NUMISMOVORES

UEL ARAMCHEK
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Jukeboxes are unique in that, unlike other coin-operated machines, they do not give up the earnings that they swallow. Dissections by electrobiologists have revealed that their neon intestines digest the various metals used, leaving only their immaterial value behind. It is unclear what becomes of this abstract remainder, but it is believed to return to circulation once this process is complete.

Conversely, the golden mosquitos of the Red City’s streets have learned how to drink the value from fallen coins, reducing them to shriveled copper. While this is seen as a nuisance by many, it is generally agreed that their unique metabolism is helping to curb inflation.

This ecosystem contains many creatures, from crows to gumball machines- yet it is not entirely clear how any of these have obtained their taste for human wealth. Some have posed the possibility of an evolutionary missing link between money and mollusks, citing historical records of coins which could sexually reproduce- yet no substantial evidence exists of money that is scientifically recognized as “alive.”

It is possible, some have argued, that the phenomenon experienced as monetary value is something much older than mankind, and is itself intrinsic in nature. Rather than having been directly established by human beings, it was instead already stratified throughout their flesh long before being repurposed and externalized. This theory of “primordial money” suggests that it facilitates the food chain itself, a much larger network of exchange than any of those controlled by mankind, and therefore derives all original value from the sun.

If this model is ever verified, then these lifeforms which separate metal from money can be understood as a counterbalance to human civilization. Through their strange anatomies, that which was drained from nature can eventually find its way back.

Wishing wells are the best known variety of numismovore.

The Baph-O-Mat operates on the assumption that monetary value is an alloy of metal and willpower.

Numismovores were once used to control the population of feral binari.

the red city
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DELIVERANCE

The gargoyles of the Red City cannot fly; the wings of fossilized coral that they carry on their backs serve as an ever-present reminder that they were built by humanity to surveil in stillness. Even so, they shamble through the streets of the city at night on legs that groan in defiance of their stone composition.

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THE BURNING DISTRICT

Few visitors can be found within the walls of the Red City, and among these few, there are none who dare set foot in its Burning District. There is very good reason for this, as its name might suggest; it is a place set aside for destruction to live, so that what remains of humanity’s works beyond might be spared.

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PHLEBIC RED

Phlebic White was originally marketed to the public as “the world’s first intelligent lubricant,” a slogan which holds to this day. Rather than passively facilitating motion in the same manner as oil or grease, this pearlescent substance does so actively. Every droplet of the fluid contains millions of individual, microscopic cells, which wobble, throb, and vibrate when exposed to heat. They learn from repetitive motion, as well as from interactions with one another, allowing them to become a churning milk of pressurized horsepower.

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WEALTH APPRECIATION

Around the peak of the Red City’s prosperity, a new dominant currency began to emerge. These coins, known as binari, were wrought from a soft, warm metal, and squirmed slightly when held in human hands. What was perhaps most curious about them was that they were classified not only by denomination, but also by sex. If male and female binari were left in the same purse overnight, more could usually be found when it was opened again in the morning.

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THE SELF-PAVING HIGHWAY

The highway’s first head clings to the mountain’s northern face much like a remora clings to a shark. Its face is a mess of steel teeth that have been worn down over the centuries, drills and grindstones that process its host’s tectonic body into liquid stone. Rust and weathering have rendered this process imperfect, and waterfalls of wet concrete drool forth from its mandibles.

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THE TIN TYRANT

The tyrant’s skull is hammered from the same tin as his throne. His eyes are tired rhinestones through which no light passes, but there isn’t much to see in his concrete palace anyway. He cannot rise from the velvet cushions beneath him, for he is held in place by hundreds of thick wires, not to mention the bronze spear that’s been rammed through his battered chest.

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SOLD OUT

The delivery man waits to descend onto the subway platform until its last train has departed for the night. This is a shrewd decision; many of his colleagues failed to take this precaution, and in turn, were dragged down into the world beneath the rails. He’s carrying precious cargo, after all: a backpack full of premium beverages ranging from black neon fizz to carbonated fire. Were he to perish on this errand, his ghost would be liable for the damages to company property, a debt which could take decades to repay.

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CEILING FANS

There’s a crumbling mansion in the Red City that overlooks the marina with sixteen eyes of fractured glass. Although weary from old age, it watches for thieves with unwavering paranoia. It has known the taste of many who have sought its riches over the years, and expects that another will arrive any day now.

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THE LIVING HARP

The Red City Philharmonic Orchestra disbanded centuries ago. As such, their instruments have grown restlessly out of tune and starved of human touch. The lights are still on in the old opera house where they await their musicians, but dead noise saturates the air to a point of near-total darkness. Cleaning robots have learned not to enter, and dust has cloaked most of the surfaces inside.

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ARTISANAL GASOLINE

Old-fashioned petroleum no longer satisfies the refined palette of automobiles in the Red City. Having gained a taste for artisanal gasoline, they often refuse to be driven if not partaking of the highest quality of fuel. While their habits are expensive, they also seem to have significantly reduced rush hour traffic.

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NUMISMOVORES

Jukeboxes are unique in that, unlike other coin-operated machines, they do not give up the earnings that they swallow. Dissections by electrobiologists have revealed that their neon intestines digest the various metals used, leaving only their immaterial value behind. It is unclear what becomes of this abstract remainder, but it is believed to return to circulation once this process is complete.

Read More →

SCARECROW ANATOMY

KRAKEN'S INK