I can see you won't be taking anything by force, don't have to tell me. Easy now tiger, going to turn me on at this rate. 

What you asking for, is the protection of having a crew without any of the drawbacks. 
If anyone is free to shoot anyone, the city wouldn't last 24h.

Conceptualist, if you want a place to live out your sexual fantasies, there's a place down a few blocks from here I think you should check out. I think they call it a library; who knows what's in store for you there?

PlagueDoctor, that your first alternative is to suggest we go desecrate a library - place of learning - with an anarcho-naturist fuckfest is, frankly, obscene. You should be ashamed. Personally, my immediate instinct isn't to gather my associates and wander into public institutions, disturbing good, innocent people with consensual, rapturous orgies, but it looks like that might just be me. 

Folks are there to read. Study. To make something of their lives. Maybe you should stop by and pick up Systematic Immolation of Thought. Your mind needs a reset. Jesus Christ, dude.  If this is the wisdom of the men supposedly leading us, is it any wonder why so many wish to leave for my vision of Xanadu? 

All I need is a space where a man can play horseshoes with nothing but a chopstick lodged into the gluteus of his comrade and a can of pineapple rings, but that is an ordeal that necessitates privacy, jurisdiction, and sovereignty. 

You know, if I had said to go desecrate a library, I would've said "go desecrate a library". I said to "go live out your sexual fantasies in a library", which, for normal people, means finding the romance section, picking out the dirtiest, nastiest book they've got, then going and jacking off in a bathroom somewhere. If your interpretation was to literally go to any library and conduct whatever repugnant nonsense you'd plan on doing, maybe it's your mind that needs some straightening, not mine!

In regard to your suggestion to read "Systematic Immolation of Thought", I decided to take your word for it and dust off whatever ancient shelf it was set on. And my opinion? Pretty damn lame.

I mean, it starts off with a promising idea to talk about how the majority of responses to whatever subject is at hand tend to be repeated or rehashed, and how that can affect new blood, but then it sidetracked into the "Why" the rehashing goes on in the first place, and immediately became irrelevant by describing to me how the Earth is round and how a toaster functions. Nobody wants to read about that, there's no drama in that whole nonsense, no final message, no underlying theme, just "Why do people say similar things all the time?" followed by "EARTH ROUND TOASTER HOT TOASTER MAKE HOME WARM".

If that's dumbing it down too much for you, I'm not gonna spend forty minutes trying to summarize every random point from that old ass paper.

Unfortunately, your desired reality will be nothing more than one of those gross romance novels. A fantasy, considering the odds of any mobster giving up the progress they've made and the things they've accomplished to go copulate with Joe Schmoe 24/7 in broad daylight aren't very good.

I must say though, this is fun. Anarchism is an interesting viewpoint, not a realistic one, sure, but if you find pleasure ranting and raving about it out here, it certainly brings some new light to the streets dominated by continuously annoying and low-effort drama over basically nothing. I like the change of pace!

WednesdayAddams clears her throat before speaking to at least get the people around her to pay attention

"Just from the journals my ancestors wrote about past "free cities" they were apparently just used to appease the people the uppers deemed as undesirable. It rarely worked as it was intended and even if you do the whole anarchy thing it always spills out into other cities, causing the other cities having to get involved. I just think its not a good idea sorry. Now if there was a way to actually close off the city from the rest of the cities than I might see this working but I doubt the gods want to put in that much work to make it happen."

WednesdayAddams tips her head to the crowd before vanishing into the foggy morning air. 

Isa has listened to the idea presented and all the voices thereafter. She takes a few moments to reflect on years of her ancestor's experiences slaving away. She learned of their downfalls and their assets. She found it fascinating how each ancestor took it upon their self to learn and grow from the previous. Each kin seem to recognize politics was the core of business dealings. And that politics was not going anywhere. She also learned that anarchy was in the mix of the politics. 

Isa views anarchy as a hinderance to conducting business. Wiping out cities and districts with active upper structures because they are not in deep enough into the politics and the in crowd is anarchy. To put people in their place that go ghost is poor politics thus killing off the business aspect of this thing of ours. What happens is it becomes the end of the line for their kin looking for work on these shores. 

There is a suggestion box down the road on a corner outside of the cities here. And a city down the road that fulfills your desire to go total anarchy.

Whether your idea is well received or not this is the end of my kin. I must return back to the old country where I am having pressing family matters. 

You want to fix the current state of affairs. It is really quite simple. An active CL and uppers make a happy crew. 

Isabella, with respect, if what you say is true why are Mercury and Guy dead?

I don't believe The Plumbers killed them. 

I said to "go live out your sexual fantasies in a library", which, for normal people, means finding the romance section, picking out the dirtiest, nastiest book they've got, then going and jacking off in a bathroom somewhere

PlagueDoctor, your idea that what "normal people" do is walk into random toilets and jerk off to prose is just another vital piece of evidence in confirming I should not be listening to you for advice. 

Whether your idea is well received or not this is the end of my kin. I must return back to the old country where I am having pressing family matters. 

Isabella, are you announcing your retirement? What's going on here? 

Conceptualist, I am terribly disappointed that is all you have for me. Here you are trying to incorporate a massive revamp and you totally missed the entire point. But if I must spell it out an answer for you, so be it. No. What I have stated is that no kin of mine will be returning.  

You know Plaguedoctor, I am impressed you've actually gone ahead and read Systematic Immolation of Thought. As the well-known saying goes "Those who don't know Systematic Immolation of Thought are doomed to systematically immolate their thoughts".

Many mobsters skip this essential educational cornerstone of the modern world out of pride or vanity. Kudos to you for not doing so and giving it a fair shake.

What I am ABSOLUTELY STUNNED by however is your poor appraisal of that ancient scroll of wisdom "Pretty damn lame"? What an inappropriate judgement for such a critically acclaimed work of philosophy.

How can you not be impressed by the toaster chapter of all things? That penultimate climax at the end of the carefully laid-out three-act structure?

there's no drama in that whole nonsense, no final message, no underlying theme

I think you need to re-read it again, perhaps join a Systematic Immolation of Thought Study Group to learn to appreciate its THEMES, its DEPTH, and to realise how it's a TIMELESS CLASSIC.

Being a man who usually keeps to himself until needed, fs had been overhearing chatter from the streets for a few days.  A massive milling of people all around a specific corner.  In what he had brushed off as a whimsical idea had many people chatting about.  It piqued his curiosity.  So he stepped forward to the crowd to get some clarifications.

I feel I've heard a lot here. While I don't agree that journalists are being killed for their opinions, but instead for their unreliable sources, the idea of an open city is an... interesting one.  If I may, I've got some clarifying questions.

In this world getting a button, becoming more well known in the criminal world, and many other felonious activities are associated with how hard you work for a family.  Would all members of this open city be willing to not participate in these activities?  Or are you expecting the Gods to come down and change society to support this city?

Next, I won't go into it greatly as I feel it's been brought up here but what is to say that your free city wouldn't house people with sinister motives? Using your home as a bed to plan for what they want to do?

Lastly, strong families are what hold back the nasty underground crews who are constantly biting at our heals when a family leaves a district (willfully or not).  If those crews are not contained they spread to the entire world.  Once again, do you expect the Gods to make a change there?  How would those crews be held back if not?

I guess what I'm getting at is even if we all wanted something like this there's a multitude of what-ifs and large hurdles to overcome that make it basically impossible.

fs takes a step back.

Conceptualist, I am terribly disappointed that is all you have for me. Here you are trying to incorporate a massive revamp and you totally missed the entire point. But if I must spell it out an answer for you, so be it. No. What I have stated is that no kin of mine will be returning.  

Isabella, nothing you said had not already been said before by multiple people parroting the same points over and over again - a tradition subsequently kept alive by FutureStealer - so it really was of no interest to me besides the strange revelation at the end.

Though I am growing frustrated at how narrow-minded and entrenched in archaic and unambitious thought patterns my naysayers are, I'm thankful at least that I am not in PlagueDoctor's crew, where the big man would've likely locked me in the toilet by now with a copy of Treasure Island and a bottle of lube until it was all out of my system. 

The weirdest part might be FS mentioning Gods multiple times - which is fine, believe what you want - but I'm just an atheist looking to lock down a patch of land where my friends and I can align our chakras and lick honey out each others crevices without anyone judging us or forcing us to take part in 'earnings competitions'. 

For someone called the conceptualist, you don't have much of a concept of this idea of yours.

We go respectable members of this community asking you direct questions about this 'sexual utopia' and we got no answers from you.

How would the people in this city survive if they were not protected by anyone?

Would everyone just stay a wiseguy given the lack of structure?

In the terms of this “open city” concept, I think it’s safe to answer that there will be no such thing happening. Not now nor ever. I think we’ve already outlined why:

1. It is theoretically, physically, and systematically impossible to implement.

In this day and age, with the amount of outside threats city heads have to manage, along with their own presence in our world, there’s more important things to do

2. Instead of it being something beneficial to the community, Conceptualist here has outlined he wishes to “lick honey out each others crevices” and “play horseshoes with a chopstick lodged in someone’s anus using pineapple rings”.

Now, I am not one to hinder whatever desires one must have…even as obscene as this, but from a general standpoint, isn’t that rather selfish? Conceptualist wants all this for himself and whatever nutcases are crazy enough to participate along with it. He wants a place where he can enact out his own fantasies, but none of us can, probably because they’re more sane than half the stuff he’s described wanting to do. Where’s our side of the cake?

3. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

This can apply to the Systematic Immolation of Thought, which, LiquidFareham, I DID go back and read again. Maybe I’m just too smart for it, or maybe I just didn’t see it get to the point fast enough. It reminds me of some of those book-selling scams we see, those “get rich quick” schemes. They sell you on the book, you pay finally pay whatever large sum they charge FOR the book, but when you actually read it, it’s just constant droning on and on without getting to the actual point of what you bought it for.

Now I am not a leader, but to say that an Open City is "theoretically, physically, and systematically impossible to implement" seems like a stretch. Would it be difficult? Yes. Would it require new permits from the city? Most likely. Has there ever been a time that change was impossible? I don't think so. 

Just because something might be difficult and require effort to accomplish doesn't make it impossible. People thought it was impossible for a Fareham to string more than 4 words together without mentioning Lostboy or Chris_Vaughn but just take a look at LiquidFareham. Change is possible if you want to work towards it. 

There are some questions on what benefits this might bring to the community. It is a new and exciting idea. Things that are new and exciting are good for everyone. Something new to talk about and discuss and the enjoyment that people may get from watching and participating is already being understated. People sound and feel bored. Maybe this is the thing to get them going again? 

Am I saying that this idea is perfect? No, I think it has it's flaws but I think it there is merit to the idea, even if this current iteration isn't up to standards and it could be something worth trying even as a small scale experiment. 

Plaguedoctor, it is a testiment to your thoroughness that you've gone back to and reread SioT to uncover its deeper meanings, I salute thee. Now was this not a stimulating experience?

You say you didn't see it get to the point but I promise you that with your second reading you've come closer to unraveling SioT's secrets, and have gotten closer to the complex message it's trying to convey.

Now, what say you, shall we dive into it just one more time? Maybe this time we will learn the meaning of the (often hotly debated) toaster chapter.

They say the third time's the charm after all.

Wellerman - I used to have frequent public exchanges with Chris_Vaughn (which, now, has moved to private letters we exchange as something akin to penpals). Just because you do not see something, does not mean it doesn't exist.

Thank you Wellerman. I'm glad someone is forward-thinking enough to see what men like PlagueDoctor are unable to, though that is unsurprising for someone who can't even understand SIOT, nor use quotation marks correctly (which is something he may have learned if he spent less time in library bathrooms and more time at the study tables). My idea is not a win for myself, it is a win for everyone, and it's only a fantasy as long as ignorant men stand in the way of candle-lit paddle-spanking sessions with the local wiccan coven and Mr. Universe-types rolling me around like a wheelbarrow. At a time of the most severe boredom and stagnancy, we need something dedicated to exploration, sexual or otherwise, enthusiastically weighted towards the former. 

After hearing a few more replies, fs feels that maybe he was misunderstood.  He steps forward and tries again.

Firstly, let me say that I know you're getting attacked in here a lot and it may have seemed that was how I was coming across but I was not.  Whether it be Gods, high level politicians, or the head of HR at Dunder Mifflin that you believe in, we can all agree that there are some things that just happen in this world.  That some of those things would get in the way of your free city.  With that in mind, could you elaborate on how you would foresee these things working?  Namely I feel like these are the biggest hurdles to overcome:

In this world getting a button, becoming more well known in the criminal world, and many other felonious activities are associated with how hard you work for a family.  Would all members of this open city be willing to not participate in these activities?  Or are you expecting the Gods to come down and change society to support this city?

 

Next, I won't go into it greatly as I feel it's been brought up here but what is to say that your free city wouldn't house people with sinister motives? Using your home as a bed to plan for what they want to do?

 

Lastly, strong families are what hold back the nasty underground crews who are constantly biting at our heals when a family leaves a district (willfully or not).  If those crews are not contained they spread to the entire world.  Once again, do you expect the Gods to make a change there?  How would those crews be held back if not?

If this request is in good faith, and not just a way to rile up the streets, have you any thoughts on how some of this could/should be solved for said free city.

fs steps back hoping to gain some clarity

Since Conceptualist has been reduced to babbling and wailing tears over the rather minor fact I didn't quote his described intentions word-for-word, I found more insight (and, honestly, attention) into taking a look at Systematic Immolation of Thought again. I'm doing it all for you, LiquidFareham!

This time around, the toaster section seems to have done a number on me. Everywhere I go I now see a toaster, or something that looks like a toaster. I had to convince myself toasters toast bread, and that toasters don't toast toast. But they certainly could toast toast if they wanted to toast toast, even though toasting toast is not the designed intention of a toaster, they are there to toast bread, not toast toast.

I feel like it's trying to infiltrate my brain, control my every thought. I'll have to put out a warning to further readers who are brave enough to read that cursed recital: only read it once or twice. I fear this third time was not the charm, and rather the one that broke the camel's back.

LiquidFareham, what have you done to me here? What games were you trying to play with that horrid piece of parchment? I'll need some serious therapy for this...

...is that a toaster?

FutureStealer, here's how it could happen, logistically: two or three volunteers (depending on the size of the city) buy 5-man HQs in each district, relegating themselves to the tedious, administrative, corporate structure you all pretend is very cool and criminal. They can pay taxes and have earnings competitions just like anyone else, if they want, but they would probably be volunteering in order to take part in the orgies, let's be honest.

PlagueDoctor's entire city is literally as large as one crew from Las Vegas, so it would be no issue finding a suitable situation to dissolve, and there is no shortage of empty HQ spots around the country. The rest of the population of our newfound Babylon takes bath salts and assembles a sex-swing contraption that propels each individual's genitalia towards each other at safe but satisfactory velocities. We may need to bring aboard a qualified physicist and physiologist in order to bring that dream from a blueprint to the streets but I'm determined we can accomplish effortless insertion at the meeting point. 

The social contract in joining the ranks of a sovereign intercourse-based city would essentially determine from the start whether those people cared at all about earning their button or other completely meaningless and mostly performative 'achievements' like that, so the answer is an obvious yes, I don't think not doing felonies would be much of a problem.

Likewise, every city houses people with sinister motives, the entire point of people with sinister motives is that you don't know those motives until they are revealed one way or another, so that's just a loaded question with no possible answer meant to hamstring our vision of Sodom & Gomorrah 2.0. If anything, a sinister individual in S & G 2.0 would have no upwards mobility and no resources whatsoever, which would likely make it the least likely place for them to collude, making it the safest, least ambitious city in America.

PlagueDoctor

I don't think you read SIOT - I think you read the review and the notes from the study group.

Had you read SIOT thoroughly, you would be able to O discuss it more readily. 

You're taking the lazy method and it shows.