Naraku was on a stroll through the North End of Chicago, thinking to himself. He had been reminiscing of times past. He remembered looking into his fathers journal, grandfathers, etc. and finding old grudges that were past down from generation to generation. He remembered losing family members that lost their lives for doing their job, or were just plain stabbed in the back.  He finds the nearst thing resembling a stage, lights a cigarette and whistles so loud, that it could be heard  5 blocks away. As soon as he sees the crowd gathering around him he clears his throat and begins to speak. 

" Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gents. I will not be long winded and take up more than 5 - 10 minutes of your time."

Naraku paused for a minute to collect his thoughts and took a drag off his cigarette.

" I was walking down the fine streets of Chicago thinking to myself and a thought dawned on me. To often, we as mobsters hold grudges against others that are often past down from generation to generation, and doesnt get laid to rest until revenge is taken and the score is settled. This often clouds our judgement and could also explain some of the Rogues we have seen as of late. my father and Grandfathers past, were guilty of this. I have seen way to often, friendships get busted over grudges. People get shot because they brag about how they are gonna get revenge come hell or high water."

Naraku takes a breath for a moment, puts out his cigarette out and then finishes what he has to say

" As for myself, I have decided that its time to end the grudges that should have went to the grave with my grandfathers and father past. Its just not worth it, in my opinion. Im sick of reading street posts of people bitching that they died, whether its war or otherwise. When we joined our respective families, no, when we got off the ship that landed on our shores, what we as mobsters were getting into. Death is a part of life that we must expect and accept."

"So with that said, I leave you all with these two questions....   Is it worth holding that grudge or that vendetta? Why not just leave the past where it belongs and just make the next account better than the last?"

Naraku grabs his beer and waits for the opinions from the masses.

Walking down the street minding his own business trying to get back to the HQ to inform the Spunkfather about urgent matters afghan hears some commotion going on about grudges. He decided to approach and let his thoughts be heard on the subject matter.

Personally, I don't think it is worth making your grudges publicly known. We have all seen where a grudge that was made public is always the aiming point for numerous comments about being upset and that you should just get over it or what the fuck did you expect when your family joined a life of crime. However, if your line is around here long enough you will more than likely have a good reason at one point in another to hold a grudge over another line. If they killed your mother, father, brother or any other family member that could result in a grudge for generations to come. We have seen many family lines on these shores and shores far and wide shoot it out for generations to come over killings of each others family members and even stupid petty disputes. I personally have no issue with them, if someone kills someone in your line and you want to make it right that is on you to do so. It could very well mean that you have to take some rogue actions which could hurt your reputation for a few generations to come but if you feel like that is what makes right right then that is on you to do so. So to answer your question, yes in some cases it is worth holding on to a grudge it makes things a little more interesting but making it publicly known usually doesn't do yourself any good especially directly following one of your lines deaths. 

Archy was listening carefully to the situation, he was impressed by Rangarok's words, but he couldn't expect less anyway from the guy.

To be honest I've to agree myself that revenge gets you no where, it's a lethal weapon that's one day gonna turn onto you. I am not saying so because of the incident with Ragnarok's bloodline but holding grudges never lead anyone to greatness. Not a single one of us, can deny that. A lot of our bloodlines have been targeted more than once, but those who think it wisely, decide to move on and build their own repetition. Or that's what Astro would do...

Archy smiles as he winks at Astro behind him.

Kale pushed her hood back as she listened. She was preparing to speak up on this. Her line had much experience with grudges and how holding them was more of a problem for her ancestors.

Well I have been trying to drop my ancestors grudges for quite some time. I must agree with Ragnarok though, it depends on what the grievance was. I find that dishonesty is one of the things my line is most unforgiving about. I can handle death myself, after all we all eventually will die and our next of kin will pick up and carry on. But liars? They make me seethe with anger.

I can recognize myself that grudges are not helpful to growing and bettering myself as a mobster in this lifetime. I try to push away from that nonsense if I can. To me, it is just not worth it.

Kale finished speaking and pulled her hood back up. The night air was frigid and she was just about ready to search for a restaurant nearby.

Now butter my butt and call me a biscuit! I didn’t know I was walkin’ into my grandmama’s tea party where we hold hands, say a prayer and gossip about so and so. I’m fairly certain that havin’ grudges around these parts is a good thing or at least entertain’. Our lives would just be so borin’ if we all got a long with each other. 

Magnolia paused for a moment and as she did she noticed a man in the crowd with a look in his eye like she was actually a biscuit and he wanted to eat her. She averted her eyes from him quickly and got to gettin. 

Grudges kind of come with the territory in the business we fine folks find ourselves in. We are mean, we are dirty well some of us are…

Magnolia looked at her flawless nails for a moment and remembered how long she had done her hair that morning.

...and we take what we want with no apologies. Part of the motivation we get to act the way we act comes from grudges. If someone starts movin’ in on my Boss’ or even my Godfather’s territory I suspect a grudge will form from the ill will startin’ up and my Boss will send that fellow swimmin’ with the fishes. We also see it when the next of kin come back and pick up their father’s work, they make keep a grudge against the man that killed their Daddy. Grudges are all around us and really just are apart of us. 

There’s two sides to each coin and to each story. Like Naraku said, a grudge can cloud someones mind, but at the same time if they are bein’ smart about it, it could keep them on their toes. Maybe the difference lies in where one man’s grudge lays. Is it with his potential enemy or is it with his family. I think if a man has a grudge against someone he’s suppose to be callin’ family, well, that’s simply a problem. This could fog up his decision makin’ when it comes to his own personal goals and what’s good for the greater good. If it’s a grudge against an enemy, that’s just bein’ smart. Forgive and forget? Let’s not be the old lady that healed the snake back to good health and then was surprised when the nasty thing bit her. That’s just plain dumb. 

Thinkin’ upon all of this I can’t just be runnin’ so quickly to the conclusion like ya’ll that grudges in a criminal man’s work is all that bad. I don’t think it’s healthy for a man to be over come with a grudge. That’s just not healthy. He should probably take a moment out of his day and go to his church and have a confessional with his preacher. But if he wants to use his grudge as just another motivational tool to get to the places he wants to be gettin’ to, can we really call a foul? 

Personally I’ve never had the need to carry around a grudge. My mama always told me to never do anythin’ that I can charm someone else into doin’ for me. This is why I believe God has blessed me with four brothers. Growin’ up they always took care of any person I had a problem with that could potentially had turned into a grudge. From that I’ve just been able to deal with people with my grace and charm and not let any hard feelings stick around for long. Anythin’ that slipped through my methods I confess to the Lord through my preacher and that just makes me feel like a rainbow after a rain storm, gettin’ all those ill feellins off my chest. Plus, it helps me from the temptation of sin! 

Personally I never hold grudges when my turn comes. My enemies had their reasons, and they won. But I will always return lol.

The way I see it, holding a grudge is pointless. If you aren't going to do anything about it apart from fester then it will just eat you up inside and make you look petty when you speak about it to others. If you are going to do something about it, then it just seems like a lot of effort for one shot. For example if you are holding a grudge over what you deem to be an bad reason for killing you. That person will be in a position of some sort of power. So immediately you are playing catch up with rank, couple that in with bodyguards and you have a long task ahead of you to gain your revenge. All that effort to kill one person and then die seems like a lot of hard work for nothing.

If someone has betrayed your trust in him/her/them or killed every friend/ally you have in this game, no matter how noble their reasons are, I am sure that most of you will do their best to make the particluar person/people pay for it. We are playing a mafia game afterall, in the world of mafia vendetta plays a key role as well as politics and future planning. 

So I don't understand what is all the fuss about.

" As for myself, I have decided that its time to end the grudges that should have went to the grave with my grandfathers and father past. Its just not worth it, in my opinion. Im sick of reading street posts of people bitching that they died, whether its war or otherwise. When we joined our respective families, no, when we got off the ship that landed on our shores, what we as mobsters were getting into. Death is a part of life that we must expect and accept."

"So with that said, I leave you all with these two questions....   Is it worth holding that grudge or that vendetta? Why not just leave the past where it belongs and just make the next account better than the last?"

It's an age-old question that has plagued our lands for many generations. Your father or mother has been killed by a rival mafioso, and so you approach these shores fueled with the hatred and longing to get your revenge on anyone and everyone involved in the murders. One the majority of these occasions, it takes time and effort to be able to get yourself in a position to kill your parents enemies. As time goes on, I feel that urge and desperation to take revenge thins out, at least it has done in my experience. Situations and circumstances change, you find yourself actually getting closer towards your enemy and more accepting of them, rather than further away and more angry.

Of course, the examples that I have briefly mentioned are not situations that apply to us all, but it's a regular occurrence that I have seen take place and can only fathom that they correlate with one another.

For myself, revenge and vendettas are way over hyped and reaping the rewards is becoming less and less frequent. However, if you do find yourself in power one day and you have the target firmly in your line of sight, who am I to tell you not to take the shot?

Chris listens to the responses so far and thinks for a moment. It is the age old story, people looking revenge for some past injustice, perceived or actual. Convinced that he has his thoughts in order, Chris speaks.

Naraku, you bring up an interesting question and the Rock would be glad to share his thoughts with you. The Rock is no stranger to grudges. Some of the greatest fights in the Rock's life have been grudge matches. But then again, so have some of the worst. The Rock will freely admit that although his family is one of the oldest to walk these streets, his ancestors have also fallen victim to their desire for revenge. The very first ancestor of The Rock's to walk this path, back in that distant land called Dot Org had a falling out with one of his fellow family members. This falling out escalated to the point that they were threatening to kill each other. Finally my Ancestor's now sworn enemy ran to his CL to try and get help. That CL killed my Ancestor, one Benito Tiscalli, and his sworn enemy. Summary justice, no questions asked, no attempt to discover the origins of the row, no attempt to mediate, just two bullets. His son took this very badly, and so began a vendetta that lasted many more years than it should have. Starting with his son, Carlo Tiscalli, The Great one's family did everything possible to see the perceived transgressor and his descendants brought down time and time again. They used every method at their disposal, espionage, faking wack statements, bribery, outright murder, hitlisting and their friends strengths.

This went on as The Rock has said for far too many years, across many different lands, and even followed the Great One's family to this land. It was only 4 years ago that my ancestor finally approached the descendant of this man, admitted the lengths that he and his ancestors had gone too to destroy him and his family. 10 years of vengeance finally came to an end in that instance. Our families have never worked together since then, they have never been friends, but neither have they set out to destroy each other.

Today, the Great one, the most Electrifying man in all of Mafia Land still seeks vengeance, but its altogether on a smaller scale. No longer does the Rock look to lay the smackdown on the candy asses of any jabroni who crosses him along with every one of their descendants, no, now it ends with the generation at hand. The Rock lives by the old country motto, "If I Live, I will kill you. If I Die, You are forgiven."
 

Conor_McGregor is strolling through the streets when he overheard a wonderful conversation regarding grudges. Not having much else to do between hangovers, he straightened his slate grey suit and walked into the crowd to give his opinion.

What do grudges get a person? Generally in most circumstances, a bullet between the eyes. If you harbor a grudge, you're going to be limited, you're not going to be able to perform at your highest capability. That little grudge will be in the back of your mind the entire time.

Example; your father is gunned down and you discover his body. There's a note left in a distinct handwriting, and you are able to decipher the killer. From that moment, you swear revenge, and thus the grudge is born. Throughout the rest of your life, you become obsessed with that revenge, obsessed with the killer. It would functionally be impossible to fully concentrate on anything else. You're always going to have that one section of your mind bordered off, and therefore never able to unleash your full potential. 

In conclusion, grudges are never worth it to me for one simple reason, it holds you back. I prefer to try to be the best I can be everyday. If I'm holding grudges, that isn't possible. Why not utilize your full potential if you have the option? Anything else is completely irrational. 

Conor_McGregor shakes his head realizing that he is sober, and tips his hat to the crowd, rushing off to get drunk once again.

Daemon was out and about in his usual business rounds when he came across this discussion about grudges. As he stops to listen, he watches various people express their mixed opinions about it. He had half a mind to withdraw himself from the scene, but he he decides to pitch in his two cents anyway. He clears his throat.

"I'm surprised this topic still lingers around. I've heard many stories of the same brought up before, but swiftly dismissed as childish, ignorant behavior. To be quite frank, I feel that it is too. But then again, it would depend on how far the grudge extends."

He sighs. He had had far too many experiences of that sort of thing.

"Well I've known people who hold grudges over generations and that shit is downright retarded, I tell ya. If you're mad at someone just because his father or grandfather wronged you, then you my friend, need some serious medical attention. Is it that person's fault that they were born to his parents? I can throw the term 'bloodlining' around a bit but then again, I'd rather not stir the pot too much. In my opinion, if one cannot be held accountable for his forefather's actions, then grudges can't be held for the same either.

But what if the said person directly wronged your father, or his father before. Say he was the reason for the death of your parents, or loved ones. When the stakes are as such, I can't really question your reasoning. Some say that it's foolish and will not get you anywhere in this part of the world. But would that really stop you? It eventually tallies up to what you value more: revenge, or your life."

BlackBlack approaches the crowd that is gathered in North Side and listens to Naraku speak. BlackBlack lights up his own cigarette and smokes it while considering the sentiment of the statements made. He steps forward and clears his throat:

"Naraku, you pose two very very interesting questions. I don't doubt that everybody will have their own very very different opinions on this. First off, I will start by saying that the answer to both of your questions is not one for the community as a whole, rather one for each individual. Conflicts between bloodlines has its own place in our world and will always exist. The simple fact of the matter is that without conflicts such as these, there would be no point in us all wrestling for power. It would be a truly peaceful community for the vast majority of the time. However, with all of this being said, my bloodline has been around for some time in our world and I am not aware of anyone in it who has held a grudge against another. As you will be able to see in the letter left by the late BlackJack, my bloodline strongly believes in protecting its reputation rather than avenging its enemies."

BlackBlack takes a step back and disappears back into the crowd.

I have noticed that alot of people who hold grudges very close to their heart when it comes to the death of their bloodlines, tend to be the same people that cause their own self-destruction especially when they make their feelings known in the streets that they talk in, and it is so exact people's son's and daughters that come back to whine and complain about how they were done so wrongly.

In the end they just make their own bloodlines look sad and depressed due to them always crying about what has happened to them instead of just getting themselves together and trying to become better then those before them.

 

BloodSport	None	Suburbs, CH	Boss	Dead	Jan 09, '15 09:03	Feb 03, '15 14:10
Veritas	Barry	Brooklyn, NY	Made Man	Dead	Jan 21, '15 13:46	Feb 03, '15 14:03

Today we laid witness to old grudges resurfacing again. And for what? The sins, whatever they maybe, of Veritas have washed away over time. Yet, to Bloodsport, those grudges hadn't faded away. He took Veritas life for whatever reasons. In doing so, Bloodsport forfeited his life. What did this really accomplish? Is the grudge over with? Will this continue in the future? These are questions that all us have, but know we will never receive answers too.

It didn't really accomplish much in the sense that it gave any positive result. It resulted in the death of my Family's RHM and the death of a Boss from the Suburbs. There are indeed questions, but seeing as the kin of BloodSport has made an announcement regarding his reasons and his bloodline's ultimate retirement from the game, we shouldn't be looking for answers too much.