Mr Waffles17
Mr_Waffles17 is a Schevakian politician, who served as the Emperor of Schevakia. He previously served as the Senator from the Schevakian state of Melaconia, as the second President of Schevakia, and as Chairman and head of state of the People's Republik of Schevakia.
A firebrand and self-proclaimed "Guarantor of the wellbeing of the common people", Waffles is known for his theatrical speeches and declarations and his history of being at the center of major geopolitical events. His public persona stands in stark contrast with his reserved demeanor and low vocality outside of his proclamations, earning him the moniker "The Phantom Schevakian".
Early Life and Education
Mr_Waffles17 first migrated to the land now know as Schevakia in early November 2019 as one of the four founding Schevakians, along with catcherzw, thepolg, and The_Brunt. He built his home in the northeast quarter of Schenektengrad, soon to be known as Ward 4, built by Waffles in its entirety. Waffles had no formal education and spent most of his early life digging out and lurking in the undercity of Ward 4, while also cultivating a small carrot patch that provided the food supply of all of Schevakia for most of its history. Despite this vital contribution to the Schevakian economy, Waffles remained the poorest Schevakian while Ward 4 lagged behind the rest of the capital in development and quality of life, and became widely regarded as the slums of Schenektengrad.
Political Career
Senate
Upon the founding of Ward 4 of Schenektengrad, Waffles was elected by its residents to serve as their Senator in the Schevakian Senate. His constituency later evolved into the greater state of Melaconia, although Waffles himself rarely left Schenektengrad. Within the Senate, Waffles was notorious for his low rate of attendance and lack of engagement in the civic process; the vast majority of legislation in the history of Schevakia was enacted without his input or vote. His lack of presence in the Schevakian government prompted the Senate to enact the GABE (Greater Ability to Be Expedient) measure, which essentially allowed the Schevakian Senate to operate as a three-member body as opposed to a four-person body as outlined in the Schevakian constitution. This lack of regard for Schevakian constitutional process won him the lifetime ire of the Schevakian political class.
Presidency
Despite holding him in very low regard, the Schevakian Senate elected Waffles President of the country in February 2020 after his predecessor catcherzw was impeached in the fallout from the Bohemskigate scandal. Due to his lack of involvement in the scandal and detachment from Senate factions, Waffles was seen as the ideal and least-controversial consensus candidate. Somewhat predictably, Waffles proved to be an ineffective President whose hands-off/absentee leadership style was ill-suited to heal the divisions of the Schevakian populace. After slightly less than a month in office, Waffles was impeached and returned to his senatorial duties, while catcherzw once again assumed the Schevakian Presidency.
Collapse of Schevakia and formation of the PRS
During the events known as the Balkan Troubles, Mr_Waffles17 saw his international profile rise dramatically as he went from being an ineffective Senator to being an ineffective communist dictator. When the collapse of Schevakia began with the secession of the Confederated Schevakian Alliance (CSA), Waffles was asked to join the rebellion by his then-fellow senator thepolg. Waffles declined, but the CSA proceeded to annex his home state of Melaconia and take it with them anyway. Upon realizing that his home had been claimed by a hostile power, Waffles formed the short-lived Free Melaconia movement, aiming for independence from the CSA and possibly an autonomous state. However, soon after catcherzw resigned as President of Schevakia and seceded with his state of Jacksonia, Waffles decided to aim for loftier goals than merely freeing Melaconia.
Taking advantage of the power vacuum in Schevakia and its claims deficit resulting from the loss of over half of its members, Waffles formed his own faction on April 23rd and claimed the Schevakian Senate building and much of downtown Schenektengrad, barricading himself in the central square. From there he issued his manifesto, announcing the formation of the People's Republik of Schevakia, claiming to represent the common Schevakians and declaring himself ruler of all Schevakia:
"Too long has the Schevakian elite schemed in the houses of power, waged frivolous wars, and lined their pockets while the working people, the real Schevakian people, starved. As Chairman of the Communist Party of Schevakia and Guarantor of the wellbeing of the common people, I hereby declare myself ruler of the People's Republik of Schevakia. The Proletariat has seized the Senate Building and the means of production. All private property is now the property of the state and shall be redistributed amongst the poor of Schevakia. I urge the false rulers of Old Schevakia, the CSA, and Jacksonia to pledge allegiance to my rule, or face the righteous justice of the Schevakian underclass. This is the dawning of a new era for the people of Schevakia. From the sunstarved masses of the Undercity to the peasants of the West Ward, from the gladiators in the Arena, who die for the entertainment of the Bourgeoisie, to humble folk of the Polgolan swamp, left to rot by an apathetic aristocracy, I urge all working people of Schevakia to throw off the chains of the superstructure and rise up against their oppressors. Long Live the Revolution!"
-Republik (April 2020)
Waffles' movement was dismissed as farcical by some, who astutely pointed out that he had made no effort to remedy the wrongs of Schevakian society while serving as either Senator or President. Waffles remained seemingly unfazed by these criticisms and for the most part did little to engage in the heated debates surrounding his actions, in what would come to be a recurring pattern of behavior for him.
The Great Balkan War
On April 24th, following the further splintering of Schevakia into the nations of Satama and Ambrosia, the newly formed Balkan Federation claimed the Schevakian province of Ilyrdom, erroneously believing it to be entirely unclaimed following the restructuring of Ambrosia to its core territory. Mr_Waffles17 informed the Federation that he had a preexisting claims to the province, as the PRS held that all Schevakian territory was theirs. Waffles issued an ultimatum to the Federation to retract their claims, which was ignored for 48 hours. In response to the Federation's recalcitrance, the PRS issued a declaration of war on April 27th. Military support for the PRS campaign to retake Ilyrdom was rapidly announced by the Schevakian splinter states of Jacksonia and CSA, who expressed their disdain for the PRS itself but declared they would rather the land stay in Schevakian hands than be annexed by a foreign power. Soon after, Ozai and Sylvia announced they too would be backing the PRS claims to Ilyrdom with military and material support. The Balkan Federation backed down from its claims, and it was believed by both Federation and PRS leadership that a peace deal had been reached that night.
However, in the wee hours of April 27th/28th, Federation forces sacked the former Schevakian capital of Schenektengrad, causing massive damage in all five wards and detonating the Senate Building in an act of outrage at "the world turning against them". Waffles' homeland of Ward 4 was hit among the hardest in this attack, with the impoverished residents of the undercity reporting the highest casualties. The PRS joined a massive international coalition in declaring war on the Balkan Federation and annihilating much of it in retaliation for the sack of Schenektengrad, and Waffles himself was present at the Sataman and Ravna Goran fronts of the war.
Reconstruction Era
The Great Balkan War marked the beginning of a period of hardship for the PRS, which it proved unable to fully recover from. Having lost virtually all of their resources in the Sack of Schenektengrad, much of PRS-controlled territory lay in ruins, with the demoralized populace unable and unwilling to rebuild. The post-war era saw other Schevakian splinter states encroaching on PRS claims in Schenektengrad, as Waffles lost control over downtown Schenektengrad to Jacksonia, much of Ward 4 to the CSA, and even his own home to Ambrosia. The PRS was ultimately able to make territorial gains against the CSA in Wards 4 and 5, and launched a massive scale blockade of the Jacksonian and Polgolan coasts while reasserting control over the former Schevakian Federal Territory. These moves solidified Waffles's strategic position in the final weeks of the Schevakian Civil War.
Imperial Era
In early September of 2020, Schevakia's perennial eastern rival Yugoslavia reunited, which the divided and weakened Schevakian splinter states felt threatened by, given their previous experiences with their neighbors. In response to this and to massive scale immigration from Wohlstand to Schevakia and internal demographic shifts caused by said migration, members of Jacksonia and the CSA together formed the Schevakian National Party, with the goal of increased Schevakian cooperation in the face of these events. When negotiations within the party evolved into reunification negotiations between the Big Four Schevakian splinter states, Waffles' allegiance and participation in this process was guaranteed by promising him the position of Emperor of the re-formed Schevakian nation, which he would hold for life.
During his reign, Waffles has proved a fairly hands-off Emperor, weighing in rarely only on matters of the greatest geopolitical importance. The most significant political engagement of Waffles reign so far has been the Wohlstandian Revolution, in which Waffles advocated and prioritized Imperial expansion and prestige in his foreign and internal policy.
Personal Life
Waffles spends much of his time harvesting crops, building, and creating political propaganda. In his free time he can often be found communing with the people of the Ward 4 undercity, though he has strained relations with many other Schevakians. He is an avid throat-singer. Waffles' erratic levels of political activity and long periods of radio-silence have led some to speculate that his existence is fabricated; Waffles himself has neither confirmed nor denied these rumors.