It's okay. I know you're most likely busy. But yes, I'm looking at North America as a whole. So, Canada and Mexico count as well. Thank you so much for your input.
@Mogador @Xoic @bruce - So I updated the first post as I have come to figure out what punishment I want, but it's now a matter of learning more about concrete. Wasn't sure how much you two know about it or whatever. I didn't want to make another post on the same topic, kinda and so I am modifying this one. I am tagging the three of you, because you've been the ones posting the most in my question thread. (Thank you!)
Concrete? I don't know any more than you do about it really. But one idea did form immediately. Once again, it's from Dante. Are you familiar with the way people are partially buried in the ice plain, with their bodies forced into painful contorted positions? Some are buried deep, totally immersed, some are partially above ground. Some have their heads out, some don't, and some might have only an arm or a leg or an ear exposed to the air. I would consider doing something like this but buiried in concrete that never fully dries. It's always hot, always expanding, and maybe when the demons or whatever force a new sinner in it acts like wet concrete and lets his body drop in, then forces him into a really awkward position and firms up so he can't move. Or maybe the concrete goes through phases where it's wet and then firms up and dries, but it does it again every day, so they have to put the new souls in in the early morning. And each soul is forced into a new painful position, undergoing new humiliations each day. The ones buried deep can't breathe, or rather they breathe in a lungful of scorching thick concrete as soon as they can't hold it anymore, and it hardens like that, but of course (you know this part) they can't die... Dante also tended to have creatures that would wander around and torment the sinners. It could be workers with jack-hammers or something. Maybe more with hammers and chisels or pick-axes. And they wear spiked boots and step on exposed body parts as they go.
Or if you go with concrete that doesn't fully dry the people could ever-so-slowly, through immense exertions, try to work one body part up out of the concrete and manage to do it after 17 hours or something, at which point someone or something comes along and forces them back under painfully. I leave details to you. Or someone shows up with a fire hose and they think they're about to get their newly-exposed body part rinsed off and get some relief, but it turns out not to be that kind of fire hose. And once the fire starts spewing they immediately start trying to get themselves buried as deeply as possible to escape the new torment. They might break some bones doing it?
AH! Yes. The 9th Circle, betrayers of many forms. Where Count Ugliano is chewing on that guy's head. Great canto. Also, Dante actually gets mad and we learned he's grown as a character. Yes, this is a really interesting idea and I think I will have to use it to an extent. I think it always expanding would be really neat. There are some surreal elements to this hell. Like, if you stand up, the room changes dimensions from landscape to portrait. I love the idea of arms and legs sticking out. I am going to use this. Yes, they can't die at all, which is FUN. YES! He did have creatures wandering around Hell. Many of them were interesting, but I still am not a fan of that group of demons near or in Malbolge. (I don't remember how the 'little pockets' are spelled.) But yes, there are other things in this Hell, and what if it's like the 5th circle of Wrath where if a hand or ear is sticking out, it gets cut off or something? I am thinking of the people in the river of blood, anger at others that the centaurs are shooting. These are good ideas. I need to look into water vs. concrete, because I know water is something that either makes it dry faster or slower. I DO like the slow-moving idea. I am going to incorporate a lot of this. Now, I just have to figure out HOW much concrete weighs and how much I need to crush someone. Thank you so much!
Concrete is cement, fine aggregate (sand), and coarse aggregate (stones, usually), mixed with water. The water is necessary to the chemical reaction that causes the concrete to harden and solidify. The amount of water affects the strength -- not enough, and the curing process will be incomplete. Too much, and the resulting concrete will be less strong. Cement releases heat during the curing process. Too much heat is bad, because it accelerates the curing process too much. This is why concrete slabs poured outdoors in hot weather have burlap spread over the top surface and the burlap is kept wet for several days. If the heat is too great, the concrete shrinks too much and too fast, resulting in cracks. Concrete does not expand as it cures -- it shrinks. In fact, the shrinkage continues (albeit very slowly) for several years after the concrete has been poured. Concrete is generally measured by cubic yard, not square yard. A cubic yard is a cube that's 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet.
@SapereAude Is there lime in cement? Can it burn you in powdered form if you get some on you? I seem to remember my dad telling me that from when I was a kid and 'helped' him mix some up in the wheelbarrow (which I think had to be thrown out afterwards). But I'm not sure. Also, is it called cement when it's in powder form, and maybe when wet, and then concrete afterwards? I also seem to remember hearing that.
Thank you so much for this information! It's so useful! And yes, I am looking for it shrink, actually. So, it works perfectly. So, 3ft L x W x D? The weight of it is something I haven't quite been able to nail down. Because according to google: But this causes a problem, because I can't seem to get a proper weight measurement on concrete wet or dry. And why can't people just talk in Lbs or Metric? It's so much easier! So, basically, what I want is to know if I could crush all the sinners bones with concrete, or if humans are actually too robust for this to happen.
Why do you need exact weights and measures? If it's in Hell, the physics aren't the same as in the material world. Everything hurts more, lasts longer, works exactly as necessary for the punishment to be as horrible as possible etc. It's sort of the opposite of miracles. Even if you're doing it totally physically in the ordinay world, you wouldn't need to mention exact weights and measures, just say things like "The weight kept increasing until their throats collapsed and their ribcages began to cave in...
1. Lime is used with cement when mixing mortar for masonry walls, but not in concrete. 2. Cement is cement. People often refer to concrete as "CEE'-ment," but that's incorrect. Cement is the powder that, when wetted and cured, binds the sand and stones (coarse aggregate) together into concrete. Once everything has been mixed together, it's concrete -- irrespective of whether it's still wet, partially-cured, or fully cured. Cement is basically alkaline, and yes -- it can burn exposed skin. 3. The density of concrete is (approximately) 150 pounds per cubic foot. Not per cubic yard -- when you buy concrete, you buy it by the cubic yard. When engineers are designing structures, they work per cubic foot. I said the density is "approximately" 150 pounds per cubic foot because the actual density will vary depending on the density of the rock used for the coarse aggregate.
I think the need for the weight measurements comes from my brain nit-picking the details of anything I write. I was also concerned about the small space of Hell, but you're right. Hell has some surreal elements to it. I like the way you out that it is the opposite of miracles. And you are correct. If it was the real world, I wouldn't need the weight measurements either.
This may help you some. Readymix Concrete Calculator https://www.cemexusa.com/products-and-services/concrete/readymix-concrete-calculator
