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The End: A retirement story Started by: tony_capone on Aug 17, '14 00:41
There was a time...

Some of you may recall my name, some of you may not. It really doesn't matter to me if you do or if you don't. I spent a lot of years trying to do right by my friends, my first real families legacy (Tanzini) and it never really amounted to much. I don't care how people now perceive me, hell most of you I don't know and won't ever. Alas though, something eats at me about this place. I spent a great deal of my teenage to adult years between here, .org and AfterDeath.

I go for months and I don't think about those years, I don't even recall it being a time in my life or an important space in my history on earth. Then it hits me, all of a sudden something will jog my memory, like a lightning bolt. I start thinking fondly on the friendships I had gained. The fun I had using my brain for something that to me was more on my level than even school.

This is my story. Read it, disregard it, love it, laugh at it, but it's mine.

I was 15 years old (I am now 27). I was a high school kid who was bored with school because it was no longer challenging and had stopped playing sports because the boredom I had experienced led me down a dark path. I used to play basketball, started varsity as a freshman, all A's and B's kid (just to be eligible to play basketball in school) and life was pretty good. I was popular, had a girlfriend, the works.

Late in the year of my freshman year I was in a car accident with aforementioned girlfriend that damaged some plates in my back. Not a big deal, I was alive but I wasn't quite me anymore as I healed over the Summer. I no longer could jump as high, no longer felt as quick, I became really down on myself during Summer basketball conditioning and I quit. I became angry and I gave up. I started finding ways to help make myself feel better. I smoked pot, drank, popped pills etc.

The new school year started as I turned had turned 15 and I was a complete different person. I didn't try at school because I had no incentive, I felt as if I wasn't learning anything. I spent my afternoons getting high and playing music with other like minded individual's and honestly didn't give a damn about anything at all. By the way I perceived things my life I had figured out was over. With this new found time on my hands I began watching a lot of Sopranos, got into the Godfather movies, Goodfellas and by this time not only was I using drugs but also selling them. I felt like a criminal and I became entranced by the Mafia I so admired on the silver screen.

As any other teenager, my social life outside of school and playing music consisted of the internet. Many stoned or drunk nights I spent in front of a computer screen at this point talking to people, playing games and all the normal teenage internet things. With that being said, one night there came an epiphany! I will search for a game that had ties to the Mafia! If I can't be an Italian in a mice suit during prohibition, I'll at least pretend to be one!

I had never gamed aside from your classic console style or pc disc gaming so I had no idea what an RPG was. I was also extremely stoned that night I recall and believe I was playing GTA3 on the PS2. But this site I had found, mafia.org sounded cool. I could create a character, work my way up, take over a city. Sounded awesome and in my mind I would be this super cool mafioso in a suit driving around in classic cars and making my money the mafia way. I was a bit confused once I signed up, partly from being stoned out of my mind and the other part ignorance on what I had signed up for. Nevertheless I wanted to give this giant chatroom looking thing a try. I named my character, picked my answers and was there. What I found was a bunch of names and tabs. Not what I had imagined but I was intrigued. I did a few crimes as my little character, became tired from lack of sleep and being high and went to sleep. For the next few days I went to school, did my afternoon smoking routine, played some music and went all GTA3 on the PS2. Then I remembered, oh yeah! I started that game! So I logged in to find I had been killed. Knowing nothing of the game and once again being ignorant to what I was even doing I became mad. "How the hell could I die if I wasn't logged in and who killed me!?". So I created another character, which would prove to be my legacy. tony_capone.

I logged in as tony shortly after creating the character. This time opposed to hitting buttons and logging out I read up on game rules, FAQ's, things of that nature. I believe I was slightly more sober this time than the previous. I started reaching out to people who looked important, high rankers, Family heads, etc. I remember my first conversation being with SoulSeeker. His profile pic was awesome, his family was large and they were in a city with Mafia history. Cool! I thought as he replied back to my humbling first mail which I think was my best attempt at role playing in giving my admiration for such a powerful Don. (I was new at the concept, did my best to become a character of period times). We began a short conversation and before long he accepted me as one of his own. During this courtship I had mailed a man named Don_Gotti. I really enjoyed reading about John Gotti and I had watched the movie Gotti about 15 times and his profile picture was the movie cover. So I thought awesome he is a like minded individual (or as we call it, I judged a book by it's cover). He responded back as I accepted an invitation to join SoulSeeker but I found myself mail after mail having more in depth conversations with this Don_Gotti. He was a cool guy from what I could tell. A high ranking member in this world who seemed popular based on his mail stats and he was willing to help me learn and I felt less intimidated than asking stupid questions to my new family head. This man, Don_Gotti would go on to be one of the most important figures in my mafia life and history. I just didn't know it yet.

Through Don I started making more friends, he introduced me to his "clique" and we exchanged MSN Messenger emails (I know that's lame but hey, that's what you did back then). I continued to learn from these new found friends and began establishing relationships which some would carry on for years and years.

Throughout the course of the next few months I continued learning the trade from my mentors, Don_Gotti mainly but also Atro, D-Lite, Starr, and O'Malley. I had lived through two wars by the time I had become a Made Man and had settled into a role as a sub-crew leader for my fourth Family head, Primus.
(I also had been a member of Molson during this time and had my first encounter with tiggy whom I loved to bits). Primus was the first boss who I felt like he saw something in me. He had given me my button, he had given me responsibilities. I don't know if it was because I busted my ass at every ability to log on at that time that I had or if it was because I constantly volunteered for things and assignments.

Primus was killed after the rise of mrevilman the dreaded scoundrel and killer he was and by this time I had reached the rank of Consigliere. I had kept a small circle of about 12 people I spoke with on a regular basis and despite my activities in the bar forums I didn't spend much time in the streets. I didn't know what the hell a rogue was but I saw my family dying all around me and attempts on my life missing. I decided to set up so that I could take in and harbor my fellow family members. Once again, noooo idea what the hell I was doing. At this point I had been alive six months and had survived 15 kill attempts (how awesome that was I didn't even understand until years later). Needless to say a fiendish awesome gun of a man who's name starts with a Premeir finally is the one to put me to rest. Attempt number 21 did me in.

I had logged out at 1 am that morning, still had to get some sleep before school of course. I made sure to wake up extra early so that I could check up on my character to ensure I was alive to which I found I had went swimming with the fishies not long after I had logged out for bed. I was angry, my day was ruined before it started. I had become engrossed in this game! Six months I had spent working hard and hardly sleeping. All gone. That afternoon I skipped out on my smoke till you drop routine and went straight home. I created a new character, Tony_Capone and began questioning and reading. Why was I killed!? Blah da blah da blah. I was reached once more by my original mentor Don_Gotti and told to suicide, change my name and come back to which I did.

I was brought into a whole new world upon my return under another generic name, TonyMontana. I was brought in to my first underground group, met a few new connections, Yellowgil etc. Found out a whole other subculture lurked under the world that was mafia.org. In truth it made the game fun again for someone who just died after a six month run, it gave a purpose during times when big guns dominated everything and promoting and authing their friends was at its strongest. The only challenger to this trend was a humorous fellow many of us know as BA who would rank, rogue and then die. He was sort of an anti-hero persay.

I went on to meet a lot of new people due to my underground scouting of different families under different names. I worked so hard at it that my mafia rank didn't matter, I was having a ball rising up the ranks in an underground crew who really, did nothing. I continued expanding my circle of friends, kimura/Apple, Pickles, Zebedee, a man most of you know as JesseJames and others throughout this time. Eventually the underground group dissolved as many of our circle became high rankers, hands, leaders and started getting back into religiously working towards ourselves as individuals since the regime had gave way and allowed for progress outside of themselves.

I went on to serve as RHM a few times during this time, LHM some others. Even held a crew or two under forgettable names and then my life once more changed.

I was now 16 years of age, I had dropped out of school to begin working for my Grandfather's company that I was to one day inherit and was about to take a test to get my diploma early as I had scored high enough on a pretest to do so. However all this was put on hold, my real life, my mafia life as well. I was involved in a car accident at 16 that would change my life even more drastically than the poor decisions I had already made would. Someone driving too fast hydroplaned and hit me head on. My vehicle flipped, my seat belt broke and I was slammed into the ground with fiery force. The vehicle I was driving coming to rest on top of my head. I don't remember much from this accident but woke up in a hospital strapped to a board. My skull was fractured, ribs were broken, arms cut to shreds and back once more twisted and mangled.

I survived, but it took time to get back to being mobile. I lost touch with many friends I had made. I was sent to live with my aunt for awhile who used to be a nurse to take care of me as my Grandmother, whom I lived with, had been in the vehicle with me during the accident and hadn't recovered still. I felt empty and remorseful that I didn't have access to tell my friends that I was alive, I was ok. I didn't disappear because I didn't value our friendships but rather the truth of what had happened. Months went by as I recovered, mostly laying in bed eating pain pills.

I finally came home 7 months after the accident had occurred. Back to my home, my room, my computer. But what was this? I log on to see mafia.org is down and not functional? My gut was wrenched. I emailed (long before text was a thing) my friends and a few jumped onto MSN throughout the day as I frantically tried to type my story and find out what was going on.

I came to see these people cared about me. They had worried about me, they were happy to see my return but mafia.org was closed. Everyone had moved to AfterDeath. So I joined my friends to get my fix and once more have that friendship of like minded individual's. I met new friends, Tank, Hawker, Luca and RideTheLightning. (RTL and I actually became such good friends he attended my first wedding a few years later).

We bided our time there, it wasn't the same but it was something. We kept our friendships alive long enough to see mafia.org (more as it is now) reopened. Only it was different. It wasn't how we left it. But we were happy nevertheless. But as times do so often and like the game, things changed. People stopped playing, graduated college, got married. Friends dropped like flies. People for the most part hated the game. I was on the fence, Yellow and I were the first ever StreetBosses on the newer version that was opened to all. But others didn't feel so strongly. We kept touch, MSN Messenger mostly. But most left playing while anticipating the game Izzy had been working on for some time. I made new friends, reached new accomplishments, led a many a family and even learned the art of being an excellent killer within the game. I met DevilsPawn/TomTanzini during this time. Rather we began talking and formed a love/hate friendship. Tom was like the big brother I never had nor wanted. I became loyal to the Tanzini name and loved every moment of it. It felt just like it did in the old days. Eventually I would go on to be left the family name despite jealousy and bullshit from others before Tom passed away.

I always did my best to represent Tanzini well, to make Tom proud but Izzys new game, mafiareturns :) had finally opened and .org was over ran with randoming and idiots. So I left to join some old friends in a new (but familiar) mafia world. But like many friends before I grew up. I got married, had my first child, I would pop on once a year or so just to play and catch up with old timers still around but nothing too memorable. A few CL runs, a few hand positions, but mostly I've always came back for the friends and the nostalgia.

I started doing music full time a few years back, started back to being a druggy and alcoholic. Was part of what I did but almost ruined my life. I have a wife now that loves me, I have four children that I adore and despite my best efforts I am not a rock star. I overdosed twice and nearly, idiotically killed myself on accident a few more times. I played here and there throughout this time in recent years. But real life was hectic, 98% of the people I called friends were gone and I was a different person. Music now is something I do for fun, I took a full time job in an occupation outside of music finally so I could focus on being a father, a husband and for the first time in 12 years, just be myself.

This all leads me to a close. I still think fondly of many of you, I still on occasion sit and recall the old days. And truth be told I needed closure on a long chapter of my life I gave so much to and that gave me a lot in return. I made a lot of friends throughout the years, did a lot of cool things. Never let it not be known that I miss you who this holds true to and that I will always cherish the relationships we created.

Izzy thank you for this world to escape harsh reality. Thank you to everyone who has ever coded, donated or worked as an admin. You guys created a haven for people like me. I will always cherish my time here and afar and all of you.

This is my final goodbye, my final character.

Thank you to all who have read.

Goodbye,

tony_capone
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Love you TC

~ginsters

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Best of luck. 

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I'll let RTL know. 

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Heh, that actually gave me goose bumps.

 

Good luck in life fella.

 

Heh, I can imagine logging back on in another 10 years and still seeing some old faces knocking around. 

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Thanks to all so far. If you know someone who knew me share the link. I'll be around for a bit longer to say goodbyes.

TC
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Wow some of those names are a blast from the past.

Good luck in life chap.
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You will always hold a special place in my heart Justin. Take care main.
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We both started playing around the same time & we are similar ages. I remember being part of a couple of Tanzini crews in the past. An interesting read. I wish you all the best for the future, tony!
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tony_capone, its been great having you over these years, and it was pretty awesome reading your back story. I hope you stop in and give us an update every now and then. :)

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I can't say that it's always been sunshine and roses for our friendship, but I wouldn't trade a moment of it. You taught me so much more than I could ever explain. I have always counted on the fact that you would pop in now and then. To know that I can't count on that any longer, literally breaks my heart. I adore you tc. Thank you for everything. <3
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Ill miss you buddy!!

FridgeRevenge/ jtlh/ many other names!

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