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lovelyyandereaddictionpoint · 5 months

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New Year Blues | Yandere Shoto Todoroki

The glow of the extended break was beginning to fade. The city's typical hustle and bustle has returned with an air of dread. The employees of various companies begrudgingly returned to their grave-like posts. The only one unaffected seemed to be a little girl on a cashmere carpet happily engaging in a reenactment of a successfully violent coup 'de tat. Her hair was in an intricate set of braids beautifully highlighting the few and far between pearly white strands. A slither of color from her father's hair. It was one of the only telling signs that they were related at all. That and the shape of her nose. Otherwise she'd been told she was like her other parent.

That brought a kind of comfort to Shoto. A comfort only a divorced Father could understand. The ache he fostered when met with those familiar eyes. Or the mannerisms he could spot a mile away.

Any other divorcee would have to be fighting their own mixed emotions of disdain, regret, and pain but not Shoto. No, because Shoto was different than most if not everyone. Shoto wouldn't give up.

"Papa, will you play with me?"

"Sorry, Snowbell, I'm waiting for someone special."

The girl sighed as she collected her scattered toys," If it's who I think it is, I should start packing up."

"You do not have to, I have all the time to wait."

"Maybe you do but they don't."

That caught his attention, "They don't?"

From his position on his armchair he brought a tentative fist to his mouth; concealing a hidden expression as his daughter explained.

"Yeah, the guys we've been hanging out with sometimes. The ones with the long black hair and the redhead with the creepy smile."

His daughter's nonchalant response fed wood to the flame Shoto had started. Like burning ethanol it was silent and unseen; quickly preparing to singe the remains of his distastes. He took a drag out of a sleek container, barely inhaling the crystallized dust from within. He hides a clearing sniff with a cough into his hand. Placing the container back in his suit pocket, he coughed into the fist of his hand as he smoothed over the small lump in his suit's chest pocket. The potential energy coursing through his veins made for an easy comfort. The crystalline chemical bubbling within his blood made enduring the pain that much easier with the thoughts of his latest power.

Shoto Todoroki was no average divorced Father, he was also one of the selected owners of the latest leap in human technology. With a simple sniff, the latest creation allowed those with quirks to strengthen their abilities while adding more. It wasn't approved and will never be by most governments but that just meant more freedom for those in the market for them.

And all the time in the world to do as he pleased.

"Papa you have to use the girl voice!"

He chuckled, "But I don't have one."

She pouted. "Yes, you do!

They went back and forth, successfully distracting them both from the impending arrival they both had been celebrating. Only remembering the ring of the grand bell on the home's double door's ringing throughout the home.

"Still in your PJs....don't tell me your father conveniently let you play with your gifts again…at the exact time I’ve come to pick you up?"

"But he played with me this time."

A pensive glare was shot past the little girl's head at the man gathering dolls on the floor. Rolling of eyes returned to their soft and endearing gaze on the little girl.

Scooped into loving arms and endless kisses Yuki could only return in half. She barely registered the ghost of a smile on her Father's face as he put back her dolls all wrong. She'd have to spend ten extra minutes reorganizing them. How unfortunate.

"Hope you had a Merry Christmas, (Y/n)."

Scoffing it didn't take long for Yuki's other parent to cross the threshold, to help the little girl pack. Shoto hovered nearby, picking at the nerves he once was married to in his own childish game of keep-away.

"Happy Hannukah to you too, slug."

It was endearing in its special way. The opposite greetings and the derogatory nickname. In a moment of peace, Shoto was told it was because some slugs were a myriad of patterns and colors like his hair. He was also told that they could be poisonous. What he remembers most though-is that (Y/n) hates slugs.

"My chef fixed more than enough food for me. You know how often I'm out, would you mind taking some of it off my hands?"

An innocent question. Was met with a sneer and a judgmental look down and up his person.

As if they didn't already know him from top to bottom.

"We'll be fine. We have plenty of snacks at home."

After a lengthy trip up the marble stairs, once again the divorced couple were folding their daughter's clothes side by side. Shoto stole a glance or two at the face of his former partner. Biting back the urge to compliment such an enticing side profile, he took a more tactical approach.

"I heard you've been entertaining some...new company."

"If this is your way of getting me to talk to you I suggest you pick something else."

"I'm serious," he took the folded pants out of their clutches placing them in the small suitcase below. "tell me."

A spiteful glare and his silent urging lowered a wall closed to him more often now. Watching with joy and resentment as a genuine smile appeared.

"I've been making some new and interesting friends lately."

"Friends?"

"Yes. Back in the day you know I wasn't allowed many other than yours."

The jab hurt him more than he expected. Reminded of all the arguments centered around this exact topic. He hid it well behind his apathetic gaze hiding the flutter in his movements.

"But now that I'm able to make them I...actually have more fun during the off-days."

"That's good."

He refuses to let it show how much it irks him that the beauty of that beloved smile wasn't caused by him. He thought it better to change the subject but Yuki had decided to join with her own two-sense.

"It's real good. Especially since they show me new tricks all the time."

"New Tricks?"

"Yeah," she added her improperly folded socks into the bag. ", Lumi is always teaching me cool things and giving me gifts."

"Yuki..."

The warning was clear in their tone but Shoto pressed.

"What kind of gifts?"

"The kind that cut people real good!"

"Yuki, what'd I say about describing cooking utensils that way?"

"Not to say it like that but Nark says it was cute."

Shoto held back a groan, "Nark?"

Before anyone else could speak Yuki had abandoned the task of folding to jump over the suitcase and onto the bed. Successfully stomping all over the unfolded clothes, clumsily trudging towards her Father with a smile on her face.

"Mister Shalnark is a master at video games!"

The way her face lit up made Shoto grit his teeth as he listened to her rattling off all the achievements this other man had.

"He has the coolest setup! He's got a 5K 18-inch rounded screen! With a light-up keyboard that matches the beat of whatever song you want to play!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah and he's always lets me play during the movie nights and-"

"Yuki!"

The scolding had Yuki bashfully looking down. Shoto was curious if he'd have been able to hear any more than that. As instructed Yuki was told to get down from the bed and help pack the rest of her suitcase.

Sooner than he would have liked Yuki was safely strapped in her car seat dozing into a nap while Shoto barely assisted with the remaining luggage.

"Now we're leaving," (Y/n) heaved a large Teddy bear in the back of their trunk, "finally."

With a final huff, they returned to the driver's side of the door, where Shoto was waiting. He had a small gift bag in his hand and a polite smile on his face.

"While I'm sure you're busy to get back to your-" He rolled his eyes at the name. "-friends. I have a gift for you."

(Y/n) gave a blank stare that had Shoto hurriedly handing the gift bag over.

"Think of it as a Happy New Year’s gift."

"Wow, it’s....keys for a new snowmobile. Yay."

"Keep looking. There's more."

More unraveling of gift wrapping tissue revealed a slip of paper holding more weight than an average civilian's salary without being more than a feather.

"An all-expenses-paid trip to the 'Elite Lodging within the Wintergreen Domesphere’....that's a great gift–"

That brought a smile to Shoto's face which immediately dropped the second he got the look. The look he's gotten far too often since his separation.

"For your partner but I'm not...not anymore."

(Y/n) dropped the key and the ticket back into the bag. With a pitying smile, they pushed the bag back into his chest waiting for him to gingerly cradle it in his hands. Refusing to watch him sulk (Y/n) turned back to their car opened the door and got their seat belt on. With their hands on the steering wheel, they sent a worried glance at him through the window.

His head was hanging low, his two-toned fringe bangs covering his eyes and the pained expression that was on his face. What (Y/n) could see was how Shoto’s ungloved hands held the gift bag.

Holding wasn't the right word. More like squeezing. Fearing the violent warning of small clear ice gleaming against the bag (Y/n) turned off the property promptly.

Hoping what they saw was a figment of their imagination.

_______

Not all employees dreaded their return to the workplace. Some are basking in the afterglow of the holiday season. Fulfilled with the love of their family and friends and constantly reminded of their latest gifts it may be hard for some to put anything less than a smile on their face.

“Hiya Boss!” Said an excited minion, with black hair, and brown almond eyes. Waving in tandem with their glowing smile it felt natural during this time.

FWOOSH.

For what felt natural at a moment of happiness was a crime in the eyes of an angered Todoroki Shoto. Even the few screams and sounds of rushing steps in the direction of the blazing employee weren’t enough to rouse the raging villain.

On a warpath, he did the gentleman’s stomp – a directed speed walk–forcing his employees to guess his foul mood from the distant fire he was leaving behind.

The slam of the door alerted his other partners of the raging villain, varying many different reactions.

“So my guess is they turned you down?”

One such reaction was from his brother, who covered a dry laugh as he rubbed a hand against his beard. His feet were on the long, oval-shaped table taking the place in front of him; whereas others had files of paperwork instead. Blistered hands were behind his head sporting another shade of dye than last month. If Todoroki was in a better mood he’d have insulted him on it but he feared what crossed his mind was plenty more violent.

“Do you need to be here? This is an important meeting.”

His brother sighed, “Yeah, who else is going to stop you from burning up your branch leaders?”

Todoroki let his piercing glare shift to the attending employees, who refused to look anywhere but him suddenly finding the the wooden taint of the table incredibly interesting. The smirk from his brother made him groan, adjusting his tie before speaking.

“All of you. Dismissed until next Week. Same time.”

As soon as he finished speaking the branch leaders hurriedly shot from their seats and ran to the exit of the conference room. Leaving nothing but an abandoned plate of bagels and a few pens Todoroki was alone once again.

“Hey, are you going to sit here and sulk all day? That was all you had to do today, right?”

Alone with his brother.

“It was.”

“Then you should go! Do something that will get the edge off.”

Todoroki made an exasperated face, making his brother sigh again. Bouncing from his seat the now-green-haired brother took Todoroki under his arm shaking him as he poked his finger into his chest.

“Like maybe cutting down those new ‘friends’ that have been bothering you!”

Todoroki removed the arm from around his shoulder, walking across the room towards the exit. Smoothly dodging the hand that reached for the back of his jacket.

“I can’t it’s too obvious. They told me they wouldn’t speak to me again if I did that too.”

“Hmm.” His brother held his chin, stroking his beard as he thought. Todoroki shook his head, reaching for the door stopping when his brother snapped his fingers.

“Hey! Why don’t you take it out on those ‘extras’ that have been watching them lately?”

Todoroki hesitated. “But I was planning on saving that for when it escalated…”

His brother waved his hand and blew an indignant puff of air past his lips.

“Please, they would just be suspicious that way too. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself! The New Year can’t start with you being so glum!”

Todoroki returned his gaze to the door handle he’d been holding for a while. He released his grip, revealing the misshapen handle that matched the shape of his fist. It brought a smile to his face.

“Thank you, Natsuo. I think I’ll do that.”

“No problem little brother have a good New Year.”

#yandere x reader #yandere x you #lovelyyandereaddictionpoint #yanderexrea #yandere #yanderes #yandere new year #yandere shoto x reader #yandere shoto todoroki #yandere x gn reader #yandere x genderneutral reader #yandere bnha x reader #yandere bnha #yandere mha #yandere my hero academia #yandere todoroki x reader #yandere ex x reader #yandere divorced husband

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bonefall · 4 months

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Do the cats have a good way to preserve meat? Boar meat wouldn't be so worth it if it could only feed the clan for a day before it spoiled

In BB yes, absolutely. Preserving food for later use is a major job of the Head of Kitchen Patrol, which in ThunderClan's latest arc is currently Sorreltail. Though she's definitely already training her successor so she can finally retire, if she hasn't already

Even before the food processing begins, Clans have some different behaviors to account for this;

Big hunts are never done in summer (ThunderClan) Not only is it so hot that you're more likely to get heatstroke (cats can't sweat the same way humans do), not ONLY do you have less time in a day to hunt because of that (In any other season, you can hunt into the day or night, but in summer there's an entire 8-hour stretch of time where the sun is beating down on you), but you're also racing against time before the organs begin to spoil. Getting a boar home is a HUGE task, even a small one. Human hunters "grallock" our prey, digging a hole and leaving the organs behind, so that we can carry the carcass easier. But organs are MOST of the nutrition for a Clan cat. No, better to simply hunt big food when it gets cold. (plus, ThunderClan finds the snow helpful. They don't sink into it the way that a heavy boar does.)

Animals are quickly stored in a larder (All Clans except RiverClan) A larder is a deep tunnel that is dug in the ground at various points along a patrol, like a "root cellar". Unlike canon they don't "bury" it where they find it and come back for it, because this causes wasted backtracking AND wasted prey as the hunter forgets where they buried it. Larders are at strategic points along popular routes. Sometimes a cheeky apprentice in ShadowClan will shove their catch in the bog, where it gets preserved TOO well. Batear hopes HIS is still there though :P

Everything is DROPPED when a cat happens to come across a large carcass and runs back to camp Seriously, when someone runs in saying they've found a fallen or dying deer, a bunch of cats will jump up and follow them. Yes, you could use this to your traitorous advantage, but dying deer are a lot more common than coup-de-tats.

When it comes to food preservation itself, the way they preserve meat is going to depend a lot on the Clan. ShadowClan likes fermentation, chopping stuff up to store in stomachs and intestines and processing them as sausages. ThunderClan smokes everything. RiverClan likes to preserve things in spices and leave stuff out to dry, but has a massive event in autumn where they catch and store salmon for the winter. WindClan used to use their tunnels but is going through a salt kick at the Lake.

A truly canon-compliant Clan is going to have issues. Digging tunnels will help to make food last. In the winter, the snow can be used directly; but only a desert Clan (ironically) will be able to construct a natural refrigerator. You can follow this recipe for Dried Minnows to preserve just about any strip of meat.

But overall... you will have issues as a canon compliant Clan. but also a compliant Clan could never take down a boar, so, it balances out.

#clan culture #better bones au #bone babble

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1americanconservative · 2 days

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The Democrat Party is guilty in a coup de’ tat and the biggest scandal in our nation’s history!

In order to move forward as a country and to Make America Great Again , all these people need to be tried for treason.

Who agrees with Tom? 👇🙋‍♂️

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duskforged · 4 months

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Badly Described WIPs Poll

Okay. I know this is kind of a weird move but I realized that in my first iteration of this, I actually did not include Lodestar. Shame on me!!! So I'm doing it again and tagging a new host of people.

Key: n = original novel/novella/novelette (lengths vary) c = comic (of some form)

I also have fanfic on the side which I might do. Not sure yet!!

Sanctuary

Amid Wisteria

Unto Summer Kings

Lodestar

The Vespertine

Wolf in Shepherd's Clothing

These Absent Gods (Title WIP)

Dame-Errant (Title WIP)

Witch Boy (Title WIP, coauthoring with @fallenorpheus)

The Black Dowry (unannounced)

Tagging: @marathefallen @aowna @encrucijada @chauceryfairytales @dreaminggoblin and anyone else that wants to tap in!!!

#tag game

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gaysexunfortunately · 9 days

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I need to fall in love with another transfem who-

La música de Harry Fraud Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, what, what You cannot hop in my car Bentley coupe riding with stars Yeah, what, what! I keep a Glock like a cop Ayy, yeah (yeah) She give the top in the drop Yeah, ayy Diamonds, they wet on my arms Tats on my neck and my arms Tats on my neck and my arms Diamonds, they wet on my arms Tats on my neck and my arms Diamonds, they wet on my arms Tats on my neck and my arms Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, what Yeah, what, what, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah Tats on my neck and my arm Tats on my neck and my, uh (yeah) Uh, ooh In this bitch going crazy Uh, yeah I whip this shit like a baby Uh, yeah, yeah I fuck your bitch, she my baby, uh, yeah, yeah I treat your bitch like my lady, uh, uh Shawty bend back like the matrix Curge whip it up like the '80s I'm in the kitchen, go crazy I just want me a Mercedes Pull up, we totin' .380's, uh Pull up I sent the location, uh Pull up I sent the location, uh What, what! You cannot hop in my car Bentley coupe ridin' with stars Yeah, what, what I keep a Glock like a cop Ayy, yeah She give the top in the drop Yeah, ayy Diamonds, they wet on my arms Tats on my neck and my arms Tats on my neck and my arms Diamonds, they went on my arms Tats on my neck and my arms Diamonds, they went on my arms Tats on my neck and my arms Tats on my neck and my arm, tats on my neck and my arm, yeah, ayy Tats on my neck and my arm, tats on my neck and my arm, yeah, yeah Check, yeah, ayy, yeah, uh, yeah Tats on my neck and my arm (yeah)

#t4t #trans #transgirl #transfem

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theamityelf · 2 months

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So a friend and I started with a small premise that I hadn't seen covered in any fanfics, and it quickly exploded into this big AU. And I just feel the need to share it. The premise was "What if Ryota didn't escape and get Chisa's help after Nagito got shot". And it ended up becoming a Civil War AU.

See it starts with the premise of Junko subjecting Chiaki to the brainwashing procedure, who then in turn helps put Nagito through it (the memory of her restraining his wounded body haunts them both after rehabilitation). And they along with Mikan go back to Class 77 to make sure everyone thinks things are okay, while Junko reconditions Ryota.

Except...there's a snag. Peko's injuries from her fight with Mukuro, combined with Nagito seemingly no longer being concerned with the Ultimate Soldier, makes Peko and Fuyuhiko think "Something screwy is going on here". And it leads to a schism when Chiaki tries swaying the class to go along with her (into a trap).

On one side are Fyuyhiko, Peko, and Chisa, who are joined by the suspicious Imposter, Hiyoko, and Gundham. Who also manage to sway Ibuki and (just barely Kazuichi). Meanwhile Chiaki manages to win over Sonia, Nekomaru, Akane, and Teruteru through their faith in her. And with a bit of pressure from Mikan they convince Mahiru to go along with them. Exploiting the suspicion that Fuyuhiko was responsible for Sato's murder.

So the AU is heading towards a Tragedy with half of Class 77 brainwashed, and the others trying to capture and save them. With a lot more high emotions this time, especially in regards to Imposter with Ryota and Mikan, as well as the four Twilight Syndrome girls (Hiyoko and Mahiru most of all)...But then we went even more off the rails with the idea that Chiaki thinks to herself "Wouldn't it be so despairing if after all of this, the mastermind was killed by their own thralls before she got to see the fruits of her work?"

Which leads to Chiaki conspiring a coup de tat of Ultimate Despair, and convincing Izuru to side with her. Making incapacitating Mukuro and killing Junko trivial. With Chiaki deciding that actually it'd be far more fun to make Junko's class like the rest of them than go through all that Killing Game silliness. Leading to them going after members of Class 78 to make into more Ultimate Despairs.

Mukuro manages to escape and forms a VERY uneasy alliance with Team Chisa. Peko and Fuyuhiko making it clear that they consider her responsible for what's happened to their classmates, and that they won't hesitate to slaughter her if she gives them one reason.

In the end on Team Chiaki's side we have Chiaki herself, Nagito, Mikan, Ryota, Sonia, Mahiru, Nekomaru, Akane, and Teruteru from Class 77. And Makoto, Kyoko, Sakura, Aoi, Taka, Chihiro, Leon, and Toko joining them from Class 78. Meanwhile on Team Chisa we have Chisa herself, Fuyuhiko, Peko, Imposter, Hiyoko, Gundham, Ibuki, and Kazuichi. And Mukuro, Byakuya, Sayaka, Mondo, Celeste, Hifumi, and Yasuhiro joining them from Class 78. With Syo as Team Chisa's double agent within Team Chiaki. With Izuru kind of low-key supporting the Despairs if he feels in the mood for it.

Just imagine all the character interactions that could go on. Fuyuhiko having to deal with the ramifications of his murdering Sato outside of the Neo World Program. Imposter working alongside the real Byakuya. A whole lot of angst about people close to them being on the opposing side (Imposter vs Ryota and Mikan, Hiyoko vs Mahiru, Gundham vs Sonia, Mukuro and Sayaka vs Makoto, Mondo vs Taka and Chihiro).

And the shipping! Plenty of Ikuzono potential here, with Sayaka being Mukuro's biggest advocate after everyone else feels betrayed by her. Aoi and Sakura being Despair girlfriends. A very twisted dysfunctional Komanami where Chiaki hurts Nagito and he sometimes hurts her back. Which leads to a whole lot of angst after deprogramming, with both struggling to look each other in the eye. And also...Despair Makoto x Servant/Despair Komaegi!

Is this the same person who started the Vampire Chiaki AU? Because if so, I think I'm getting a sense of your narrative tastes, lol! I love how intricate this is.

The first thing that jumped out to me here was the idea of Despair Mahiru and Non-Despair Hiyoko, mainly because I'm so curious as to whether their friendship could survive that.

Like, if the dust settles and Mahiru eventually isn't despair anymore, Hiyoko's trust was still violated by someone she really cared about, and that's a pretty big deal for her.

Also, Toxic Despair Komanami sounds like it could be very fun. They both like to play games, after all! They would be ruinous. I think I prefer shipping both of them with Non-Despair Makoto than Despair Makoto, but that's because I like to whump the luckster, lol.

#danganronpa #mahiru koizumi #hiyoko saionji #nagito komaeda #chiaki nanami

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wartakes · 10 months

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What Comes Next? (OLD ESSAY)

This essay was originally posted on January 21st, 2021.

This is the essay that actually responds to January 6th (as the one that was posted on January 6th was actually before everything happened and had nothing to do with it, lol). (Full essay below the cut).

So, I guess it’s finally time to talk about the last couple weeks.

On the morning of January 6th I had just posted an essay I’d rant-written over an hour or two the night prior about an op-ed on Military.com calling for war criminal Robert Bales to be pardoned by now former-President Donald Trump (thankfully, Bales does not appear to have been included in Trump’s last minute Pardonpalooza – sucks to suck Bobby Boy). I figured that would be the thing I’d be the angriest or distressed about that day, or even that week.

Yeah, so, we know what happened in the second half of the day.

I’ll be honest, I intended to write something about all this sooner. God knows that I’m a little late to the game on all this. A lot of my favorite analysts, podcasters, and other content creators have all already done their bits on the January 6th insurrection/riot/whatever by now. But I decided to sit tight before I put my thoughts down on “paper” as it were for a couple reasons.

The first reason was equal parts paranoia and selfishness. I held my fire because with the threats and increasingly tense situation surrounding the inauguration, I wanted to wait until after Biden was sworn in before I wrote anything because – much like my Bales essay being overcome by events – I was afraid I’d write something only to have an actual coup de tat kick off five minutes after posting it (Note: as of writing this, Biden has successfully been sworn in and is in the White House probably saying “listen Jack” to his staff repeatedly).

The second reason was, I honestly didn’t know what to write and didn’t know exactly how I felt about everything and I still am struggling. Since January 6th, I’ve felt just about every emotion I think is possible at least once a day – often more than once. I’ve mellowed out a lot since then and feel a lot better today, but I’ll be real with you all, I was kind of a wreck for a bit with everything going on (if you’re worried, I’m ok, and thank you).

This essay is going to be a bit disjointed compared to some of my other works, but this is just something I wanted to get off my chest and out of my head to help myself make sense of things, and maybe it’ll help other folks in that way too. I’ll try and follow it up with something approaching intelligent analysis on how we should think about this and deal with it going forward. Hopefully in the next few weeks I can get back to my usual fare. For now, let’s do this.

How Do I Feel?

I’ve spent most of my adult life learning and training to be a national security professional and then (finally) starting to work in the field. I’ve typically been what you’d call a generalist. I’ve dipped my toe in a bit of everything, but I’ve largely focused on conflict between states in all its various forms throughout my academic and professional career.

With that in mind, another reason I was slow to write about this was that I’m not the best person to. While I’ve always been aware of and concerned about the dangers of the far-right and white nationalism and all the other toxic elements in American politics, it wasn’t until the last four years – and the final stages of my radicalization as a leftist in the last year in particular – that I truly began to appreciate the gravity of the threat. I’ve never focused on any of this in my studies or work. I’ve never been an expert on far-right paramilitary violence and domestic terrorism and all of that. I’ve never even been an expert on terrorism and political violence in general. I watched what happened on the 6th unfold in real time over livestream, talking with my close friends and family as it occurred – which in a way, made it even harder and take even more time to process it. I’ve seen plenty of events unfold like that in other countries before, but it was just that: foreign. Something that happens over there, not back here.

In a way, I had a massive cognitive dissonance about the event as it was happening. On one hand, it was entirely shocking and surprising that this could happen in the United States of America of all places, in the 21st century. And yet, at the same time, I couldn’t help but think “well of course something like this finally happened, how could it not have?” We’ve been building up to something like this for years now. It didn’t help that while I now view the government and many institutions with a much more critical eye given my change in politics, I can’t deny the monuments and symbology still hold some kind of value to me emotionally, and seeing far-right Trump supporters bashing their way inside and running amok fucked me up some (this in addition to some personal connections I have to the Capitol that made it all hit a little close to home, but I don’t really want to get into that here).

So, where am I going with this? That’s a good question. I guess my point here is, amidst the mix of emotions I felt over the past week or two, the overriding one was fear. I was scared. And I’m here to tell you that if you were scared as well, that’s ok. That’s valid, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Was what happened at the Capitol as bad as it could have been? No. I’ve heard a lot of 9/11 comparisons and while I agree some are ham fisted, and while January 6th was nowhere near as deadly as 9/11, it still left me with the same sense of fear and uncertainty that event did when I was a kid. It was still a traumatic event in a lot of ways, and if you feel scared by it, don’t let anyone make you feel like shit for feeling what you feel.

I’ve seen a lot of people cracking jokes about what happened on twitter and elsewhere. That’s fine. Honestly, one reason it’s been hard to make sense of everything after the 6th has been the fact that while the insurrection was serious, it was also in many ways, laughable in its events. I mean, c’mon. You have the Q Shaman dressed up in a fur faux-Viking outfit. How can you not joke about this shit in some shape or form? It’s impossible not to.

I’ve absolutely made a lot of gallows humor among friends myself to deal with what happened. As Hawkeye Pierce once said on M*A*S*H, sometimes joking is the only way you can open your mouth without screaming. When this becomes unhelpful or hurtful is when the joking becomes less about working through something you’re feeling and more about trivializing it and dismissing it as something that is not worth your concern and attention. That is not fine, and it pisses me off in a major way. Not only does it feel like punching down, but it also feels like it misses the implications of what happened for us as leftists and the country as a whole.

Again, was this as bad is it could have been? No. Was it the worst thing ever to happen to or in America? Not by a long shot. But it is extremely concerning and should be a warning to us for what might come next. Even if the riots themselves didn’t amount to much, and in many places were laughable, it was also extremely fortunate they were not worse – as there are now plenty of indications that they could have been much, much worse.

While there are a lot of people on the left that have been keenly aware of the threat of right-wing violence for years now, this may be a wakeup call for many who either weren’t as aware or didn’t think it was as serious or extensive as it’s turned out to be. While we all may have been affected in different ways and to different degrees but the last few weeks, what we need to agree on is that far-right violence and extremism is a problem that is only going to get worse before it gets better, even now that Trump has left the White House. Trump was only the beginning. We need to brace ourselves because what has become clear is that the last few years if we want to stop things much worse than what happened on January 6th from occurring in the future.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Ok, so I just disgorged about a thousand words or more in change at you about my own jumble of personal feelings about all this. I feel like I owe you something a bit more thought out on what we should be trying to do from here on in to deal with the oncoming wave of chuddery.

First off, there are two important ideas that need to be understood in tandem – to some folks these may be obvious but I’m going to state them anyway to drive the point home: 1.) this is not a problem that cropped up overnight; and 2.) this is not a problem that will be taken care of in four years or eight years or even more than that. The current form of far-right extremism that we face is not one that suddenly cropped up after Trump became President. It has its roots going back more than thirty years. The problems of white supremacy in particular are entwined with the very founding of the nation. These are problems that are going to need to be dealt with over the course of a generation – more likely, multiple generations. It is going to require us to fundamentally change as a society, which I do not believe is impossible, but I do think it will be a long and hard effort with many twists and turns and missteps along the way.

Another key takeaway that I don’t think that a lot of people on the left are going to need convincing on is that this is not a problem that can or should be solved solely through arrests and imprisonment and violent crackdown from the state. I’ll say right now that some new Patriot Act II: The Patrioting, is 100% not the answer. As a national security professional, I can tell you right now that if the government can’t stop what happened on the 6th or any of the other incidences of far-right violence in recent years with the massive toolbox of domestic surveillance and counter-terrorism infrastructure it already has – and arguably shouldn’t have in the first place, there’s no way some new domestic version of the Patriot Act is going to do it (and it’ll just get turned against leftists and minorities anyway, let’s be real). Giving more money to cops certainly isn’t going to solve shit – especially when a number of them are part of these movements, as well as more than a few troops in the military).

That being said, another thing that the left may need more convincing on is that some of these people will never be convinced to give up what they believe. That is not to say that all of them are lost causes. I don’t believe that every person who voted for Trump is a QAnon adherent or a fascist in waiting, and they can’t be forgotten and need to be brought along for the ride in building a better world – after all, I became a socialist because I want life to be better for everyone, not just everyone I like who believes in my ideology. Likewise, I don’t believe that every person that gets caught up in far-right extremist movements is necessarily a lost cause. Some of them may be able to be helped through some kind of de-programming and de-radicalization effort (there’s a lot of discourse on how appropriate the cult comparison is QAnon, but I think this is an apt one), but we need to accept that some people are never going to surrender their beliefs and will always consider people like us as an existential threat.

Where am I going with this? Well, here’s that part that may not go over as well. I definitely fear state overreach and abuse of power in light of what happened on the sixth – which I hope was already demonstrated by my apprehension about any kind of new domestic terror law. But even with all of that in mind, some of these people are going to have to be arrested and go to prison.

Let me be clear: the criminal justice system and law enforcement in this country are fundamentally flawed. I think they need to be completely rebuilt – not reformed but torn down and rebuilt from scratch. Not only that, but they also need to be rebuilt as part of a system that prioritizes social services that prevent crime and violence from occurring long before it ever gets to the point of involving law enforcement or any form of detention or corrections – and that those need to be done in as humane a way as possible. But I still think they need to exist. Why? The same reason I think a military will still need to exist. Because no matter what, somehow, some way, there will always be someone who wishes to do harm for one reason or another. We can try and help as many people who have been drawn in by far-right movements as we can, but we need to come to terms before we get deeper into the struggle that we cannot help them all.

What that point gets across is that dealing with this problem in the years to come isn’t just going to be accomplished by doing all the good things we’ve always wanted to do. It is going to require us doing things that some leftists may be fundamentally uncomfortable with. Things that involve the use of force and wielding of power by the state. I wasn’t happy at all about the fact we deployed more troops in Washington D.C. than we have in both Iraq and Afghanistan combined in order to guarantee what normally should be a peaceful transfer of power. But as much as that made me uncomfortable and scared and angry, I can’t say that it wasn’t entirely necessary.

I am not saying we need to discard our own principles to deal with extremism. In fact, I would argue against that strongly and forcefully. If we acted in a way contrary to every concept of social justice and human rights and democracy that we claim to uphold, then we’d be no better than those who passed the Patriot Act, let alone any authoritarian police state that has existed past, present, or future – be it fascist or socialist. But there are things that we are going to need to address and come to terms with as a movement. I don’t begin to claim to have the answers, but I do know there are tough conversations that will need to be had. I believe in a better world, but not in a utopian one. We need to come to terms with that going forward.

Keep On Keeping On

I’ve been a little all over the map since the 6th, but as my mind has cleared some, if nothing else I’ve emerged with a renewed sense of purpose in the aftermath of what happened that day. It has reaffirmed the beliefs I started to be honest with myself about almost a year ago when the mask finally began to come off to me. It has made me more certain about what side I am on and the kind of future that I want to live in.

While I still believe things can and will get better, I also unfortunately believe they will likely get worse before they do. As Joe Biden is inaugurated, there are already signs that the disillusioned once-QAnon faithful who for so long “trusted the plan” only to be let down and questioning everything they believe, are being targeted by more violent and accelerationist far-right groups for recruitment. There are also plenty of people who will likely maintain their loyalty to the QAnon theory in some shape or form and that movement is in the process of an uncertain transformation. And while many Republican have tried to disconnect themselves from far-right elements, there are still more than a few who not only remain tied to them but court them as a power base. This is a problem that is going to stick around in multiple forms for a long time, whether it be QAnon, a Q offshoot, your basic white nationalism, outright fascism, and etc.

This all should give us a renewed sense of urgency, as well as purpose. If we didn’t believe it before, we have to believe now we are engaged in a political struggle for the future – our right to exist in a more just, safe, peaceful, democratic world. January 6th and the reactions and aftermath of it should drive home to you that the stakes are very much real. That we need to work even harder to organize and mobilize the people of this country to enact change for the better.

Moreover, as things will likely get worse before they get better, we need to be prepared for that. While we should never seek out violence, we need to be prepared if violence seeks us out – as it has been apt to do so far. Much has been said about the police response to the insurrection on the 6th. The bungled response appears to have not been due to any one factor, but that none of them bode well in sum. Police collusion and sympathy, a lack of taking the threat seriously, and a lack of the necessary skills or competence when it actually wants to deal with the far-right threat means that we cannot depend on law enforcement to protect us as it is currently structured.

Again – and I cannot stress this enough – this does not mean we should seek out violence. If anyone has fantasies about a Second Civil War, take it from someone who has spent their entire adult life watching still-ongoing civil wars in Syria, Libya, Yemen, and other places: you don’t fucking want that. Period. Full stop. But if anything has been made clear by the rise in right wing terrorism in the last decade, is a reality that we need to watch out for ourselves as we try to move forward. Simply put we can’t make a better world if we don’t live to see it through.

Its ok to be scared. Let yourself be scared for a bit if you feel the need. My Mom always has said you have to let yourself be sad or upset for a while before you can be not upset. But don’t despair. Don’t give in to hopelessness. Nothing is set in stone. Time is not a flat circle, despite what many might tell you. We can make a better world, but we need to be clear headed about the challenges we are going to face going forward in doing that, and we need to be ready for them. So, suit up for the long-haul kiddos. I’ll be here with you, contributing in my own way, going on about war and foreign policy and my usual hobby horses. I don’t plan on going anywhere and neither should you. If we have that resolve, that in itself is a starting victory.

#War Takes #War Takes essay #essay #January 6th #January 6th 2021 #january 6th insurrection #Donald Trump #socialism #leftism #democratic socialism #far-right #fascism #terrorism #domestic terrorism #insurrection #qanon conspiracy #anti fascism

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charliesinfern0 · 10 months

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what's your favourite song from Nanobots?

the titular song, Nanobots! :D

its really really catchy, and i just love the singing and i love singing along, my favorite lyrics to sing are "Wind the marching bots up / (Wind the nanobots up) / Wind them up and make them to send a signal / To the new grown citizenship / Of the micronations / Sleeper cells awaken now / This is your, this is your time" (imagine me singing them to you ^^)

ah but stone cold coup de tat and youre on fire are a couple other favorites of mine :)

#ty for the ask hzrn!! <3

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lunarsilkscreen · 5 months

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Interpretation doesn't care about your Intent

"Something something Facts and Feelings" - Ben Shapiro

Here's the fact; interpretation doesn't care about what you mean. The facts might be "Well I said this this and this, and meant this." Or in the case of some comedians and rap artists.: "It's KFABE" or "I'm playing g a character! They shouldn't take me seriously."

Except when a core part of your audience *believes* in that character or what you're saying.

My goto example: Tyler Durden's *MASSIVE* fan base, despite him being the villain of the movie "Fight Club". The same thing with the Joker, but in the Batman, it's a little bit different, where in fight club you're supposed to take issue with Tyler Durden's childish behavior (No matter how on point his early rhetoric is) Joker , especially his more recent iterations; is a character who doesn't believe he has another choice. Or he's really just an anti-hero doing "what needs to be done" the same as Batman. (Who is in fact a criminal, doing what he believes needs to be done.)

When people believe that facade you've created, when they're rooting for the literal interpretation of what you're saying sarcastically, or maybe they interpret the wrong parts as sarcasm: it's your job as an "entertainer" or in some cases "Journalists" to ask:

What *fake-news* are you unintentionally causing?

Because the facts are; rational people believe the "fringe" and "extremist" interpretation that you Believe nobody in their right mind would.

Just like how some people see Trump as a popular-culutural referencing shit poster just having verbal *coup de tats* and others believed he was leading a literal *coup* on January 6th.

And the entire time, people were being snobs about it, "he's literally a facisist Hitler loving psychopath" there were more level-headed people saying; "No, there's people who believe what he is saying as if that facade was a real thing".

People took his "shit talking" as "fact". As if the character wasn't just a character anymore, but something more. And still more level headed people *admitted* that *that* interpretation was the one they believed more than anything.

A good politician doesn't correct his image when the results are in their favor, but God damn did the media eat it right up and completely drop the ball on that.

And that's where it falls flat with these "I love talking about my feelings for facts" groups; they don't see the massive groups of people who believe the *character* over the *facts*. After all, if they did anything about it; it might hurt their bottom line.

Who cares if the substantiation of the currency you earn goes with it.

Because when you point this out, when you get a little bit critical, they instead take a heavy handed and defensive approach. They too seem to be stuck in a "scarcity mindset" where any false move, any negative view from critical sources, could end their career in a single day.

And the question is; in this new day and age where you could several hundred thousand views for starting a Tik Tok, is that really career ending? Or are you letting the old ways of doing make you afraid of being a good journalist?

Now I get the whole "don't buy stuff from my sponsors" approach as a sort of reverse-psychological advertising, and tongue and cheek jokes..I do.

But at a certain level, at a certain level of audience trust, the question is; how much of your audience believes in the "I wanna be a gangster" shtick and how much believes that's "just an act"?

Do the facts, care, about your feelings?

So when we're being critical of each other; how much is it play-ground b.s., and how much of it isn't? I've heard that phrase a lot "it's just locker room talk" or "it's just schoolyard roughhousing" like you actually understand that's your own intent.

What about the bystanders who are telling you: "This is starting to look like a war."

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captnjacksparrow · 2 years

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Hey! how do you know so much about the intricacies of japanese culture? it is always interesting to read your posts, especially related to this topic

When I was in Canada, I used to stay with Roommates who mostly happened to be from China, Vietnam (never met a Japanese though). It's only after I got acquainted with them, I realized how similar we all are despite all of us are from different countries... because of the Knowledge sharing.

Especially when it comes to Family, Social Status, Respect for Traditions, Patriarchy and Marriage.... We all are same. Parents are very particular about their Kid's education and their progress... So, Kids have added pressure to get High Scores in their exams all the time from the time they were born.. (Reminds you of Sasuke??)

And... Saving One’s Face is a BIGGGGG THING here. And to save their face, they would go to any extremes...

Definition of Saving face: to avoid having other people lose respect for oneself

This is one instance of that.

Sasuke was burdened with the name of a Prestigious Clan, Uchiha... But to keep up to that name, he went onto practice a Jutsu, instead of enjoying his Sweet little Break Time... Because Uchihas are Genius and Sasuke doesn’t want to be a dunce.

That’s why whenever Kakashi & Naruto taunts Sasuke with Uchiha name, Sasuke usually gets very serious about his business. And Itachi asking Naruto to not reveal the UCM to the Villagers is also the gesture of Saving Face because if they came to know about the fact that Uchihas planned a Coup-de-tat, they would resent that clan forever.

That’s why when any Tumblrist say that Sasuke is sassy because he has this “don’t care” attitude.... just cracks my spine... Because He cares about what other people think of him (his identity)... but acts like he don’t. And that’s why he asked to Naruto in Chapter 698 as to, “Even if it sits well with you, what about the rest?”

And this is precisely why Uchiha Family was the one which made me sit throughout the series. Because that’s one of the realistic representation of an Asian Family...

There’s also a cultural reason as to why Kakashi has unholy amount of fanboys and fangirls in Asian Fandom.

And the Clan culture...

I’ve been saying this from the time I came into this Fandom that Clan based society works differently from Clanless societies...

Okay, Just before this month I thought Kishi based all these clans from Sengoku period... Like he got inspired from his own history and I thought that in these modern times, Japan don’t have such concept called Clans and such. Or Atleast this is what I thought.

But Boy... I never thought Kishi was also from a Clan based culture who was also from a Village.

This conception of families comes from the region I grew up in, where peoples used to get together in groups called "Kumis" ( Clans or Groups in japanese. ) The custom was that you have to treat each member of the community like your own family. At home, the clan was called "Kou-Gumi". And we used to gather in groups of 8 or 10 to gather wood to prepare the baths, others would cultivate rice and those who finish early would help the others. Members of clans would gather each month to eat together and at funerals they were on the first seats. If one of the family would invite the priest to eat after the funeral ceremony, the others members of the clan were invited at the dinner too. The way the clan worked was like a real family, so this is why this "Kumi" system left such an impact on me. My village, in a way, worked like the communities created by the ninjas of old. Thus this experience influenced me when I created the ninja village system in Naruto. From the start, the ninjas were supposed to be one big family

Interview Link

Another instance where I made my point first and an interview from Kishimoto confirmed it later.

After reading this Interview, I dropped my phone and it even got a crack near the Edge. Because my Mom and Dad are from countryside who practices something similar to what Kishi said he does with those 8 to 10 members called Kumis.

Like Preparing Baths, Cultivate Rice and helping out others.

Members of clans would gather each month to eat together and at funerals they were on the first seats. If one of the family would invite the priest to eat after the funeral ceremony, the others members of the clan were invited at the dinner too.

LMFAO!!!! I personally I never liked these get-together events... Because Many people (even from our own clan) just become such an annoyance and won’t even help out other people in preparing these meals, you know... Stupid freeloaders and leechers.

The way the clan worked was like a real family, so this is why this "Kumi" system left such an impact on me. My village, in a way, worked like the communities created by the ninjas of old. Thus this experience influenced me when I created the ninja village system in Naruto. From the start, the ninjas were supposed to be one big family

Point to Note: Dear Anti-Konoha kiddos, He based Konoha from his own Community... That Kumi (Clan) system he says has left a deep impact on him which motivated him to create the Ninja System in the first place... Your points about Kishi was deep throated front and back by the Shonen Jump Editors who forced him to go for Pro-Konoha Ending doesn’t even make sense.... He says, Ninjas were supposed to be one big family... Which is basically what Will of Fire means... that got repeated for over 600+ Chapters. Do you guys actually think Kishi would just go Anti-Konoha just like you all want???? Did he ever gave any hint of that at all?

Of Course, not everyone would consider every other person as a family... That’s why we saw Naruto was mistreated by the Villagers... Of Course, this Clan system has it’s own problems and resentments which is what Kish did in the Pain Arc by making Nagato question Naruto about Konoha...

And when I read through his Manga Notes and Interviews, I understand more about his way of living which is not so different from how my parents lived in their village.

And then comes the doujinshis.... For example, (Just grasp the concept from the below pic rather than seeing it as SNS)

“I consider myself well-versed in the ways of a proper wife and intend to behave accordingly....

Falling asleep after the husband...

Waking before the husband...

Walking three feet behind....”

I kid you not... This shitty sexist rules for women exist in my place too... WORD FOR WORD... An Ideal wife should be this, that and all those trash. More than reading about SNS, I was so surprised about how similar values we all share.

So, Anyways.... This is how I started to understand the Japanese cultural intricacies... With the knowledge from my fellow Asian born Friends, their similarities to my own culture in many different ways and media consumption.

#masashi kishimoto #kishimoto #naruto #sasuke #uchiha sasuke #konoha

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verm1c1de · 1 year

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all the secret drawing boxes i got!!

MEW. MEW KNOW ME TOO WELL. I KNOW WHO MEW ARE AND I KNOW MEWR IP ADDRESS MEW CANT JUST DO THIS 2 ME!!!

purrfection. the pinnacle of art. theyre in love mew know

now THIS. THIS is what im TALKING ABOUT BABEY!!!! the purrfect man. my blorbus binkus. my scrunkle. my coup de tat. whatefur. my meowmeow of all time. thank mew, mew kind soul,,,,

oh theres more! yessss mew people know what im about. this is the guy efur! thank mew fur the him,,,,,,,

woah there?!?!?!? so purretty fur no reason?!?!!???? my SECOND favorite guy of all time!!! it him!!!!! thank mew fur mewr very purretty dib, i am so honored that mew drew this wretched beast fur the furst time in like a year fur me!

it me??????!!?? so cute!!! i love it!! :33

who is this beast?!?!? is this one of z1ms beasts? well, i love this little war criminal, whoefur they are

yeehaw indeed!

WOAH!!! SO COOL!!!!!! looks like somebodys pen really hated them! sorry abt that, but i love this sharp little beast!! an irken proffy m?

i love pixars cars fur the xbox too dib me boy, i love it too

ANOFUR WRETCHED ANIMEL!!!!! he is very cute!

it me!!! hi z1m!

#secret drawing box #other peoples art

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wagonlitcommunitytheatregroup · 1 year

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When I was a youth I decides to do the impossible and write the "rules" for Calvinball. I know it's not supposed to have rules but I did it anyway and I think these, if followed, would still create an excellent and approriately bonkers game.

Names of players are put into a hat. At the beginning of the game a "Bill Waterson" is chosen to decide the initial rules of the game. There must be

1. Winning conditions (X must occur in order to win)

2. Conditions for declaring a coup d'état (time elapsed since last coup d'état, announcement of candidacy, etc)

3. Conditions for winning a coup d'état

4. Layout/rules of zones (or if only playing with one zone then the layout and rules for that zone should be laid out)

5. Da Rules (to be written by the current Supreme Dictator for life however they see fit and arbitrarily enforced by the First Tiger, El Presidente a single die will be rolled to determine how many rules are allowed. The defnition of "die" extends from a coin flip to a d120 but it MUST be a physical die )

These are written into "the constitution". (All rules are subject to the "enumerated powers clause" wherein anything not expressly prohibited by the constitution is delegated to the players and is free to be interpreted individually and at will i.e. If Da Rules don't cover it then you can do it) Then a "first tiger, el presidente _name of player_" is chosen to be the referee(the referee is granted arbitrary power for punishment of broken rules and must wear an excellent hat).

The game begins with the traditional salutation wherein players salute (however they please) and shout "to Calvin, Hobbes, and Bill! Gods of the Game!"

At intervals (outlined in the constitution and announced by the F.T.E.P.) any player may yell "coup de tat!" thus demanding a new "supreme dictator for life" to be chosen in accordance to the rules set forth by the Bill Watterson and ONE of Da Rules altered in whatever way the new S.D.F.L deems fit. (Any alteration may be challenged by a call of "Is it a good idea to microwave this" followed by a second of "no it isn't" and a third of "but we'll do it anyway!" If these conditions are met then the S.D.F.L Elect must respond with "But will it blend?" Thus expelling the new amendment to The Void.)

New S.D.F.L.s are subject to The 22nd amendment which states that no S.D.F.L may serve twice in a game. (This doesn't apply to the Bill Watterson because of the "revenge of the Sith" rule wherein the Bill Watterson may vie for the title of S.D.F.L. a second time)

Equipment and play space

From the "official" rules:1.5 The Calvinball Field (See Calvinball Equipment - 2.3) should consist of areas, or zones, which are governed by a set of rules declared by players. Zones may be appear and disappear as often and wherever the player decides. For example, a corollary zone would enable a player to make a corollary (sub-rule) to any rule already made. Or a pernicious poem place would require the intruder to do what the name implies. Or an opposite zone would enable a player to declare reverse playibility on the others.

Upon arriving to a game of Calvinball each player must present a(or multiple) piece(s) of "game equipment" there are no rules of game equipment other than it must be tangible, not likely to kill someone (a gun, non dulled blade, vial of poison, warhead, Infinity Gauntlet etc...) and not microscopic.

The Watadik clause:

If at any time any player is deliberately abusing the game mechanics to derail the game then any player may call "Watadik" and a Citizens Arrest occurs wherein the first Tiger is called over and punishes the detailed accordingly. If the First Tiger is abusing his/her power then a "Roosevelt's Velvet Pelts" occurred wherein the First Tiger is replaced by a new appointee either volunteered or elected.

#calvin and hobbes #Calvinball !

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