. I have destroyed my own cubes and will never solve any cubes again. I’m doing this because I’m absolutely devoted to Mr. Jenkins and Rose Fragrance. Please accept me because I'm afraid if I cube again, I'll die. This fear led me to my senses. Cubing doesn't do anything other than put myself in harm's way, and I have nothing to lose because. I will assist you in bombing Australia and killing Max Park and other cubers. I will help you realize that every cube in the world will eventually be destroyed in this dream of yours. I may have to be a lowly soldier among many, but every person counts, and I will make sure more people join me in our cause at ARCA.
With deep respect,
Joanne Dobson

The parents read the translation and could not believe their eyes. Their own daughter was joining ARCA?! And she would "bomb Australia?" Then they remembered: Australia was considered by ARCA to be an "evil cubing empire" because of the influence of Feliks Zemdegs.

Joanne, meanwhile, had planned it all out this way: she would wake up at 1:00 in the morning, pack up, go to the ARCA school, and ask the principal, Mr. Calverton, to send it to President Jenkins, who lived in East Adlerville. Once she was accepted, she would be assigned a dormitory.

Joanne woke up and saw that the letter was missing. But she was smarter than leaving it on the desk. She had hidden another copy under her bed. She carefully took it out, packed her bags, got into her brand-new car, and drove to the ARCA school. The principal saw her, recognized her, and yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU EVIL CUBER?"

She said, "I have destroyed all my cubes and am joining ARCA."

The principal said, "Very good. Where is the letter?"

Joanne replied, "Here."

The principal read the letter and inspected her bags.

After 20 minutes of all that, he said to her, "You are accepted. You don't need to ask the president, as he trusts me with this school."

So Joanne was assigned a dormitory in one of the towers of the school. Now the school was built out of stone, and was inspired heavily by Hogwarts. It had taken tens of thousands of ARCA construction workers to build it over the course of 10 years, and it had just been opened a month ago. It was truly beautiful, but it was hidden, with 10 miles of forest on every side.

She said, "Finally I have found where I truly belong."

Meanwhile, when the parents found out that Joanne had run away, they tried calling her, but there was no answer.

It was hopeless. She had betrayed the cubing community.
 
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