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botslayer · 4 years

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Top Ten games of the 2010′s

This trend seems to be doing the rounds at the moment and seeing as I’ve been gaming for about as long as I can remember, It just feels right. So, let’s get into it. But first, worth saying: These aren't really in any specific order, it's just the games I've personally had the most fun with overall, but it's pretty hard to decide what the hard numbers on things you enjoy for different reasons are if that makes any sense. 10. The 2010's weren't exactly the best time for anyone, I think. For me they were a slog of finding myself and learning things I wish I didn't. Amid all those things I wanted some levity. The world needs something and stupid. We got a lot of it ion 2013 but I feel like we could have used it scattered around a bit more. In that spirit, allow me to show you one hell of a pick me up:

Saints Row 4

Saints Row 4 does not give a fuck. It is aggressively demonstrating that the entire time you play. It doesn't care in the slightest what you think or why, It just wants to show you cool, if juvenile, and interesting, if weird shit. It's the finer points of Ratchet and Clank's arsenal, SR3's humor, And superpowers that genuinely put Prototype and Infamous in a blender and tell you to go ape shit with them. The soundtrack isn't top shelf, it's the roof of the building the shelf is in. Saints Row Two had a better story overall but SR Four's was just plain fun and a solid enough story to still be invested.

The DLC was just as irreverent and madcap, Featuring everything from an evil Santa Clause to evil Gimps on Game of thrones chairs made of dildos Or Tropey-ass costumes and weapon reskins that I'd be genuinely surprised the game dev didn't get sued over. It has earned its place in my top 10 and I will die by that decision.

2016 saw the advent of a new genre. They blended TF2 and MOBAs, and we got hero shooters in their first AAA forms, Overwatch and Battleborn. But neither of these games is on this list, much as I liked them. Partly because the whole time, I kept thinking of one simple question: "Why do I keep thinking of...?"

Anarchy Reigns

Anarchy Reigns is my favorite Platinum game. Full Stop. The Story mode is interesting and has genuinely good character moments, the characters themselves are completely mental, ranging from a mercenary with a bionic cat leg that secretly has a gun built into it to a giant cyborg bull-man with a jet-powered hammer. The soundtrack is mostly angry hip-hop, making every song a banger and fittingly speedy for things like random bombing runs from jet fighters that come from absolutely nowhere.

There are giant monsters, cars with mounted flame throwers, giant robots, and the online is still pretty sweet because even when abandoned, loading it up with bots still rules. I regularly have more fun with this than I ever did with Overwatch, and I don't care how insane that sounds.

Some games want to make you feel something and fail. Some games make you feel some things accidentally, for example, a desperate need to laugh. This game made me feel like a human blender. Like a Chthonic god of mangled flesh and raw destructive power. Nyarlathotep ain't got nothing on me. I speak, of course, of...

[Prototype] 2

There's no end to the absolute destruction you feel like you're causing in this game. It feels more fluid than the first, the main character is a pinch more relatable, and all the body horror, superpowers, zombie hordes, and big old monsters make for some of the most memorable and fun moments and fights in gaming. The DLC is also pretty solid, adding new fun side challenges, and new powers and weapons that elevate you from "Flesh god" to "Screw physics, I made them" Omnipotent. Best god/monster simulation of all time.

Sometimes some games are at an honest tie in your mind. Be it that you like them for essentially the same reasons, or for completely different reasons, but the overall total joy or entertainment they bring is roughly equivalent. Here, we have a case of the former:

Furi/Cuphead

Both games have a tight focus on giving players a unique, boss-centric challenge, both have interesting, somewhat minimal narratives, and both are absolute eye candy.

Furi has a more "Samurai Jack" Quality to me. A complete badass on a relatively simple quest with a somewhat minimalistic art style learning some things as he goes.

Cuphead on the other hand, nails that rubber hose animation style, and the fun levity of such animations while still making the player's ability to interact with the world damn impactful and fun.

They share a spot in my soul, games I love everything about but will never be able to finish. Hats off to both dev teams.

Now here we have another tie. Mostly because the games are so close together, they need to be evaluated more or less as one product IMO, not enough changed for me to consider them separate games, fortunately, that is the furthest thing from an insult it can be in this situation. I present to you, my next pick(s).

Costume Quest 1/2

Now, This might seem pretty random considering my other picks, but honestly, I love Halloween, I love creative madness, I love subversion, I love good characters, and I love cool action, these games have all these things by the bucketload.

The first game is a wild ride through Halloween in multiple very lively locations and the second, slightly confusing as it is, is pretty awesome for the things it introduces, including time travel. Other elements, like the battle stamps, the truly epic forms of everything in the fights, The ability to customize your costumes, etc. they blur together in a pretty big way, but again, there's not a thing wrong with that when both games rock like crystal candy.

Now, if you hadn't noticed, all of the games on this list have had some hard action at their core, and while I don't HATE calmer games, a lot of the time, so many are kinda dull to me in that with the exception of easter eggs of some sort, most farming sims, for example, just have you doing normal farm stuff with very few twists, may as well start a real farm in that case. My most chill entry is a game that tosses that to one side, asks you to grab a suck cannon, and start harvesting gelatinous monster poop.

Slime Rancher

While you don't spend a lot of time actually interacting with other characters, they just talk at you, the story of the game is pretty effective, the player character of Beatrix has left Earth for a simpler life of Slime Ranching, which entails the raising of alien crops, delightfully derpy and colorful chickens, and going all around in an attempt to farm new breeds of slime for their genetic material to sell off or trade-in for the creation of gadgets while being surrounded by a cast of interesting characters. It's all very wholesome family fun.

The game looks great, has great ideas, and is genuinely the best farming game I have ever played. @ me all you want.

The 80's are almost fetishized nowadays. Given all the property reboots, games that go for the vibe and aesthetic of the time, etc. It almost seems as though the eighties vibe train ain't gonna stop rolling any time soon. But we owe it to ourselves to remember the first big swipe of madcap neon-colored actiony B-movie bullshit and how mind-meltingly epic it was. Ladies, Gents, and whatever else, I present:

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Blood Dragon's story is relatively simple, you play Sargent Rex "Power" Colt (A name said in full so many times I thought his last name was "Powercolt" for the longest time), a former "Omega force" cyborg. Rex and his friend "Spider" were sent into a secret island base to investigate the supposed defection and treachery of their old commander, Ike Sloan. It turns out he has gone rogue and taken an army of "Mark 5" Omegaforce cyber-soldiers with him. What follows is a long story of betrayal, science fiction of the highest nonsensical level, comedy, and brilliantly cathartic action.

The collectibles range from data on animals, to research notes from a scientist, to literal VHS cassette tapes that have full descriptions of movies that I would legitimately watch if I could. "You may now kill the brides" is not a real film and I am angry for every day that that is true. Anyway, play Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, I dunno if it's on PS4 but it's one game I'd buy a new/old console for.

A lot of superhero games NEED to railroad you. Your goals MUST be to save the lives of the people and help the weak and all that. But one dev asked the simple question: "What if it didn't?" "What if the player chose how to use their power? What if the player could be as evil or as good as they damn well pleased?" One game gave you the powers of thunder and lightning and asked what you'd do with it. It's sequel asked you the same, but against more... interesting forces.

InFamous 2

InFamous 2 is a game about making choices, just like the first one, also just like the first one, it can have an effect on gameplay. That effect went from "What does this particular power do in this allignment?" To "Which new set of NEW powers would you like?" The forces of the last game went from “Three flavors of gun-toting whackos” To “Possibly an allegory for the Klan, Swamp monsters, and Ice-powered super soldiers.”

This was, and still is, the best game in the whole series, The powers felt distinct from anything else and still do, the story is solid as a rock, and the enemy types were still varied enough to be interesting, I miss the Reapers from the first game, but that's about it. Everything else was a massive step up. If you have something that can run it, play it.

Action is something I think we can all appreciate on some level. We can understand when it does or does not work, we can understand when we do or do not like how it feels when we are the ones partaking in it. EX: Any schlep can tell you when the weapons in your game lack impact, or when your character moves too slow for the game to be fun. The following game is something I can't say anything of the sort about. And it's kind of like Wolfenstein, when you have enemies this bad, who the hell cares how many you kill?

Doom 2016

Y'all are lying if you say you didn't expect this one. It's DOOM 2016. This game is made of hate and fuck. AND I LOVE IT. You move so fast, you may as well be half cheetah and half sports car. You slaughter the dregs of hell by the dozens and even the biggest, baddest things this game throws at you can be beaten with the starting pistol if you have the stones for it. It looks amazing graphically, the demons all look appropriately threatening, and even the Multiplayer is a great deal of fun in my book.

Something worth noting: The story presented by default is pretty barebones, but that's where supplementary material fills in the gaps, the difference between supplementary material in most games and supplementary material here is the material is till IN THE GAME. You're free to ignore most of the plot as it happens around you, and even interesting tidbits of the lore like how certain demons function. Not only are these things missable collectibles, prompting continued play to find them, they are also pretty interesting reads. So yeah, just about everything you could want in a sequel/remake, builds the on lore and gameplay very organically.

And here we are, the last game I'd put in this category. An entire decade, and here, we end on the last game that left such an impact I'd put it in my top ten. But first, let's talk about expectations and delivery: When you say a game is coming out, there are certain expectations you have for gameplay, EX: I say "Ratchet and Clank" and you expect a TPS with platforming elements and crazy guns. I say "Gears of War" and people expect something to do with lumbering about in big armor, dismembering things with a chainsaw gun and otherwise shooting them to paste. We might also expect changes to things, better graphics, innovations in grenade variety, something as that franchise goes on.

After the last game in this series was released, there were tons of people who felt let down and disappointed by it. Then they released the still somewhat disappointing special edition of it. They were both still fun, but neither really felt like the full next step in the series. After a failed reboot, they returned to the original story and the lot of us rejoiced. And when it finally came out? It was a step up in most, if not, all regards, to its predecessors. You know what this last one is. Please, give a warm round of applause to:

Devil May Cry 5

A game that was not only a return to form, but a major escalation in gameplay for one character, and a new style of gameplay all together by way of yet another new character. It didn’t exactly hurt that the story kicked ten kinds of ass and that the game looked spectacular in both the design of everything and the actual graphical fidelity.DMC 5 is, like DOOM, Like InFamous 2, Like [PROTOTYPE] 2, everything you want in a good sequel. It built very well on already solid foundations and it was generally just a fun, slightly goofy, massively stylish, and ultra badass ride. I recommend this, and all these games, to anyone.Good night everyone, have a great 2020. And the rest of the decade, for that matter.

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timeagainreviews · 5 years

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A Loch back at a Zygon Era

Hello friends! I've had quite the week! Monday was my birthday, so my boyfriend and I took a road trip around Scotland. We saw lots of things from the Beatrix Potter Garden in Birnam, to the Cave of Caerbannog from Monty Python, to the Devil's Pulpit in Dumgoyne. But our main destination was Loch Ness! We settled into our hotel by watching "Terror of the Zygons," which seemed appropriate considering our surroundings. Naturally, I decided to review it here. Before I do, however, I would like to thank all of you who have been liking and reblogging my stuff lately. It means a lot to know I'm connecting with people. Thank you for your support!

On the surface, "Terror of the Zygons," appears to be just like any other serial of its era. However, if you do a bit of digging, you'll discover that there are some interesting facts about its production. Did you know that there was a sort of "real-world," tie in with the story? No, I don't mean Nessie. Think closer to Mickey Mouse. In 1975, Tom Baker played the Doctor for the August "Disney Time," bank holiday special. After introducing several clips from Disney films, he is called away by the Brigadier to the events of Terror of the Zygons. I can't help but wish this information was known to me before writing my Doctor Who and Disney article! You can watch the clips on youtube. They feature Tom being suitably bizarre.

Along with having an unusual prequel, the story also had a deleted scene from the beginning which was later colourised by YouTuber "babelcolour," for the DVD release. This edited version is the one I rewatched for today's review. The scene begins with the TARDIS materialising invisibly. The Doctor walks out from nothingness, wearing a matching tartan tam and scarf, replacing his usual fedora and scarf. Not far behind are Sarah Jane and Harry Sullivan wearing said hat and scarf respectively. There's something rather humorous about the Doctor using his companions as human hat racks. Considering Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart's name, it seems appropriate that the Doctor is sporting the Royal Stewart tartan. I can't help but wonder if the costume department did this on purpose. After rematerialising the TARDIS to "fix," it back to it's usual broken police box state, the three continue their journey to answer the Brigadier's Disney Time summons. It seems an oil rig off the coast of Scotland has crashed into the sea just shortly after having lost radio contact.

After hitching a ride from the eccentric Duke of Forgill, the three meet up with a kilted Brigadier in a small Scottish inn where the landlord, Angus, plays bagpipes ad nauseam. They're really driving the Scottish shit home, which makes sense when you consider they filmed the episode in Sussex. Also gathered at the inn are Sergeant Benton, various UNIT soldiers, and a man from the oil company named Huckle. The Duke has some curt words with Huckle, informing him that any crewmen found on his land will be shot. After leaving in a huff, we see one of these crewmen wash ashore, seemingly alive. Over the past month, three different rigs have all met their demise. The gang splits up Scooby-Doo style. Dr Harry goes off to check on the injured crewmen, while Sarah stays behind to get the scoop from the locals. And the Doctor goes off to be the Doctor.

Back at the inn, Sarah mentions the odd nature of the Duke to Angus who promptly defends the duke as a good man. However, even he has to admit that the Duke has been acting strangely since the oil companies came. After letting go most of his servants, the only real bit of interaction he's had lately was gifting the inn with a goofy looking stag head. Nowadays the Duke keeps mostly to himself at Forgill Castle. The surrounding area of Tulloch Moor seems steeped in mystery. People go missing as the mist comes in, Angus tells Sarah as they're being spied upon from a distance. Eavesdropping in on the conversation over a veiny, bio-mechanical screen, an unknown figure watches from the shadows.

While driving alone, Harry spots the washed-up man from the rig and jumps out to help him. Believing him to be yet another trespasser, a beardy fellow by the name of Caber shoots the survivor and wings Harry across his brow, rendering him unconscious. Back in the bio-mechanical ship, alien villains twist and caress a fleshy panel in the weirdest form of nipple play ever seen on Doctor Who, causing the destruction of another oil rig near Ben Nevis. While trying to decipher the signal that has been jamming the oil rigs' radios, the Doctor learns of Harry's brush with death.

After checking on Harry, the Doctor goes out to inspect the oil rig wreckage where he discovers strange holes in the foundation. After taking a cast of the holes with plaster of Paris, the cast reveals what looks like the shape of an impossibly large sharp tooth. During a call with the Doctor, Sarah is attacked by the previously seen alien hand, which belongs to none other than a fearsome Zygon! I've always loved their design, especially in this scene. Something about the shape of its mouth is particularly disturbing. I was slightly disappointed about the redesign from the new series. I'm a big fan of the Zygon cat nose. I almost named one of my cats Zygon due to his dark orange fur and similar nose shape, but my partner at the time vetoed that idea. I named him Rory instead.

After discovering both Harry and Sarah missing, the Doctor discovers Sarah in a decompression room for divers, the door slightly ajar. I was annoyed by the fact that the Doctor fell for such an obvious trap, but it also led to an intriguing sequence. Harry's nurse, Sister Lamont, closes the heavy door behind the Doctor and seals it shut for decompression. Running out of air, the Doctor hypnotises Sarah and enters into a trance to conserve air. I'm a big fan of any time the Doctor acts like a bit of a mystic. I'm a meditator myself, so it's cool to see the Doctor tap into the innate powers of thought control. One of the side effects of certain meditations is a slowing of breathing. It was nice that the scene doesn't overly explain this. It allows Tom the chance to really play up his weird alien charm as his eyes roll back and he howls toward the ceiling. Moments like these are why I love Tom Baker so much. He's not afraid of being utterly bizarre.

It's around this time we begin to learn a little about the Zygons. Having taken Harry to their ship, their leader, Broton, tells him a bit about their history. After they crash-landed centuries ago they awaited rescue while subsiding on the lactic fluid of their giant Nessie-like cyborg pet known as the Skarasen. That's correct, you did not misread that- they feed off of cyborg breast milk. Only with a show like Doctor Who can you get a sentence like that. You've kind of got to love that. After discovering their planet was destroyed by a cosmic event, they redirected their efforts toward getting their suckers on Earth. The Skarasen is to be the form of Earth's destructor, as no human weapon could hope to penetrate its augmented skin. In order to move their plan into motion, the Zygons gas the village, knocking the Brigadier and the UNIT soldiers out cold, thus allowing them to move in secret. Luckily for the Doctor and Sarah, Sergeant Benton was on the lookout for them where he saves them from death by asphyxiation.

After coming to, Huckle gives the Doctor a bio-emitter that attracts the Skarasen, which he found among the wreckage of the rig. Having bugged the inn, the Zygons reveal to Harry that they use the psychic imprint of humans in order to mimic their form. He sees the likes of Sister Lamont, Caber, and the Duke, stored in hibernation chambers, maintaining a link to their Zygon counterparts. They use Harry's form to slip back to the inn where they may fetch the emitter. But he is intercepted by Sarah who is concerned by his odd behaviour. She chases him into a barn where they scuffle in a manner that had me weirdly thinking of “Super Vixens.” Russ Meyer's Doctor Who is not something I ever expected to imagine. After a bit of trouble, Zygon Harry falls from a hayloft onto his own pitchfork, killing him instantly and revealing himself to Sarah as a Zygon. However, the crafty Zygons completely evaporate his remains to hide any evidence. I wondered why they didn't just do the same thing to the emitter in the first place, but I guess the answer is "it doesn't do that." Ok, sure, whatever. Now free from his psychic link with the Zygon, Harry is able to sneak about on their ship unabated.

After realising the Zygons were working from the shadows, the Doctor assumes they must have bugged the inn somewhere, so the lads go about searching the place from top to bottom. I love Angus' indignant response to the idea that his inn might have actual bugs. Angus Lennie's performance as Angus is a true highlight in the story. Afraid of the humans discovering that the goofy stag head must be the bug, the Zygons decide to send the Skarasen to rid themselves of these tiresome humans. After figuring out the secret of the emitter, the Doctor draws the Skarasen away from the village only to find it has fused itself to his hand. But Harry's meddling with the ship's systems allows the Doctor the ability to toss the emitter in the path of the Skarasen, destroying it in the process.

The Doctor and friends meet up and go to Forgill Castle to ask permission to drop depth charges into Loch Ness, the source of the signal. Their hope is to draw the Zygons out. Meanwhile, the Sister Lamont Zygon goes to fetch the stag head and fights with Angus in the process, killing him. It's a sad ending for one of the more likeable characters, but it's also kind of wonderful in its simplicity. I never quite understood why the Zygons needed to turn people into electric balls of something I might pull out of my hairbrush, as they did in "The Zygon Invasion." If anything, I much prefer the updates they received in Mark Morris' "The Bodysnatchers." Using venom from their suckers matches their physiology far better than superpowers. Morris really fleshed out the Zygons in a way I wish the show would. Seeing them in their initial incarnation using brute force seems far more practical to me. I think sometimes, more is less.

After discovering a way into the Zygon ship, they save Harry, but the Zygons flee with the Doctor still onboard. The Doctor gets a wonderful opportunity to match wits with Broton in a speech that includes my all-time favourite Fourth Doctor line- "You can't rule the world in hiding. You've got to come out on to the balcony sometimes and wave a tentacle." Evidently, that line was ad-libbed by Tom Baker, only further solidifying my love for the man. He makes a good point though, the Zygons have mostly been working from the shadows, in secret. The Zygons fly away, masking their trail from UNIT, still hiding. I must admit, it's not abundantly clear what their plan actually is. Sure they intend to use the Skarasen against earth's weapons, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of explanation as to how the oil rigs play into everything. There's mention of turning the Earth into something more habitable for Zygons, but I'm honestly not sure. I asked my boyfriend what his impression was, and he couldn't quite figure it out either.

There's a lot of what happens at this point in the story that seems like happenstance. The UNIT crew and Sarah end up going to London, which also happens to be where the Zygons have set their next target. They plan to swim the Skarasen up the Thames to wreak havoc on Westminster Abbey. In my review for "Castrovalva," I mentioned how the Fourth Doctor's super-heroics were oftentimes overstated, and what comes next is nothing shy of extraordinary. After rigging some ventricle type wiring from within his cell, the Doctor uses his own body to complete the circuit, allowing UNIT to see past the Zygon's scramblers and pinpoint their location. I loved that it was Benton that did this, by the way. This was twice in one story where Benton got to play hero. They pinpoint the ship's location to be a disused quarry, which made me ugly cackle. Classic Doctor Who used quarries so often to make up an alien planet, that the idea of them saying "This actually is a quarry," seemed almost cheeky. Broton, thinking the Doctor has died, uses his Duke disguise once more to go plant another emitter in Westminster. After releasing the human captives aboard the Zygon ship, the Doctor sounds an alarm and sets off the self destruct killing the remaining Zygons onboard. Yay, murder!

The UNIT soldiers dispatch Broton after a fumbling fight scene between him, Harry, and Sarah. All the while, the Skarasen is working its way up the Thames. It's a brilliant little bit of puppetry mixed with stop motion animation that I found completely charming. Even if it does look a bit naff, it's effective enough to be a suitable set piece to end such an episode. It's very much within the tone of the story to have the Loch Ness monster stomping through London. The Doctor manages to trace the emitter and toss it into the open jaws of the Skarasen. It nom nom noms the emitter into nothingness, causing it to lose all interest in the Abbey. The Doctor casually supposes that it will most likely return to its home of Loch Ness. I loved that the show kept the Loch Ness mystery intact. After all is said and done, "Nessie," may still be out there. It wouldn't have felt right killing off a beloved cryptid that brings so much wonder to many. Such feelings of wonder are what Doctor Who thrives upon. Sadly, while we got to keep Nessie, we say goodbye to some regulars. This marks the last regular appearance of both the Brigadier and Harry. With the Doctor no longer relegated to the Earth, UNIT begins to play a much smaller role in the story. And Harry, now back in London, hasn't a lot of need to continue travelling with the Doctor. It's an almost unceremonious end of an era for Doctor Who.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story. While I feel like it somewhat falls apart in the final act, the mystery and intrigue in the first few episodes really draw you in. Even my boyfriend, who is a casual fan, was drawn in by the atmosphere. You can see the beginnings of what was to become the more horror-themed stories such as "The Talons of Weng-Chiang," or "The Horror of Fang Rock." The Zygons are, for me at least, a classic baddie. They may not be as popular or iconic as the Daleks or Cybermen, but I think they work as their own kind of threat. Bringing them back has also proven to be successful. The Big Finish audio "The Zygon Who Fell to Earth," is well worth a listen. There's a lot of care put into this story that I think makes it stand out from others. Geoffrey Burgon's beautifully haunting music was a nice change of pace from Dudley Simpson's usual work. The track "A Landing in Scotland," is particularly memorable. The Zygon ship interior being organic was a unique touch that we rarely see in Doctor Who, save for maybe "The Claws of Axos," and the model work was also pretty damn charming. Having recently been to both Loch Ness and Ben Nevis, it really added something to the experience as well. There is a surprisingly low amount of episodes that take place in Scotland, which is unfortunate. If there's anything this trip has taught me, is that Scotland has a lot to offer. There are so many peaks and valleys covered with lush greenery and deep dark waters. It's easy to imagine that somewhere, something is lurking down below. Hats off to Robert Banks Stewart and Robert Holmes for seeing this potential, and turning out something magical.

#doctor who #fourth doctor #tom baker #sarah jane smith #elisabeth sladen #nicholas courtney #BRIGADIER LETHBRIDGE STEWART #zygons #harry sullivan #ian marter #Time and Time Again #tardis #bbc #loch ness #nessie #loch ness monster #skarasen #terror of the zygons

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anti-capitalist-historian · 7 years

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Women and the Paris Commune

This was originally a discussion post for my organization but I figured it belongs here.

Before we begin our discussion, I would just like to preface that I am a man, and while I am discussing and providing a history of women’s participation in the Paris Commune, I may not be 100% correct in my analysis, as I cannot detach myself from sexism and misogyny of our patriarchal society and its legacies. For that, I apologize ahead of time, and will immediately adjust and correct any oppressive analysis that people will reveal in the discussion. I will do my best to present the views and analysis of female historians whom I have encountered during my research on the topic.

The Paris Commune is one of the most pivotal moments in revolutionary history as it was France’s closest moment to socialism in the nineteenth-century. Before we delve into its specifics, I will provide some context about how this commune came to fruition so we get a better sense of the material conditions in 1870s France and why the Commune occurred.

Students of history cannot understand the Paris Commune without considering two key events: the revival of radical thought and the Franco-Prussian War. The 1870s experienced a bust in the capitalist economic cycle, which lead to a revival in republic and socialist organizations and anarchist thought. In June 1868, Napoleon III legalized public meetings, which the French government banned partially due to the women demanding equal rights during the French Revolution. As people held public meetings, they began to organize strikes against their bosses and other corporations for better working conditions and wages. This occurred in the late 1860s and early 1870s. The second context, the Franco-Prussian War, also served as the catalyst for the Commune. This war briefly summarized, Otto von Bismarck goaded France into a war for which it was not prepared and lost miserably. In the summer of 1870, the Germans captured the French emperor Napoleon III in the Battle of Sedan, which led to insurrection in Paris and then its eventual siege by the Germans. The siege of Paris lasted months; people who did not die of starvation resorted to eating all kinds of animals to survive. Additionally, there was a moratorium placed on rent, as people could not work and their property owners escaped Paris prior to the siege.

In January of 1871, France, not Paris, capitulated to the Germans, and the war ended. At the same time, the Blanquists began to mobilize French workers to demand a new government, a Commune. Part of the reason for mobilization was due to the landlords demanding their rents with interest. In February that same year, the Parisians held an election unbeknownst to the rest of France, and this new Parisian government established peace treaties with the Prussians. Paris was a highly volatile place and what sparked the Commune was a dispute over its cannons, which protected a working-class neighborhood. On March 18, 1871, the French army forcibly attempted to seize the cannons and a few of its defenders died in the process. That day the Parisians revolted and the Commune began.

Many Marxists focus on the role of the working class in the Paris Commune and its futility most notably by Leon Trotsky who believed the Commune came too late and did not attempt to spread the revolution. His focus is on the meaning of the commune and not on the participants themselves; he specifically ignores the role of women and the roles they performed during this revolutionary moment.

Women played a leading role in this revolutionary moment. Paradoxically, historians have credited them with the defeat of the army and blamed for the death of the two generals despite having no guns. From two o’clock to six o’clock in the morning, the struggle for the cannons was a male-centered drama; however, after six, women played a key role in the taking of the cannons for in the opening hours of the day as they opened their blinds, fetched food for breakfast, they observed the army attempting to steal the cannons. One woman, the most famous Communard, the anarchist Louise Michel, rifle in hand, alerted the city of Paris about the treasonous actions of the French army. Her and other women battled the soldiers over control of the cannons. They charged the guards shouting, “Unharness the horses [who were pulling the cannons]! Let’s go! We want the cannons! We will have the cannons! Cut the traces [the reigns]!” The women and men detached the horses from the cannons and established control over the weapons. In this chaotic moment, the French army balked at firing into a crowd of citizens to which Michel remarked, “The Revolution was made.” Working class women of the Paris set the stage for the radicalization of the Commune.

In April as the city of Paris fought Versailles to maintain autonomy, female demonstrators played an integral role in rallying supporting. Seven hundred to two thousand women gathered in Paris to propose a march to Versailles to explain the need for the Commune and they discussed also joining the men in their fight against Versailles. One working class woman suggested that women had one final attempt to reconcile with Versailles before more the armies shed more blood. Another woman, Beatrix Excoffons, reported that a group of seven hundred women was not large enough to convince Versailles of a ceasefire, so instead they tended to the wounded. Women were also warriors in the Commune. On April 11 and 12, newspapers called for the Citizenesses of Paris to join the army. Eight women formed the Union des Femmes pour la Défense de Paris et les Soins aux Blessés (The Women’s Union for the Defense of Paris and the Health of the Injured) and responded to the call. The Union des Femmes declared, “It is not peace but all-out war that the women workers of Paris demand! Conciliation today is betrayal” and “Paris will not give in…The women of Paris will prove to France and to the world that…they are truly as capable as their brothers of giving up their lives in the cause of the Commune, the cause of the People.” This call to defense scared the conservatives who resided both in and out of Paris for women were acting outside of their expected gender roles. As women organized to join the fight, men joined as well, for they felt their masculinity was at stake for they clung to their toxic conceptualizations of masculinity. Fifteen hundred women ended up signing up for the military, but the National Guard did not pursue any interest in incorporating these women into their ranks.

Women were not just in the military ranks but they also composed of a significant number of them played integral roles to raising political consciousness and demanding for equality. While men excluded them from official political power, it did not stop them from exerting political pressure on their politicians. They formed women exclusive political clubs and mixed clubs as well. Anticlericalism frequently appeared in popular discourse as women, and men, demanded for the investigation, arrest, and execution of priests and nuns, which terrified the bourgeoisie. A few women demanded the people toss the nuns into the Seine for poisoning wounded soldiers. Their passion and rhetoric propelled some workers to capture churches and turned the altars into places to feed and house people.

The merits of socialism also appeared in popular discourse at the time. Women proposed the abolition of prostitution, the legalization of divorce, and the recognition of free unions (which were illegal in France until the 1880s). Additionally, some women demanded the end of religious instruction. Women who participated in these debates were largely working class. The female organizers wore red scarves like their male counterparts, some carried pistols to meetings others did not; nursing children and smoking was a typical occurrence at these events. The men who attended these discussions were horrified absolutely about the nonchalant ways in which women would suggest an end to marriage, equality between the sexes, and they asserted the superiority of women. One man remarked that these women endangered western civilization as he heard a woman comment, “To be married is to be a slave…It cannot be tolerated any longer in a free city. It ought to be considered a crime and suppressed by the most severe of measures.” She later continued that divorce was not a solution but rather an “Orléanist [bourgeois] expedient.”

Now that we have a basic idea of what happened in the Commune, we should examine and understand why women were so passionate about the “free city.” Life in the Commune for women revolved a lot around maintaining the frontlines. Women formed cooperatives to make uniforms for the soldiers. The National Guard explicitly protected women’s wages so that they were not exploited for their labor. People established contracts that defined a minimum wage. The men understood the power of female agency in the Commune for it would not exist without their participation, and given how often women threatened to disrupt the social disorder if the men did not meet their demands, and so for that reason protecting women’s wages was a top priority.

Education was another top priority for the Commune. France has had a history of demanding free, compulsory, and secular education. The socialists of the Paris Commune advocated for technical education of children so they can also have useful trade skills if, and when, they entered the workforce. Women planned and reformed the education system and soon after, they opened up an industrial arts school for girls. Further, some educators demanded and received free equipment and school meals. They dedicated most of their efforts to the secularization of education. Additionally, the Paris Commune decreed that women should receive equal pay for equal work in the education field. Further, the Union des Femmes actively fought to preserve women’s wages in a man’s world and they won repeatedly. Additionally, women fought and earned an 8-hour workday and childcare, making the Commune the most progressive socialist force at the time.

The biggest break from patriarchal oppression came from a decree on April 10 when the Commune paid women who had children, both married and single, a 600 Franc pension if they had a husband or lover who died in battle. Part of this radical decree resulted from anticlericalism and for practicality. Anticlerical in that the church held a lot of power over the lives of women, and marriage was an official part of it. Practical for marriages were costly affairs for working class families, and giving women pensions for being unwed granted them personal agency. Despite this radical break, we must remember that misogyny still pervaded socialist thought for some of them, namely the Jacobins, insisted on making no distinction between married and unmarried women whereas others were reluctant to recognize equal rights. Further, those same socialists also wanted to remove children from the care of widowed and unwed mothers.

The most famous individual from the Paris Commune was Louise Michel. She was a schoolteacher who, as I previously mentioned, played an active role in defending the cannons. She was also an anarchist and a medical worker. She regularly preached resistance to the Prussians during the siege of Paris, and tended to the wounded during the Commune. When the Parisians initially established the Commune, she immediately joined the National Guard to protect the city. When the Commune collapsed, the French government charged her with the following crimes: attempting to overthrow the government, encouraging women to arm themselves, using weapons, and wearing a military uniform. Her militancy was so infamous throughout France, that many people often shamed her and called her a lesbian; anarchists defended her by giving her the nickname, which would persist throughout history, The Red Virgin.

Ultimately, the Paris Commune was doomed to fail. It did not have enough resources to survive beyond 71 days as it went against the great French military, and it had dwindling resources. Leon Trotsky goes so far as to claim the Commune “was nothing but an attempt to replace the proletarian revolution, which was developing, by a petty bourgeois reform: communal autonomy.” There is a fruitful discussion on the possibility and counterfactuals in that the Parisian Commune could have spread the revolution throughout the rest of France, especially as we have more than 140 years of distance from the events. However, the purpose of this discussion is to examine the ways in which women benefited from the Paris Commune, and the ways in which they played an integral role in creating the Commune. Given we have a 21st-century perspective, what can the role women played in the Commune tell us about the role women and all genders should perform in current events. What are new demands for women and other marginalized genders and how can a socialist society address them?

#Paris Commune #Louise Michel #Feminism #Marxism #Socialism #Utopian socalism #Commune #France #Paris #Anarchism #Franco-Prussian War #Sexism #Leon Trotsky #Jacobins #Blanquists #French History #Women's Histoy #Marxist History

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ashbournerp · 3 years

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EVENT 01- The 100th Year Mark

History is written by the victors - and make no mistake, the Kingdom of Ashbourne has won time and time again. From the ashes of The Great War, rose a unified kingdom that stood for prosperity, innovation, and discovery. On this weekend, we commemorate a momentous milestone - the 100th anniversary of Ashbourne’s inception. Residents from all across the Kingdom of Ashbourne are invited to partake in the historical celebration hosted by Their Royal Highnesses in The Heartland.

All threads must take place during the days of Friday, June 4th to Monday, June 7th, however, you may also have any flashback threads if you desire and react to any part of the event in whichever order you so choose. All characters must partake in the events; however, how and why they do so is up to your discretion! Please tag any event threads with ashrpevent1. We cannot wait to see it all come to life!

Event Breakdown Detailed Below...

Friday, June 4th, 1501

Daytime

As Ashbourne’s residents begin to funnel into the Heartland, they are encouraged to explore the day’s festivals hosted along the main city street. In the spirit of unity and celebrating Ashbourne’s unique Dukedoms - each land has benevolently contributed their own exhibition and/or events for the festival. Today, the exhibitions are as follows:

What better way to recharge after a day of travel than by sipping on refined wines and snacking on succulent fruits, cheeses, and breads from the Fairwinds? Hosted by the Jack of All Trades (ARTURO) , the wine and cheese tasting is sure to satisfy! For those looking to pay tribute to the fallen of The Great War, the Fairwind’s most accomplished Florist (LOLA) will be selling floral arrangements (and, perhaps, a concoction or two for those looking for an edge)

Art is food for the soul, and no one is as accomplished in the arts as Sandspell’s talented residents. Songbirds will be taking the stage, as choreographers lead the attendees in local and Ashbourne-specific dances. Not too far off, is a most curious looking Secret Keeper (AMARA) keeping a close eye on who accompanies whom. A list of which she will undoubtedly take back to her Duchy.

What type of guest arrives without a hostess present? For the forgetful - fear not. Stone Garden’s most illustrious jewelers will occupy stands, featuring only the most refined stones for sale. Keep a close eye on your valuables; however, as trades happen fast and theft even faster - with an army of petty thieves under the watchful eye of the Lord of Thieves (ROWAN).

Nighttime

As high priority guests of the crown, the reigning Dukes/Duchesses/Duchy’s are provided lavish accommodations within the Ashworth Palace. Those of high standing have been provided a room at a luxury inn, just a five minute walk outside of palace gates. All other event attendees are free to select their accommodations, from various inns to residing with a friend in the Heartland - at their own dime, of course.

A quiet evening is had by all, save for the reigning leadership of the Dukedoms. A rare opportunity to come together and discuss trade and allegiances - many take to the Ashworth’s private parlor for a nightcap and a discussion.

A notably tense conversation between Fairwinds’ Duke (JAVIER) and Stone Garden’s Duchess (LOUISA) regarding their soon-to-expire trade agreement. Old skeletons are dragged out of the closet, and the future of their trade agreement remains to be seen.

The newly-crowned Ravenpeak Duke (NICOLO) sticks to a corner of the room, quietly observing his fellow comrades when Sandspell’s Duchess (YASMIN) convinces him to partake in a drinking game that turns contentious.

The Lost Coasts’ Duchy attempts to leave the gathering early, but the Sacred Wood Duchy stops them in their tracks with a lecture in leadership and responsibility. After a heated exchange, the Lost Coasts’ Duchy pushes the Sacred Wood’s Duchy aside - an insult that will not be forgotten.

Saturday, June 5th, 1501

Daytime

The festivities continue on the main city streets first thing in the morning. A number of intriguing exhibitions, benevolently provided by the Dukedoms, are available to all:

Nothing like a little physical activity to start the day. In an effort to showcase Ravenpeak’s stellar army, a number of soldiers will lead the citizens in athletic endeavors and weapons competitions. These include; sword fighting, jousting, and hand-to-hand combat. To encourage competition, a hefty gold prize is awarded to the victor. The Mercenary (KIERAN) proves victorious, eliminating several challengers and winning the bounty for the Stone Garden.

Everything enchanted grows in the Sacred Wood - and they are proud to showcase their unique culture and well-known practices to event attendees. Hosted by the Head Healer (OPHELIA), curious minds can learn how to blend basic remedies for at-home use. A medley of different elixirs, potions, and remedies are for sale - including a popular ‘energizer elixir’ that can be consumed to heighten the experience of this night’s grand ball

A quick jaunt outside of the main city street - the Lost Coasts hosts a civilian, boat racing competition aboard their civilian ships. Hosted by the Naval Commander (KAI), the winner can be declared “captain for the day.” After the competition, sunset begins and those that choose to remain may partake in the lighting of lanterns to adorn the night sky in time for the festivities.

Nighttime

The most anticipated event of the weekend - The Grand Ball. Hosted annually in celebration of Ashbourne’s rise from the ashes, this year’s iteration is the grandest yet. No expense is spared, as the gates to Ashworth palace are opened to nobility and civilians alike. Beginning at sunset, the attendees arrive in formal wear evocative of their respective Dukedoms.

Upon arrival, the guests are invited to drink, eat, and be merry. In celebration of Ashbourne, several of the evening’s provisions and entertainment is sourced from its Dukedoms. Refined meals composed of the freshest harvest from the Fairwinds and seafood from the Lost Coasts are in ample supply. An orchestra and operatic singer hailing from Sandspell, taking center stage, ensuring a grateful melody throughout the evening. It is a night of elegance, celebration, and patronage for all attendees.

An hour before midnight, Her Royal Highnesses take center stage. The picture of Ashbourne nobility and strength. The Ashworth’s royal address is typically inspirational and lofty, leaving nothing but giddiness for another prosperous year ahead. But Queen Catherine’s eyes are crossed with power, and Queen Beatrix’s cold gaze could cut through the smallest of noises.

“On our Kingdom’s hundredth anniversary, let us not forget how we achieved such an accomplishment. We were united by a desire to become bigger, better, and bolder than our predecessors. In unity, we found strength. And as we look to the next century, we must refocus on the values of Ashbourne unity.” A deafening hush falls throughout the ballroom, as Queen Catherine raises a goblet of wine.

“Beginning tomorrow, each Dukedom shall disclose all of their economic exchanges and trade agreements to the Crown. We will ensure the peace and prosperity of our people, by empowering our guardians from the Lost Coasts and Ravenpeak to oversee legality throughout the realm. And, in doing so, we ensure a safer and more unified Ashbourne.”

Sunday, June 6th, 1501

Daytime

A late start for the many attendees who indulged in last night’s luxurious festivities. The day is wide open to explore the Heartland, converse among friends, or simply enjoy a moment of solitude. Still - there is an unsettled aura in the air, as the grand pronouncement leaves the Dukedoms unsettled.

Nighttime

Sometimes - bad news is best taken with a few cases of stolen liquor from the palace, good music, and lively companions. Hosted by the Pirate Lord (HANA) and Lord of Thieves (ROWAN) - the “unofficial” after party of the underworld breaks after sunset. On the outskirts of The Heartland, an outdoor pub is bought out by our criminal lords. Unlike the grand ball, casual fanfare and attire is all the rage at this event and masks are encourage.The liquor is free flowing, illicit concoctions are consumed, and decadent meals have been smuggled out of the palace to keep hungry bellies full. A night of vice and debauchery, there is only one rule; what happens tonight, exists only for tonight.

The Lord of Thieves (ROWAN) catches the reserved Head Healer (OPHELIA) being unusually friendly with various, illegal tradespeople. They overhear her asking about the blackmarket, and corner her about Sacred Wood’s sudden interest in their enterprise.

Sandspell’s Duchy (YASMIN) appears in disguise, enjoying the fan fare when her Secret Keeper (AMARA) informs her that the army has been spotted leaving the Palace. The two quickly leave the party, before their arrival. But, before (AMARA) flees the scene she stumbles upon a crumbled encoded letter having belonged to the Lost Coast Duchy with specific instructions from the Crown.

Despite the event being hosted by and for the underworld, rumors of the event quickly spread throughout the city. Notable party crashers include; the suspicious Naval Commander (KAI) and the curious Ravenpeak Duke (NICOLO), recently emboldened by the Crown’s proclamation to learn more about Ashbourne’s underworld. Their presence is met with hostility from the rebellious attendees. But after a fight amongst thieves breaks out, the Royal Navy and Army storm the party and attempt to capture any suspected illegal traders.

Rumors of the ‘surprise guests’ reach the ears of famed Mercenary (KIERAN) - who received an enchanted, encrypted scroll with specific instructions. Along with it, a bounty of gold if he is able to accomplish his anonymous sponsor’s task; wound a number of the navy and army foot soldiers during the riot. In the name of Stone Garden, of course.

Caught in the crossfire is the Florist (LOLA), who was specifically invited by the Pirate Lord (HANA) to sell her poisons during the event. She narrowly avoids the Fairwinds’ Duke (JAVIER) and finds help in the unlikeliest of people - the Jack of All Trades (ARTURO) who guides her to safety.

However, several join in on the fun - and get into a little trouble of their own.

Monday, June 7th, 1501

A new day begins in the Kingdom of Ashbourne, as the residents come off the weekend’s turbulent high and begin their journeys home.

#fantasy rp #original rp #lsrpg #new rp #ashrpevent #ashrpevent1

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bountyofbeads · 5 years

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A senior christian democrat in #Germany, Walter Lübcke, was murdered this month. A far-right extremist is detained for the murder. Lübcke has had a conflict with the re-emerging far-right over immigration & has been a hate figure for them.

How Deeply Has Germany’s Murderous Far Right Penetrated the Security Forces?

By Josephine Huetlin | Updated 06.19.19, 5:36AM ET Published 06.19.19 5:18AM ET | DAILY BEAST |Posted June 19, 2019 |

BERLIN—On June 2, Walter Lübcke was found dead in his garden with a bullet wound in the head. In his home town of Kassel, in the heart of Germany, the affable 65-year-old politician was a well-known member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center right party who had welcomed immigrants when she opened the country’s doors to refugees in 2015—and who had weathered a storm of hatred on social media as a result.

At first, police insisted there was no political connection to the murder, and several investigators dismissed the possibility the killer came from the far right. But this week they arrested a suspect with neo-Nazi associations and a history of racist crimes. Now, the federal prosecutor’s office has taken over the case, which means it will be treated as an act of extremism and, in effect, of terrorism.

Why were the cops so reluctant to make such a connection? Court reporter Annette Ramelsberger noted Tuesday in the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung that extreme right perpetrators “appear to see police not so much as opponents, but as potential allies.” And this is not just their wishful thinking. The far-right riots in Chemnitz last year were notable for neo-Nazis chasing and threatening counter-protesters, while the police, outnumbered, just ran away.

Meanwhile, neo-Nazi circles appeared unimpressed by the federal prosecutor’s last big investigation into the killing spree of an underground neo-Nazi terror cell called the National Socialist Underground that, between 2000 and 2006, murdered nine businessmen from immigrant backgrounds. The investigation was limited to a small group of suspects while cases connected to the terror cell were kept out of court because of “procedurally inefficient grounds.”

The Lübcke murder comes in the wake of what is in many ways an even more disturbing investigation that has raised concerns about the extent to which German law enforcement and the military may be infiltrated by right-wing extremists—and whether this compromises the ability of German authorities to respond appropriately to right-wing terrorism and violence.

That case revolves around a figure known as Franco A., because German law proscribes used of his last name, and his alleged part in a right-wing terrorist group called the Hannibal Network that infiltrated the German army.

FRANCO A.

His masters thesis at military school was riddled with anti-Semitic conspiracies, but he became a lieutenant in the German army anyway. Next, 30-year-old Franco A. pretended to be a Syrian refugee from Damascus and was granted asylum in Bavaria, but his double life did not last.

After guns, explosives and a “kill list” with the names of left-wing politicians were found in his apartment in 2017, the federal prosecutor became convinced that Franco A. was planning to commit a right-wing terror attack and most likely blame it on refugees.

And it seems that the soldier was not acting alone. Last year, the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung reported that Franco A. had been involved in a nationwide network in which members were preparing for an apocalyptic “Day X” with kill lists and paramilitary exercises. And that the network’s main chat group was administered by an elite special forces soldier, Andre S., who used the codename “Hannibal,” like the lead character in the '80s TV show The A-Team or the Carthaginians who tried to conquer Rome or, perhaps, the serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the movie Silence of the Lambs.

In the past, government ministers have explicitly denied the existence of extreme-right networks in the German army. But now, the Bundestag committee for overseeing intelligence services has gone so far as to order its special representative to investigate the possible existence of such networks.

Usually, Germany’s military counterintelligence service (MAD) is responsible for investigating political extremism in the army. But there are doubts about whether the MAD has done its job well enough. Martina Renner from the far-left Die Linke party tells The Daily Beast that the MAD is “unsuitable for recognizing and fighting extremism in the military.”

“In the history of the extreme right and extreme-right terrorism, the intelligence services have always been part of the problem,” Renner says. Meanwhile, regarding the current investigation that is expected to be finished in 2020, Renner criticizes the fact that the report does not look likely to be made public. Nor will the interior affairs and defense committees be granted access to the files that the report is based on.

Extremists of any stripe may consider a stint in the military useful for weapons training and the potential to steal armaments. And it is not unusual for right-wing extremists with visions of an upcoming “war” between races, religions or cultures to try and recruit members from military circles. In an interview with the Austrian newspaper Profil, the Austrian journalist Julia Ebner pointed out that “very often, traumatized soldiers are a vulnerable target group.”

When investigators first stumbled across Hannibal’s chat groups in 2017, they believed that it was a forum for “preppers”—survivalists who prepare for the collapse of civilization, or at least of the state, when bank machines will stop working, supermarket shelves will be empty, and people will have to fend for themselves. Everyday preppers do things like stock up on canned food and water canisters. They participate in workshops on how to hunt wild boar with a homemade spear.

But when police officers raided the houses of some of these chat group “preppers” in northern Germany, they also found some weapons and lists with the names of left-wing politicians. By now, it is known that the chat groups’ members included soldiers and intelligence agency bureaucrats as well as professional extreme-right actors and Franco A. They talked about the “Überfremdung” (over-foreignization) of Germany. They discussed how, in the case of a state collapse, members of the network would put on their uniforms, round up their targets and shoot them.

Right-wing extremists rely on conspiracies of inevitable doomsday scenarios to explain their actions and to recruit more people. The Christchurch terrorist, who appeared to believe in a future civilizational clash which the fascists would win, tweeted two 2017 Deutsche Welle articles about the potential extreme-right infiltration of the German army a few days before his attack in New Zealand.

Hannibal

Andre S. (Hannibal) has views that echo the white extinction conspiracy that the Christchurch shooter propagated: when officials went to his barracks in 2017 to question him, he told them that “Islam will be the No. 1 state religion in the Netherlands in 10 years time.” Around 4 percent of the country’s population practices Islam. (Last year, a Czech neo-Nazi called Zdeněk Chytra, who works for the think tank of the German AfD’s deputy leader Beatrix von Storch, told me that climate change and migration to Europe would lead to “the kind of civil war that you can only dream about.”)

In the case of the Hannibal network, Renner draws parallels to the Technischer Dienst, which was the paramilitary arm of the Bund Deutscher Jugend, an anti-communist group in early postwar Germany that was initially funded by U.S. intelligence services, who wanted to train guerrilla fighters in the event of a war with the Soviet Union. The Technischer Dienst recruited former soldiers from the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS, hoarded weapons and kept “black lists” of political opponents to be “neutralized” on “Day X.”

For Germany’s intelligence agencies, one of the biggest postwar failures was to overlook the existence of the National Socialist Underground for seven years, during which the terrorists murdered 10 people altogether: the men from immigrant backgrounds and a policewoman. After the terror cell was discovered in 2007, it was revealed that the agencies had indirectly helped fund it, via their use of neo-Nazis as paid informants.

Since then, there have been reforms. Germany’s federal public prosecutor, Peter Frank, announced that state prosecutors should pass over to him any case that involves right-wing terrorism. But in a recent interview, Frank said that his office has not found anything “legally relevant” to use against Andre S.’s doomsday network.

So Andre S. is still in the German army today.

When police came to his place in 2017, he was ready for them. According to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, two comrades later testified that Andre S. had hidden a laptop with risky data. Earlier this year, a man whose job it is to investigate political extremism for the MAD was charged and acquitted with warning Andre S. about the raid in advance.

When Andre S. appeared in court to testify in that man’s case, he wore a tie with the symbol for an organisation called Uniter, where he is the deputy chairman. “Uniter” claims to help former elite soldiers and police officers find work after their service. Earlier this year, for example, a Uniter representative flew over to Manila to pitch the organisation’s training program to Filipino military and police officers loyal to the murderous government of President Rodrigo Duterte. In the group picture, the Uniter man has his arm raised Duterte-style with a closed fist.

Meanwhile, the terrorism charges against Franco A. have been dismissed as well. Despite the weapons and kill lists, prosecutors could not show that he was planning to see any of it through. In the case of Franco A., his lawyer argued that the young man was just going undercover to find out about Germany’s refugee policies. He cited Franco A.’s student job at McDonald's as evidence of the soldier’s early interest in the low wage sector and general enthusiasm for investigative projects.

That both the German army and the military intelligence service are led by the Ministry of Defense is “practically inefficient,” according to Martina Renner from Die Linke. Moreover, Renner describes the MAD’s criteria for judging soldiers as right wing extremist as “dubious.” She says, “The actual figures are presumably higher.”

To judge any soldier as a “right wing extremist,” the MAD requires proof that he or she has a “closed, extreme right worldview.” But it seems strange to demand coherence when right-wing terrorists, in practice, are already mixing different aspects of far right ideas and stereotypes.

In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung this year, Franco A. claimed he had gotten lost in his own head when he wrote his extreme-right conspiracy-riddled master’s thesis at military school. Back then, the academy just told him to write a new essay.

Currently, Franco A. is on leave from the Germany army, though he may be allowed back.

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