Michael Anthony Vacca, also known as Mikuba, Mike V., Seto Vacca, GoB, or The Pope, was a member of this club from April 2002 to February 2004 and from December 2004 to March 2005. He was born on July 26, 1989 and has resided in Edgewater Park for most of his life with his father Bart. He graduated from Our Lady of the Assumption School and for a time attended Lehman High School.
Michael Vacca has known most of the founding members of the club since he was a child. He recalls an early memory of Theodore Phillips's obsession with Jurassic Park and dinosaurs, but a strong, lasting bond did not form. In 1999, the rediscovery of his existence brought his presence back into the lives of the members, but initially only as a neighbor, seen more and more frequently as the years went by.
On June 26, a Yu-Gi-Oh! Metal Raiders booster box arrived in the mail from eBay by means of UPS for Ted and Nick Phillips. Because they were not home, UPS left the box at the front door. Mike was looking for Ted and Nick that day and came to the house. At the door, he saw the box and remembered that they were expecting a booster box in the mail. Mike raptured it and used the cards to help build his direct damage deck.
Sometime during the first week of July, Mike V. bought his first Yu-Gi-Oh! Starter Deck. When he opened his Yugi Starter Deck, the plastic wrapping around the cards was gone, as if someone had already opened it. Instead of a Feral Imp card, the deck contained a Battle Steer card as well as a card that had never been seen before: a card that was just several colored stripes and the Konami seal on the front but a normal card on the back. During the playoffs of the Duel Monsters Tournament, Mike used the card as his fusion deck, thinking it was a fusion of a few different types of monsters and had a very high attack power.
According to other members, Mike had a "cocky" dueling attitude. The day before the tournament playoffs, he reportedly said to Nick Phillips, "You know I'm gonna win the tournament, right?" Vacca used a deck composed of direct damage cards and powerful monsters. On July 15, he first faced Ted and lost due to a Time Wizard. Then he had one last chance to stay in the tournament by dueling Jofuf Juftuf, but lost to a Sword-lock in two turns. Frustrated, he challenged Joe again to another duel for his spot in the tournament and won. Mike then went on to face Pegasus again but lost to a Mystic Lamp attack.
(The Duel Monsters Playoffs was recorded and formed most of the first season of Ni-Ki-Oh!, though it was edited a little to fit it into the storyline of the show. To find out more details about Vacca's part in the Duel Monsters Playoffs, you can purchase the Ni-Ki-Oh! The Lost Episodes DVD from Cracked Egg Studios.) Mike V. played the character Seto Vacca for three seasons in the hit series Ni-Ki-Oh! (It is partially due to his influence that Ni-Ki-Oh! contains Linkin Park songs.)
During August, Mike V. also held his own tournament, which ended with himself as the champion. Along with Jofuf Juftuf, Mike V. pushed for the change of the club name to "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist Club" (read Meeting #15 for more information about this effort and his participation at a meeting). On September 28, he was a judge in the Pokémon Blue League, although his level of dedication was not satisfactory to the others present. In November, he created the board game Mega Dice Monsters (an imitation of Dungeon Dice Monsters, featured in a deleted episode on the Ni-Ki-Oh! The World According to Maximillion Pegasus DVD) and hosted another tournament, results unknown.
In April 2003, Seto Vacca participated in the Battle Town tournament, using the first version of his Fiend deck, and reached the playoffs, but did not win. On July 15, he took part in the Master of Duels tournament, meant to determine the greatest duelist in the YDC. Using a Fiend Beatdown deck, he reached the final round of the tournament and went on to face Ted, who used a deck-out deck. In order to ensure his victory, Seto decided to change his deck before the final round. Seto made a deck of around 125 common cards, while Ted changed his deck into an Injection Fairy Lily themed deck without Seto knowing. Seto Vacca's first move in the match was, "I play Supply in attack mode." Ted used life-point restoration cards to benefit his Injection Fairy Lily strategy, although it is now recognized that he was using the monster's effect incorrectly; the effect can actually only be used once per Damage Step.
Seto Vacca argued that he had never read the Constitution and did not know any of the mentioned laws. Ted said that being a member, Seto should have read the Constitution upon initiation. (It is because of this event that we now have new members read the Constitution.)
Seto Vacca apologized for all his crimes, and Pegasus deemed it satisfactory. (He was officially forgiven by President Loser on January 31, 2004.) However, a few days later, when he broke a law mentioned in the Constitution, he said, "Fuck the Constitution." (Several months later, Niki Moto gave him in the archives the title "Member Most Likely to Commit Crimes.")
In November, Seto Vacca announced plans to overthrow the YDC government and seize control of it: "I don't like the way you two are running things." This statement is now referred to as the Vacca Anarchy Conspiracy. However, his plans failed because he was never elected president.
On November 8, the Master of Duels II tournament was held to decide the greatest duelist in the YDC. In the first round, Seto Vacca defeated Max-a-million by using the Yata-lock. The four duelists in the semifinals were Jofuf Juftuf, Will, Nick, and Seto Vacca. The match-ups were randomly chosen: Will versus Seto and Nick versus Jofuf. Seto struggled with Will until he won. The two final duelists then were Nick and Seto. Nick chose to switch decks before the final round, using an Exodia deck instead of the Obelisk deck. Seto's Dark Ruler Ha Des with Fairy Meteor Crush defeated it. He also used the Wave-Motion Cannon to do ample damage. With the combination of the two, Seto defeated his opponent and became the currently greatest duelist in the YDC, and had he remained a member, he would have been one of the Masters of Duels.
During the last week of December 2003 (which was also the first week of January 2004), Niki Moto gave Seto Vacca three dollars to purchase Chinese food for him. However, Niki arrived at Will's house twenty minutes late and missed the Chinese food. Whenever he asked Seto Vacca for the money back, the answer was negative because Vacca forgot the money every day and refused to return home to obtain it. Vacca also felt immune to threats, and said, "There's nothing you can do to me." Niki Moto later commented, "Oh, yes, there was." That Saturday, January 3, 2004, the members barred Seto Vacca from participating in the Master of Duels III tournament. When he telephoned, the members told him that he was an hour late for the tournament. When he approached the house, the members locked the door. This made Seto Vacca extremely angry, and he began hitting the door violently and making threats.
Vacca eventually left. Later that day, he saw the portion of that tournament, the semifinals, that was taking place in Will's yard. Vacca claimed to had made an unbeatable deck that would have won the tournament. He said that he specifically designed the deck to beat everyone else's.
On January 31, Conor Anderson was introduced to the YDC, and the members voted on whether to accept Conor as a member. The only person who disagreed was Seto, who voted, "No. Fuck Conor." Since he was accepted by popular vote, Conor entered the YDC as Ryou.
That day, Seto Vacca took one of Ryou's Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, Judgment of Anubis. He showed his new card to some members while dueling at Casey's and did not hide the fact that he had taken it from Ryou. Niki Moto informed Ryou a few days later, who said that he wanted his card back, or Seto could suck his dick.
Seto Vacca's trial took place on February 7. Seto, however, did not seem to initially take it seriously.
Will, having realized that the card he purchased and resold had been stolen from a friend, later expressed remorse and offered to pay Ryou back.
Finding himself alone outside, Vacca tried to persuade the members to come outside. When the members refused because a meeting was in progress, he said, "Fuck you all then," violating Article 41 once again.
On February 18, Seto Vacca quit the YDC.
For his insulting of the YDC and crime against one of its members, Vacca was then excluded from activities involving club members. However, the older portion of the club still consorted with him, arguing that outside club activities, the bindings of the club do not apply. It was only when he telephoned Loser and left an insulting and threatening message on the answering machine that they decided to really exclude him from their activities. Vacca also did not want to be associated with the club; he threatened to sue if his appearances in Ni-Ki-Oh! continued to be shown.
Without being a member of the YDC, Michael Vacca still remained a powerful duelist at Lehman High School. During the next several months, however, he veered away from Yu-Gi-Oh and began playing Magic: The Gathering. During summer 2004, he even insulted club members for playing Yu-Gi-Oh!, asserting that only "gay losers with no life" play it; for him, the game represented the wasted days of his life in the YDC. When people argued that he once played Yu-Gi-Oh, he emphasized that he said "play" and not "used to play." Will also said jokingly that he had an idea for a video game that took place three years in the future with a storyline that Vacca, having broken away from the club, formed a rival Magic: The Gathering club.
During the summer, Vacca returned to the minds of members, possibly through his preserved friendship with Jofuf Juftuf, and attitudes toward Vacca became more relaxed, and he was also becoming more gothic. In the beginning of August, he began playing Yu-Gi-Oh! again because he received a challenge. On August 27, he was to go to Burger King in order to duel some of his duelist rivals for money. To prepare for his great ordeal, he revived his dueling methods, gained some cards through donations, trading, and gambling to make a deck, and kept dueling to improve his skills and his deck. When anyone commented on the fact that he was playing Yu-Gi-Oh! again, he argued that he was just dueling so that he could be ready for the duel he was to participate in on August 27, and then he would stop. However, he still continued playing even after that date, even to the point of keeping the game alive among the population that otherwise would have quit.
On Saturday, December 11, the day of the meeting that attempted to end the Social Breakdown, members Jofuf Juftuf and Loser, instead of attending the meeting, said that they wanted to quit the club. Loser's reasons included the fact that the club did nothing anymore, he got nothing out of it, and that he was never able to come to meetings. Loser also stated that when you enter a club, you are supposed to receive offers into different things, such as dueling, and not just buying DVDs. He also compared the club to a job—if you don't go to work, you're fired—and he was never able to come to meetings. Jofuf Juftuf said that although he had fun with Ni-Ki-Oh! "in the olden days," now it was "just a waste of time" to him. He claimed to "have a life" outside of Ni-Ki-Oh!, consisting of watching movies, hanging out with friends, dueling and going online.
According to speculation by the members, one of the direct causes of this was Seto Vacca, because Jofuf and Loser consorted with him frequently (he had been present when they proclaimed desire not to be in the club anymore, and an eyewitness tells us that he had been urging Jofuf to quit), he hated the club, and he was with them when they announced their leave.
Having seen the above two paragraphs in the club newsletter on December 13, Seto Vacca instant-messaged Niki Moto with the following protest (edited for spelling, punctuation, and capitalization):
On December 16, he sent an e-mail to Niki Moto and Pegasus, the two most influential members of the Free United Club of Kids (edited for spelling, grammar, and capitalization):
Because he showed a desire to re-enter the club and seemed to show remorse for his former behavior, the club members decided to consider him.
On Saturday, December 18, several members of the club gathered at Forsaken's house to decide whether Michael Vacca should rejoin the club. First he gave a speech for the members describing his reasons to join the club (similar to what was written in the e-mail). He also gave a sort of apology for his past behavior by responding, when asked about it by Niki Moto, that he had been a "cock-sucking asshole." The six members present, Jofuf Juftuf, Pegasus, Niki Moto, Forsaken, Loser, and Yummyfishman, voted on whether to accept him back into the club.
Because five votes (83%) were for his reentry, he was permitted to take the Initiation Test. He scored a 73, "one of the greatest scores so far," according to Niki Moto; "the reason he did better than most present members was probably that he actually thought about his answers because his membership was at stake." In the writing portion of the exam, he designated the reason for his reentry:
After that, he accepted the terms in the Constitution with a written signature. Then a controversial question arose: should he have to pay the dollar again for his reentry, or should the payment from his first membership count? A vote took place, and the opinions were tied. Niki Moto announced that the result should be a payment of fifty cents (the average of zero and one dollar), and Pegasus agreed that that would be the compromise. There was some debate; Vacca said that even though he was entering the club as a new member, the membership fee of the individual Michael Vacca had still been paid. Forsaken, the President, decided to allow Mike into the club without paying a second time; no one else objected, so the compromise was settled. Michael Vacca re-entered under the club name "GoB."
Gob soon changed his Club Name to "The Pope," and so Jofuf Juftuf changed his name to "Cardinal." Johnny Pradlik also joined the club under the name "Zombie." On Saturday, December 23, Pope challenged the Masters of Duels together with his team consisting also of Niki Moto, Cardinal, and Zombie. However, the duel soon "descended into chaos" due to confusion and arguments over possession of the turn, Chinese food, limited space, and complicated rules. The duel was cancelled. Soon after, Pope and Cardinal clamored for changes in the rules of challenging the Masters of Duels.
The Pope had atheist views; he even sent a question for the newsletter section, "Ask Niki Moto," challenging him to prove the existence of a god.
He continued spending time with the club members. On January 1, 2005, he also travelled to New Roc City with a group of them. When Ryou learned that Vacca had rejoined the club, he said that he would accept him if he received an apology as restitution; that never happened.
The club government originally was not going to punish Vacca under club law because he had already been punished by American law. However, on January 19, 2005, the Cardinal sent the following message to Niki Moto (edited for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation):
The next two attempts at holding meetings failed, so Cardinal's request had to be ignored for a time. But then he sent another e-mail on February 26 (edited for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation):
In order for them to be exiled, they needed to be found guilty of a crime. So, the government looked through the Constitution for charges to stack against the Pope, who was found to have broken the following laws contained in the Constitution:
A meeting had to be held, so Niki Moto sent out e-mail to the members (except Pope and Zombie) notifying them of the upcoming meeting. (The Pope also went to a Slipknot concert on March 6 along with Pegasus, Bandit Rich, Forsaken, Yummyfishman, Bean, Mr. T, and Sam. A separate e-mail was sent to Pope, giving him a list of the charges against him and the chance to defend himself with three reasonable explanations for his wrongdoing. On March 10, this was his response (edited for spelling and punctuation):
On March 12 was the meeting in which the members voted on this issue, entitled "Excommunicate the Pope." The Pope was exiled by 83% of the popular vote. When the President did not veto his exile, he was removed from the list of members.
Michael Vacca was avoided for a time, like before, by some of the members but not all. On June 14, 2006, he finally made peace with Joseph Justus and soon reconciled with other members as well.
Michael Vacca has known most of the founding members of the club since he was a child. He recalls an early memory of Theodore Phillips's obsession with Jurassic Park and dinosaurs, but a strong, lasting bond did not form. In 1999, the rediscovery of his existence brought his presence back into the lives of the members, but initially only as a neighbor, seen more and more frequently as the years went by.
Initiation
In April 2002, Michael began spending more time with the members of the club. He was interested in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, which at the time was being played with Pokémon cards. Michael eagerly became a part of this fad, and wished to join the PTC. The members present voted on whether to accept him. The votes were unanimous to bring him into the club without exception. The only exception was Nick Phillips, who voted "no" because he felt that Vacca was a too violent individual. This assessment was made based on Vacca's statement that he would walk to New Rochelle that night to fight someone. However, Ted argued that Nick's answer was not a good enough reason, and allowed Vacca to enter the club. Vacca took the initiation test on April 14, 2002. His answers on the test showed that he had a knowledge of Pokemon, but not of the trading card game. Nevertheless, he passed the test with a score of 92% and joined the club by paying the one-dollar membership fee to the treasury.The Duel Monsters Tournament
Vacca joined the Duel Monsters Tournament, and his first mentions in the newsletter were on May 8: in the members list, and in the list of participants in the tournament. On June 24, Teddy Phillips, administrator of the tournament, employed Billy Kaylor as an eliminator, one who battles against duelists for the sole purpose of eliminating them from the tournament. That very day, Mike Vacca dueled him several times, reaching his goal of ten star chips and allowing him to participate in the playoffs of the tournament.On June 26, a Yu-Gi-Oh! Metal Raiders booster box arrived in the mail from eBay by means of UPS for Ted and Nick Phillips. Because they were not home, UPS left the box at the front door. Mike was looking for Ted and Nick that day and came to the house. At the door, he saw the box and remembered that they were expecting a booster box in the mail. Mike raptured it and used the cards to help build his direct damage deck.
Sometime during the first week of July, Mike V. bought his first Yu-Gi-Oh! Starter Deck. When he opened his Yugi Starter Deck, the plastic wrapping around the cards was gone, as if someone had already opened it. Instead of a Feral Imp card, the deck contained a Battle Steer card as well as a card that had never been seen before: a card that was just several colored stripes and the Konami seal on the front but a normal card on the back. During the playoffs of the Duel Monsters Tournament, Mike used the card as his fusion deck, thinking it was a fusion of a few different types of monsters and had a very high attack power.
According to other members, Mike had a "cocky" dueling attitude. The day before the tournament playoffs, he reportedly said to Nick Phillips, "You know I'm gonna win the tournament, right?" Vacca used a deck composed of direct damage cards and powerful monsters. On July 15, he first faced Ted and lost due to a Time Wizard. Then he had one last chance to stay in the tournament by dueling Jofuf Juftuf, but lost to a Sword-lock in two turns. Frustrated, he challenged Joe again to another duel for his spot in the tournament and won. Mike then went on to face Pegasus again but lost to a Mystic Lamp attack.
(The Duel Monsters Playoffs was recorded and formed most of the first season of Ni-Ki-Oh!, though it was edited a little to fit it into the storyline of the show. To find out more details about Vacca's part in the Duel Monsters Playoffs, you can purchase the Ni-Ki-Oh! The Lost Episodes DVD from Cracked Egg Studios.) Mike V. played the character Seto Vacca for three seasons in the hit series Ni-Ki-Oh! (It is partially due to his influence that Ni-Ki-Oh! contains Linkin Park songs.)
During August, Mike V. also held his own tournament, which ended with himself as the champion. Along with Jofuf Juftuf, Mike V. pushed for the change of the club name to "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist Club" (read Meeting #15 for more information about this effort and his participation at a meeting). On September 28, he was a judge in the Pokémon Blue League, although his level of dedication was not satisfactory to the others present. In November, he created the board game Mega Dice Monsters (an imitation of Dungeon Dice Monsters, featured in a deleted episode on the Ni-Ki-Oh! The World According to Maximillion Pegasus DVD) and hosted another tournament, results unknown.
In April 2003, Seto Vacca participated in the Battle Town tournament, using the first version of his Fiend deck, and reached the playoffs, but did not win. On July 15, he took part in the Master of Duels tournament, meant to determine the greatest duelist in the YDC. Using a Fiend Beatdown deck, he reached the final round of the tournament and went on to face Ted, who used a deck-out deck. In order to ensure his victory, Seto decided to change his deck before the final round. Seto made a deck of around 125 common cards, while Ted changed his deck into an Injection Fairy Lily themed deck without Seto knowing. Seto Vacca's first move in the match was, "I play Supply in attack mode." Ted used life-point restoration cards to benefit his Injection Fairy Lily strategy, although it is now recognized that he was using the monster's effect incorrectly; the effect can actually only be used once per Damage Step.
Falantano v. Vacca
On August 24, Rich F. and Seto Vacca had a duel in which they were gambling for cards. They each had won a duel and gotten some cards. Rich won the third duel and Vacca refused to give the card. Rich then reported this to Ted and Nick. (Nick was also an earwitness who had heard the crime occur through the telephone, because they had called him to ask a ruling question about Creature Swap.) The act Vacca had committed was deemed stealing, and they felt it was time to confront Vacca for all his crimes. The secretary of the YDC, Nick, then telephoned Vacca and, speaking very quickly, gave the following speech, written by Ted:Good afternoon, Seto Vacca. As per the Constitution of the YDC established April 21, 1999, you are currently in violation of Article 2: 02, 05, 07, 08, Amendment 8a, 17, 19, 39, 41. You will be given three chances to explain your actions. If no explanation is given you will be subject to punishment games and must retribute properly.
Seto Vacca argued that he had never read the Constitution and did not know any of the mentioned laws. Ted said that being a member, Seto should have read the Constitution upon initiation. (It is because of this event that we now have new members read the Constitution.)
SETO: What's punishment games? Because if it's sending someone to beat me up that won't work.
NICK: No. That's not what we mean at all.
SETO: What is it, Rich butt-raping me?
NICK: No. It's much worse than Rich butt-raping you.
SETO: So what is it?
NICK: You should know. It's in the Constitution, and you are a member.
NICK: No. That's not what we mean at all.
SETO: What is it, Rich butt-raping me?
NICK: No. It's much worse than Rich butt-raping you.
SETO: So what is it?
NICK: You should know. It's in the Constitution, and you are a member.
Seto Vacca apologized for all his crimes, and Pegasus deemed it satisfactory. (He was officially forgiven by President Loser on January 31, 2004.) However, a few days later, when he broke a law mentioned in the Constitution, he said, "Fuck the Constitution." (Several months later, Niki Moto gave him in the archives the title "Member Most Likely to Commit Crimes.")
The Vacca Anarchy Conspiracy
On September 14, 2003, a club meeting took place: the YDC Fall 2003 Presidential Nomination. Jofuf Juftuf was nominated a candidate. No one else received enough nominations to become a candidate, but there were supposed to be three candidates for an election, leaving two spots left. The runner-ups were Max-a-million, Nick, Bandit Rich, and Seto Vacca. The candidates were later decided by a four-way dueling tournament. The matches were Bandit Rich versus Seto Vacca and Max-a-million versus Nick. The two winners were Rich and Nick, so Vacca lost his chance at becoming a government member.In November, Seto Vacca announced plans to overthrow the YDC government and seize control of it: "I don't like the way you two are running things." This statement is now referred to as the Vacca Anarchy Conspiracy. However, his plans failed because he was never elected president.
On November 8, the Master of Duels II tournament was held to decide the greatest duelist in the YDC. In the first round, Seto Vacca defeated Max-a-million by using the Yata-lock. The four duelists in the semifinals were Jofuf Juftuf, Will, Nick, and Seto Vacca. The match-ups were randomly chosen: Will versus Seto and Nick versus Jofuf. Seto struggled with Will until he won. The two final duelists then were Nick and Seto. Nick chose to switch decks before the final round, using an Exodia deck instead of the Obelisk deck. Seto's Dark Ruler Ha Des with Fairy Meteor Crush defeated it. He also used the Wave-Motion Cannon to do ample damage. With the combination of the two, Seto defeated his opponent and became the currently greatest duelist in the YDC, and had he remained a member, he would have been one of the Masters of Duels.
Anderson v. Vacca
On December 26, 2003, Conor Anderson, a friend of Niki Moto, visited Edgewater Park for the first time. The first thing he saw was Niki and Seto dueling in the front yard of 59-D, obviously not theirs. Conor asked, "So I guess everyone here knows each other, huh?" Vacca also recalls Conor calling Edgewater residents rednecks, although both Niki and Ryou have denied this allegation. Whenever Conor learned something new about Edgewater life, he would say, "Sad, sad." Seto Vacca came to passionately dislike Conor Anderson.SETO: Just like blondes have more fun, Edgewatians kick ass.
During the last week of December 2003 (which was also the first week of January 2004), Niki Moto gave Seto Vacca three dollars to purchase Chinese food for him. However, Niki arrived at Will's house twenty minutes late and missed the Chinese food. Whenever he asked Seto Vacca for the money back, the answer was negative because Vacca forgot the money every day and refused to return home to obtain it. Vacca also felt immune to threats, and said, "There's nothing you can do to me." Niki Moto later commented, "Oh, yes, there was." That Saturday, January 3, 2004, the members barred Seto Vacca from participating in the Master of Duels III tournament. When he telephoned, the members told him that he was an hour late for the tournament. When he approached the house, the members locked the door. This made Seto Vacca extremely angry, and he began hitting the door violently and making threats.
SETO: Open the door!
NIKI: Just speak to me here through the door.
SETO: I don't speak through doors.
NIKI: Just speak to me here through the door.
SETO: I don't speak through doors.
Vacca eventually left. Later that day, he saw the portion of that tournament, the semifinals, that was taking place in Will's yard. Vacca claimed to had made an unbeatable deck that would have won the tournament. He said that he specifically designed the deck to beat everyone else's.
On January 31, Conor Anderson was introduced to the YDC, and the members voted on whether to accept Conor as a member. The only person who disagreed was Seto, who voted, "No. Fuck Conor." Since he was accepted by popular vote, Conor entered the YDC as Ryou.
That day, Seto Vacca took one of Ryou's Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, Judgment of Anubis. He showed his new card to some members while dueling at Casey's and did not hide the fact that he had taken it from Ryou. Niki Moto informed Ryou a few days later, who said that he wanted his card back, or Seto could suck his dick.
NIKI: Conor wants his card back.
SETO: Well, Conor can blow me.
SETO: Well, Conor can blow me.
Seto Vacca's trial took place on February 7. Seto, however, did not seem to initially take it seriously.
NIKI: Seto Vacca. You are charged with the crime of stealing Conor's Judgment of Anubis. You then sold the card to Will for ten dollars, which you spent on beer that you drank with your dad.
SETO: [Laughing] Say that again! It sounded cool the way you said it.
NIKI: You are charged with the crime of stealing Conor's Judgment of Anubis. You then sold the card to Will for ten dollars, which you spent on beer that you drank with your dad. According to the Constitution, you will be given three chances to explain your actions. Why did you commit this crime?
SETO (more seriously): I don't know. I guess it's because I'm stupid, just like everything I do is stupid.
SETO: [Laughing] Say that again! It sounded cool the way you said it.
NIKI: You are charged with the crime of stealing Conor's Judgment of Anubis. You then sold the card to Will for ten dollars, which you spent on beer that you drank with your dad. According to the Constitution, you will be given three chances to explain your actions. Why did you commit this crime?
SETO (more seriously): I don't know. I guess it's because I'm stupid, just like everything I do is stupid.
Will, having realized that the card he purchased and resold had been stolen from a friend, later expressed remorse and offered to pay Ryou back.
Vacca's Vacation
Kathy Phillips asked Seto Vacca to leave until he fixed himself up. Seto Vacca, without hesitation, left the house and went outside. To this day, he has never entered 35-D again. (This is not the first time he had been asked to leave. The summer before, he was asked to leave once for punching a resident of the house, and another time for calling a person a Jew.)Finding himself alone outside, Vacca tried to persuade the members to come outside. When the members refused because a meeting was in progress, he said, "Fuck you all then," violating Article 41 once again.
On February 18, Seto Vacca quit the YDC.
VACCA: Do not be in the YDC. They are losers.
JOFUF: No they're not. They're my friends.
VACCA: Who writes a constitution? I mean, really.
JOFUF: No they're not. They're my friends.
VACCA: Who writes a constitution? I mean, really.
For his insulting of the YDC and crime against one of its members, Vacca was then excluded from activities involving club members. However, the older portion of the club still consorted with him, arguing that outside club activities, the bindings of the club do not apply. It was only when he telephoned Loser and left an insulting and threatening message on the answering machine that they decided to really exclude him from their activities. Vacca also did not want to be associated with the club; he threatened to sue if his appearances in Ni-Ki-Oh! continued to be shown.
Without being a member of the YDC, Michael Vacca still remained a powerful duelist at Lehman High School. During the next several months, however, he veered away from Yu-Gi-Oh and began playing Magic: The Gathering. During summer 2004, he even insulted club members for playing Yu-Gi-Oh!, asserting that only "gay losers with no life" play it; for him, the game represented the wasted days of his life in the YDC. When people argued that he once played Yu-Gi-Oh, he emphasized that he said "play" and not "used to play." Will also said jokingly that he had an idea for a video game that took place three years in the future with a storyline that Vacca, having broken away from the club, formed a rival Magic: The Gathering club.
During the summer, Vacca returned to the minds of members, possibly through his preserved friendship with Jofuf Juftuf, and attitudes toward Vacca became more relaxed, and he was also becoming more gothic. In the beginning of August, he began playing Yu-Gi-Oh! again because he received a challenge. On August 27, he was to go to Burger King in order to duel some of his duelist rivals for money. To prepare for his great ordeal, he revived his dueling methods, gained some cards through donations, trading, and gambling to make a deck, and kept dueling to improve his skills and his deck. When anyone commented on the fact that he was playing Yu-Gi-Oh! again, he argued that he was just dueling so that he could be ready for the duel he was to participate in on August 27, and then he would stop. However, he still continued playing even after that date, even to the point of keeping the game alive among the population that otherwise would have quit.
Vacca's Second Conspiracy
Seto Vacca continued trying to influence members such as Jofuf Juftuf into leaving the club. Although he had announced plans to move to Florida, Michael Vacca still resided in Edgewater Park and kept in regular contact with some of the members. While he had nothing against the members, he hated the YDC in theory.On Saturday, December 11, the day of the meeting that attempted to end the Social Breakdown, members Jofuf Juftuf and Loser, instead of attending the meeting, said that they wanted to quit the club. Loser's reasons included the fact that the club did nothing anymore, he got nothing out of it, and that he was never able to come to meetings. Loser also stated that when you enter a club, you are supposed to receive offers into different things, such as dueling, and not just buying DVDs. He also compared the club to a job—if you don't go to work, you're fired—and he was never able to come to meetings. Jofuf Juftuf said that although he had fun with Ni-Ki-Oh! "in the olden days," now it was "just a waste of time" to him. He claimed to "have a life" outside of Ni-Ki-Oh!, consisting of watching movies, hanging out with friends, dueling and going online.
According to speculation by the members, one of the direct causes of this was Seto Vacca, because Jofuf and Loser consorted with him frequently (he had been present when they proclaimed desire not to be in the club anymore, and an eyewitness tells us that he had been urging Jofuf to quit), he hated the club, and he was with them when they announced their leave.
Having seen the above two paragraphs in the club newsletter on December 13, Seto Vacca instant-messaged Niki Moto with the following protest (edited for spelling, punctuation, and capitalization):
Nick, you're getting fucked up. I saw your gay newsletter. Joe and Alex didn't announce plans; they quit. And it ain't Alex's fault; clubs are for nine-year-olds. And Joe has a better life. And I don't influence them; they make their own decisions. Joe wanted to quit the night before but he backed out 'cause he didn't wanna be alone in doing it. The only way I possibly pushed him is I that asked him if Alex quit would he.
Vacca's Third Conspiracy
Even long after that day in August had passed, Vacca continued to play Yu-Gi-Oh, probably because he loved dominating the other players. But domination in casual duels was not enough for him. He desired to be the best of the best and truly be recognized for it.On December 16, he sent an e-mail to Niki Moto and Pegasus, the two most influential members of the Free United Club of Kids (edited for spelling, grammar, and capitalization):
I believe an injustice has been done, not only to me, but to all duelists. I want a trial 30-day period membership to the YDC. If I am given this, I will allow Ted full rights to use my name, face, image, and all that comes with it in Ni-Ki-Oh! And as for that aforementioned injustice. At Master of Master of Duels there was a BIG injustice, first of all, in my eyes, and, I'm sure, in the eyes of other[s] (Poll if you must). The winner was not the one with the best skill in the competition. Also, Richard Falantano was using a "Umi" and three "A Legendary Ocean," which, according to Upper Deck and many third-party perspectives, is ILLEGAL AS OF JUNE 2004, making his victory NULL AND VOID. I would just like the opportunity to duel Rich for his title...of course, after fulfilling all the requirements to do so, putting things at rest. And I will, at the end of my 30-day trial membership, if given to me, I will either relinquish my title (IF WON) and leave it at the hands of the both of you or the club in the form of a vote or whatever you see fit to do with it. I just want the same opportunity that you had to correct an injustice. Please take my request into serious consideration because it took me a while to write this e-mail; lol. I am in no way condoning my former behavior and I don't expect anyone to. I was wrong, and all I want is thirty days to get the chance to do what I set out to do when I joined the YDC: to prove that I could be the best.
Sincerely,
Michael Vacca
Michael Vacca
P.S. Ted and Nick, I am sorry for any problems I may have caused and I hope we can put those petty things behind us.
Because he showed a desire to re-enter the club and seemed to show remorse for his former behavior, the club members decided to consider him.
On Saturday, December 18, several members of the club gathered at Forsaken's house to decide whether Michael Vacca should rejoin the club. First he gave a speech for the members describing his reasons to join the club (similar to what was written in the e-mail). He also gave a sort of apology for his past behavior by responding, when asked about it by Niki Moto, that he had been a "cock-sucking asshole." The six members present, Jofuf Juftuf, Pegasus, Niki Moto, Forsaken, Loser, and Yummyfishman, voted on whether to accept him back into the club.
Because five votes (83%) were for his reentry, he was permitted to take the Initiation Test. He scored a 73, "one of the greatest scores so far," according to Niki Moto; "the reason he did better than most present members was probably that he actually thought about his answers because his membership was at stake." In the writing portion of the exam, he designated the reason for his reentry:
I wish to become a member of F.U.C.K because i wish to be the best of best in dueling. The club attracts me because it offers me to oppurtunity to prove me of being the best among my peers.
After that, he accepted the terms in the Constitution with a written signature. Then a controversial question arose: should he have to pay the dollar again for his reentry, or should the payment from his first membership count? A vote took place, and the opinions were tied. Niki Moto announced that the result should be a payment of fifty cents (the average of zero and one dollar), and Pegasus agreed that that would be the compromise. There was some debate; Vacca said that even though he was entering the club as a new member, the membership fee of the individual Michael Vacca had still been paid. Forsaken, the President, decided to allow Mike into the club without paying a second time; no one else objected, so the compromise was settled. Michael Vacca re-entered under the club name "GoB."
Gob soon changed his Club Name to "The Pope," and so Jofuf Juftuf changed his name to "Cardinal." Johnny Pradlik also joined the club under the name "Zombie." On Saturday, December 23, Pope challenged the Masters of Duels together with his team consisting also of Niki Moto, Cardinal, and Zombie. However, the duel soon "descended into chaos" due to confusion and arguments over possession of the turn, Chinese food, limited space, and complicated rules. The duel was cancelled. Soon after, Pope and Cardinal clamored for changes in the rules of challenging the Masters of Duels.
The Pope had atheist views; he even sent a question for the newsletter section, "Ask Niki Moto," challenging him to prove the existence of a god.
He continued spending time with the club members. On January 1, 2005, he also travelled to New Roc City with a group of them. When Ryou learned that Vacca had rejoined the club, he said that he would accept him if he received an apology as restitution; that never happened.
Justus v. Vacca and Exile
On, Thursday, January 13, Cardinal was hanging out at Zombie's house with Zombie and the Pope. When Cardinal entered, he noticed a gun on the table, but thought nothing of it. The Pope picked up the gun and accidentally shot the Cardinal in the hand. Cardinal was hospitalized for several days and rendered unable to operate his right hand for a few weeks, while Michael Vacca was sent to American jail for five days and subsequently put under house arrest.The club government originally was not going to punish Vacca under club law because he had already been punished by American law. However, on January 19, 2005, the Cardinal sent the following message to Niki Moto (edited for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation):
1/19/05
To Nick,
Nick, I believe that the following club members, Michael Vacca and Johnny Pradlik, should be expelled from the F.U.C.K. I believe this because on Thursday the 13th of January, they committed a great felony, and broke a law. If they have not already been expelled, please bring the topic up on Friday at the next meeting because I will most likely not be there.
To Nick,
Nick, I believe that the following club members, Michael Vacca and Johnny Pradlik, should be expelled from the F.U.C.K. I believe this because on Thursday the 13th of January, they committed a great felony, and broke a law. If they have not already been expelled, please bring the topic up on Friday at the next meeting because I will most likely not be there.
The next two attempts at holding meetings failed, so Cardinal's request had to be ignored for a time. But then he sent another e-mail on February 26 (edited for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation):
I want to have Mike Vacca and John kicked out of the club, because I do not want to be part of a club with a law breaker/ex-friend, and also someone who shot me and caused me much pain and suffering, of not being able to use right hand. I don't think you guys would want someone in the club who shot you either...if they are still in the club, I'm afraid that I cannot be a member of the club. Please take this seriously, because I think I'm a better friend to you guys than Mike and John.
In order for them to be exiled, they needed to be found guilty of a crime. So, the government looked through the Constitution for charges to stack against the Pope, who was found to have broken the following laws contained in the Constitution:
001. To maintain and preserve the peacefulness, collectiveness, and well-being of the club, fighting and arguments of any belligerent manner are hereby prohibited.
002. Because it can cause fighting and disputes, there may not be any cheating, stealing, robbing, burglarizing, or unfairness.
004. No guns are allowed which require bullets, shells, clips, grenades, harpoons, darts, air, or staples. The only guns allowed are rubber-band and water.
007. Follow all laws and rules, as well as amendments, allowances, and leaders.
015. Prohibited it is to roughouse and "play around."
035. The person or persons that contribute in making a mess must clean it up.
Amendment IV
Section 1.
Animal cruelty is hereby prohibited.
Amendment IX
Section 3.
A member responsible for the loss of another's property must make proper restitution by providing the amount of money necessary to replace the item.
Amendment XIV
Section 5.
Cruel and unusual punishment is hereby prohibited.
002. Because it can cause fighting and disputes, there may not be any cheating, stealing, robbing, burglarizing, or unfairness.
004. No guns are allowed which require bullets, shells, clips, grenades, harpoons, darts, air, or staples. The only guns allowed are rubber-band and water.
007. Follow all laws and rules, as well as amendments, allowances, and leaders.
015. Prohibited it is to roughouse and "play around."
035. The person or persons that contribute in making a mess must clean it up.
Amendment IV
Section 1.
Animal cruelty is hereby prohibited.
Amendment IX
Section 3.
A member responsible for the loss of another's property must make proper restitution by providing the amount of money necessary to replace the item.
Amendment XIV
Section 5.
Cruel and unusual punishment is hereby prohibited.
A meeting had to be held, so Niki Moto sent out e-mail to the members (except Pope and Zombie) notifying them of the upcoming meeting. (The Pope also went to a Slipknot concert on March 6 along with Pegasus, Bandit Rich, Forsaken, Yummyfishman, Bean, Mr. T, and Sam. A separate e-mail was sent to Pope, giving him a list of the charges against him and the chance to defend himself with three reasonable explanations for his wrongdoing. On March 10, this was his response (edited for spelling and punctuation):
Umm...sorry to tell you this but, umm, I could give a fuck about F.U.C.K. and, umm, I think you should stay out of this before I seriously get mad because I already have to waste my life away defending myself in court. I don't need this shit and if you can't understand where I'm coming from here...maybe we shouldn't be friends. And where the fuck did you get animal cruelty from??
On March 12 was the meeting in which the members voted on this issue, entitled "Excommunicate the Pope." The Pope was exiled by 83% of the popular vote. When the President did not veto his exile, he was removed from the list of members.
Michael Vacca was avoided for a time, like before, by some of the members but not all. On June 14, 2006, he finally made peace with Joseph Justus and soon reconciled with other members as well.