So, last night, Rippen was walking from the police station to The Daily Grind when she happened upon Lucas Bender. She stopped on the sidewalk, watching the young Reject walk towards her, and prayed he left her alone... the little prick didn't. A verbal altercation ensued, and before you know it, Rippen shoved the boy.
Although Lucas and Rippen havent met often, and really have no reason to fight other than hes a Reject and shes a Cerb, the idea was this... he's 14. He's impressionable. He holds Parnell as a rolemodel, and knows very well that Parnell dislikes Rippen very much. So he provoked her, because he wants to improve his status in the Rejects, and wants positive attention from Parnell. Rippen, on the other hand, is on the defensive lately. She's pregnant, she's part of a gang that is falling apart. Her mother is dead, as is the father of her unborn child. She is a recovering drug user, and is broke as hell. So, her fuse is short. This is a recipe for disaster. The fight was justified.
Because we were scrapping in front of the hospital, I anticipated a little attention would be drawn, and lo and behold, within moments, we were surrounded by onlookers and such.
To make a long story short, (i know, too late...) the scuffle ended 3 hours later. Yes.... you read right.... 3 hours.
Some people were justified in joining the fray, others, maybe just wanted to be part of the drama. I was happy with the RP for the most part, but one thing bothers me.
People get all bent out of shape because Rejects tend to flock about in a fight, picking on one or 2 people. They should, because they can. That's how a gang works. Like a pack of wolves or a school of sharks, one altercation involving brethren begets a feeding frenzy, if others are around. And therein lies the the success of The Rejects. Their members are in town... all the time. At any given moment, there are 3 or 4 in town, a least. They chose their fights in visible areas, where people are likely to be walking by.
I know, the Cerbs' numbers are faltering. If Rippen continues to insist on walking past the Reject house, she is going to get jumped, as the Rejects have targeted her because she is the negative incarnation of a beloved, deceased leader. In their eyes, Rippen fucked over BeBe. That's all they know, and all they are concerned about. And Rippen will continue to be picked on until she is run out of town, builds some substantial backup, or is killed.
I guess what I am addressing here is, rather than be pissed that the rejects are so successful, take a look at why they are. Their people are always on, in town and ready to roll. During the fight, I took a look at how many Cerbs were logged on the game, and how many were actually in CD. I have a chat range meter, and not one of the Cerbs but Vic were in the vicinity. So yeah, Vic and I got our asses kicked. And we should have.
My plea, to the gangs that bitch that The Rejects are too strong... get some dedicated players. Build your army with people that wish to be a part of the RP. Give your army a reason to want to stand up and fight for jit.
Finally, before i get ready for work, I want to throw out mad respect to everyone who was involved with the fight last night, for quality rp, for respecting (for the most part) the other players and their choices in character types. Yes, there was some OOC bullshit that went down, and sadly, it took away from the fight. But overall, it was a great rp. It wasnt easy, 5 or 6 people per scuffle, posts flying, people lagging and crashing. But we did it. My intention wasnt WW3, it was to shove a 14 year old. But what I got was a lesson in group management, and its very much appreciated.
Thanks and kind regards,
Rippen Dagger