sugarvalves [1963573] —
Original article
Ralucakiss84 only arrived in Torn City on February 24th 2015, so you may wonder why such a green-horned youngster is deserving of their own Tornography. After all, in recent weeks we've interviewed faction big wigs, trading gurus and other high-profile citizens. So why should such a newbie be given a whole article when there are many respected veterans we've yet to interview?
Well, it's a fact that in the short time Ralucakiss84 has been here she's made more of an impact than peers several times her age - and this can be construed as both a positive and a negative.
Let's begin with her economic achievements, legal or otherwise. Raluca's astonishingly successful bazaar has seen 58,977 customers purchase 4,688,860 items for a total income of $1,011,446,701,042. On 1st May 2017, this gave Ralucakiss84 a networth of $165,032,025,768, making her 37th richest in Torn and the youngest in the Top 100 by some margin.
And if you haven't traded with Raluca, she's probably taken cash from you anyway. Raluca has relieved Torn citizens of $34,891,089,524 through mugging (19th highest), at an average of around $44million per day - a figure which goes some way to explaining why she is also the most bountied person in Torn City history.
Ralucakiss84 has received 7,019 bounties as of today, and this puts her 788 bounties ahead of her closest rival for this most unwanted record. When Raluca and I began talking in January 2017 she was 3rd in the list, and her rise to the top just proves how divisive a character she is. In the 776 days she's been here Raluca's made 899 friends (2nd highest) and 661 enemies (15th highest); in doing so becoming one of Torn City's most active, effective and antagonistic inhabitants.
So what is her story? Where, or rather who, have all these bounties come from? And where will Ralucakiss84 go from here?
"The person who bountie me is a pissed off old man which I mugged after a poker timeout with 3 months before. He was fedded in the past for RMT, have 3 times more enemies than friends and don't train very much. So he use his funds with bounties. He also pays people to bountie me, abusing the bountie system. Also telling lies, insults and so on... I mugged him 2 times very fair poker timeout (45m) and random mug after I saw he sold some stuf (15m). Now he spent over 3b to bountie me."
The person Raluca is referring to is Marshmalllow, who she accuses of setting up poker tables with minimum and maximum amounts in order to mug them. When a player visits Marshmalllow's table with more money than allowed, they cannot join, and then he allegedly shakes them down. Raluca says she was a victim of this, and that she mugged Marshmalllow in revenge after he timed out of another poker match.
Marshmalllow agreed with this version of events but claims that the money he lost to Raluca was of little or no significance.
"He mugged me when I timed out poker - but I regained my mugged cash over 10 times when he lost 500 m back to me in 5 mins. I still told him either you return 50 m now or ill bounty u permanently and the settlement cost will then be more he said he will spend permanently but won't pay so be it."
Most people would be content to know that they had recouped their losses and then some, but Marshmalllow is not most people. And in response to Raluca's refusal to pay up, he began paying people to bounty her, in addition to placing his own daily slew of paid-for hits.
But according to Raluca, Marshmalllow's response went even further, as she accuses him of paying people to slander her good name in trade chat.
"His name is Marshmalllow a big lier who paid people to say bad things about me in trade chat, pays people to like his threads, to bountie me and so on. He is a bad person, a coward and a real money trader. Just check his history."
I must first point out that the RMT accusations against Marshmalllow proved unfounded, but three citizens who have asked to remain anonymous have provided me with evidence that someone had indeed paid them to sully Raluca's reputation. The going rate was $75k per message, but if Marshmalllow was behind this, he was doing it via a third party.
"The few messages I posted in trade chat about ralucakiss were paid, and they were from an entity that wasn't marshmallow (they wish to stay anon). They were paying me 75k per message, but quickly called it off after I posted a few. I have no idea why. I was paid to say stuff like "ralukiss84 is a scammer / buy-mugger".
So what is the truth? Every time we see someone slandering Raluca in the forums are we to assume that the comment is false and was paid for? Not necessarily, for Raluca freely admits that she has, is and will continue to be an enthusiastic proponent of buy mugging.
"I think almost everyone did a buy mug in this game, if you buy a very expensive item you want a little discount. But better ask him about buy/mugging he was a desperate buy mugger in his beginning and I have people who can confirm that. So I still don't understand what is his problem with my money mugged. It's a matter of principle."
"Buy/mugging is a business, cancelling a trade and mug after is a scam I don't scam people. Yes, I buy mug from time to time and sometimes bounties are good for defends and to level up. People with money or stats doesn't really care about bounties."
So brazen is Raluca in her underhand exploits that she has actively sought help in the forums when one of her buy-mugs didn't go as expected. But this knowledge is nothing new; buy muggers have to be bold, because if you choose such to operate in this way, then you will eventually be exposed. Buy mugging is not to everyone's tastes, but there is no escaping from the fact that it is a legitimate way of earning cash in Torn City. And it is something that Raluca does extremely well. Or at least she used to.
"I mug also when people sell big and land, after RR wins, poker timeouts, it's not only buy-mugging. For example my best mug is when someone won the slots jackpot and I was pretty fast to check the last winners and to mug him first. In mugging there is competition sometimes. I am not mugging very much nowadays, I also prefer to train."
A quick look at her money mugged graph tells me otherwise - she's taken over a billion dollars in mugs since that particular conversation - but I'd be lying if I said I expected Raluca to be completely honest with me.
Yet in spite of her reputation, warranted though it may be, the one area in which Raluca hasn't suffered much is in trading. Her bazaar is ridiculously successful for someone of her age, as we can observe by comparing her efforts to those of Hopslam, whom I interviewed for the previous Tornography two weeks ago.
Raluca's bazaar has taken in 58% of the customers, 96% of the sales and 80% of the profit acquired by Hopslam's bazaar, but she's done it in 23% of the time. This should in no way be construed as a slight upon Hopslam's achievements - he is and remains one of Torn City's greatest traders, if not the greatest - but this comparison just goes to show the astonishing progress made by Raluca in the short time she's been here.
"I started like a poor girl with no idea of the game, searched the dump, reselled lots of cheap items, watched the market 12h a day, started a 1* sweet shop, rented a ranch, trained with LSD and candies, mugged people for 1m. It was a hard work."
"My bazaar is successful because I keep it successful, I work at prices. I was mugged more than 20 times per day in my beginning having the best bazaar in the city with months. I didn't said something or post on forums like others. Usually I don't have time for too many talks I'm focused more on business."
"Activity means power, understanding the market means to be successful."
Hopslam and Raluca's styles could not be more different. Whereas Hopslam conducts himself with dignity, honour and grace, Raluca thinks nothing of trading with someone, beating them up and rifling through their pockets moments later. But there are many ways to achieve success in Torn City, and Raluca is simply choosing a different path to most. Her bazaar profits undoubtedly owe as much to her illicit acquisition of mugged cash as they do to her skills, but that's the way it should be.
Nobody in this city can expect success just for being kind, smart or organised. In a place like this, being a bastard should bring its rewards. That being said, if you go too far, you can and will be punished.
"Raluca is a dream player for any respectable faction. Stats growing super fast, money growing quick, and active 12 hours a day on torn, an absolute dream player. I thought what is the reason why these respectable guys don't want him in their faction? It's the attitude problem. If you have the wrong attitude in life or anywhere you are sure to get rejected or repelled sooner or later."
The above quote came from the aforementioned Marshmalllow, so his words must be taken with a pinch of salt - a substance he appears most familiar with. But it does seem that there's some truth in what he says about his rival's faction situation, as Raluca admits herself.
"In some factions were people which I mugged or I wasn't in mode to war for them. Also the hater Marshmalllow mailed leaders, obviously."
At this point of the article, I intended on publishing a leaked faction message given to me by Marshmalllow, which had been sent to him by The Equalizer 3 United leader The_Bull. This message, which I agreed to redact from this piece, covered the expulsion of Ralucakiss84 from EQ3U in early April. However, due to the harsh nature of The_Bull's language, he requested a chance to offer a more moderated commentary on the events which led to Raluca's removal.
And because I am really nice, I allowed it.
"Ralucakiss has, or had, a good relationship with at least one of our high-level members, and he vouched for them to be admitted into our faction. Normally, we take a person's enemy count into consideration, and Ralucakiss' enemy count was considerable. But, with the recommendation, we accepted conditionally. The conditions were that she/he behave, meaning no mugging/attacking of members, possible restitution to our members for past muggings, and following faction rules, especially during war periods. Also, I wanted them to explain in a post how she/he had mended ways, and were going to be a productive member of our faction."
The_Bull and his faction had some reservations over Raluca, but they gave her a chance under certain conditions. The_Bull even received anonymous warnings about Raluca, but after weighing it up, EQ3U decided she was worth the risk. So why was Raluca kicked from the faction just a short while later?
"The same thing that has annoyed all of his/her 300+ enemies, in that they buy/mug. The annoying thing to me, personally, was the pompous attitude when given the chance to redeem themselves. Instead, she/he explained that our faction was lucky to have them as a member now, as they do not mug faction members, and that we ALL should be grateful that ralucakiss had grace our faction with her/his presence."
"Yes, I realized that there was possibly a touch of facetiousness in the post, but the timing was horrible. I love playful banter between members, but when you are explaining to the entire faction why we should accept you, it is best not to be boastful and condescending. I was actually livid when I read ralucakiss response, and kicked them immediately. Yes, it was a rash decision, but a just one, I think."
Despite these comments, The_Bull was highly complimentary about Raluca in spite of her obvious problems with authority.
"On the other hand, ralucakiss has not broken any Torn rules, or they would have promptly been thrown into the federal jail. And her/his progression has been amazing, and quite possibly be one of the most meteoric rises in Torn history."
Raluca's buy mugging is something which is unlikely to change, regardless of which faction she is affiliated with. And such a practice will always grate with a few people out of every group, especially if they are your current or former victims. However, Raluca's faction problems seem to stem mostly from her unwillingness to war and her attitude - problems which could easily be ironed out if someone were to take her under their wing. What Raluca needs is someone to guide her through Torn, someone to utilise her talents and encourage her enthusiasm while rounding off a few of her edges.
Step forward dunmugmeh, who seems to be the reliable, patient mentor Ralucakiss84 so sorely needs.
"Yes, dunmugmeh is an awesome leader. We are friends."
Dunmugmeh is known for taking talented young citizens under his wing, and when his own Tornography is released in the near future we shall find out exactly why he enjoys providing this service. But while the Elysium leader had a few words of warning for his latest young charge, it's clear from his comments that he believes Ralucakiss84 has immense potential.
"I have known him since about a month after he started playing. He is a very good player and eager to learn and his earning a lot of money from his tradings as well. But it isnt all rosy. He argues a lot with people and he's a massive buy mugger."
"He plays to make himself stronger. I don't think he helps anyone out much like I do. He will be a BIG player in a couple of years assuming he doesn't get fedded for all the arguing. His unpopularity is mainly due to the buy mugging, but he doesn't pay too well for the stuff he buys he's pretty ruthless."
"Give it another couple of years and he could be a big name. He's my little pet who I have known ever since he started playing the game. He's eventually going to grow into a tiger."
Dunmugmeh went on to describe how Raluca has found it difficult to secure a decent faction with the specials she requires, and that she fits in with Elysium because they aren't too interested in warring. But if a recent forum post is anything to go by, it seems that dunmugmeh has had to defend Raluca's presence in his faction repeatedly, as well as having to reign her in when her past indiscretions were revealed.
In a thread whose subject was the most liked and disliked factions, dunmugmeh was forced to explain his decision, and from the way the conversation panned out, we can surmise that he ordered his faction recruit to repay one or more citizens for various unreported crimes. One hopes that his advice and support may finally be sinking in to the young firebrand. Nevertheless, Dunmugmeh has put his neck, thighs, spine and gall bladder on the line to help Ralucakiss on several occasions, so clearly, he must see something special in her.
But such proclamations will do nothing to assuage the concerns of the Torn masses, who believe Raluca to be a scammer, a buy mugger and worst of all a whiner. The one thing Torn universally accepts is that complaining is intolerable; although, it must be noted that the majority of complaints made publically by Raluca have concerned her repeated bountying by Marshmalllow. And in recent weeks even these posts have been curtailed, despite Marshmalllow going to extreme lengths to provoke her.
Marshmalllow's bounties have been stacking up since August 2016, so I wondered what kind of effect this constant attention had on Raluca's daily life.
"A typical day means training, trading, stocks, gambling, mugging, talking with friends and new people. Usually, I'm attacked 20 times a day but depends by others activity."
"When I wish I can play the game because I have good friends who revive me, but I think a bountie limit should be set (for example no. of bounties received per player at 500 per month), need to work similar like mug protection. Because otherwise a rich player can place easily thousands of bounties on another without problem and the cost should be doubled according to Torn economy where almost all people are billionaire."
Raluca seems concerned that this bounty situation could spiral out of control, and that both she and others could end up in trouble if bounties were allowed to continue as they are (the recent bounty changes seem to have made things easier). When I asked her tormentor what this meant, Marshmalllow took these comments as a sign that Raluca is starting to crack.
"He probably can't believe I can keep going on like this for so long now. Proud is the wrong word. I feel nice I can keep silly people like him constantly in hospital. I think I have personally put close to 4k bounties on raluca till date and obviously rising daily. i have not taken any break from bountying him and i dont plan to either."
"Firstly - he is online close to 12 hours a day, and if he is wasting 12 hours of his real life by just seeing white all the time it's not really worth it. I feel people play any online game to enjoy all aspects of it and not this way but i guess he likes it this way."
"Secondly - i think my strategy is clear for now just 24 x 7 x 365 bounty for him. it actually has worked. he tried to join many respectable factions after this new upgrade tree came out and either his application got rejected or he got kicked out of them in a few days."
"Thirdly - before I started bounty on him I had told him return my 40m or you will face 24 x 7 bounty ( maybe he thought I was joking ) i am not sure what he thought .. but he said ill continuously spend money but not return you..so its acceptable to me."
Marshmalllow thinks that Raluca's ego will prevent her from exposing her frustration at his bountying, but I don't believe that these bounties affect Raluca in the slightest. Bounties are an ineffective method of hurting an opponent as wealthy and strong as Raluca, and I fear Marshmalllow has vastly overestimated the effect his actions are having; as Raluca herself reveals.
"Minor irritation, they don't affect my real life. Bounties helps with missions, critical hits, leveling up. I don't turn people against Marshmalllow, I don't use my time in this sense like him. I think he will bountie me for how long he will play the game or when he will grow up and will see it's a waste of time and money. I don't have any plans with him, he was a non-value on market and did this bountie thing to get some attention."
Marshmalllow told me how he'd successfully bountied two other players out of Torn City for their indiscretions against him, and it seems that his prior successes may be warping his judgement somewhat. Raluca can easily survive these hits, and what's more is that her networth will continue to rise regardless. Conversely, Marshmalllow's wealth has plateaued due to his obsession with Raluca, so with two equally stubborn people involved, how will this conflict end?
Raluca doesn't seem to know, and nor does she seem to care either.
"I don't know how will end, looks like he want to burn lots of cash for that mug. Usually people use money to train he use them to bountie, this is the reason why he become weaker. Marshmalllow was the one who ignored me first, if he hadn't such a big mouth I should send him back but he made it difficult started with lies about me and so on. Now, I just like to see him how he spend the money with bounties."
"For example I sent 50m to someone who sent me a Palace, if someone is nice I should send money back but if is aggresive I won't send money back, strength doesn't matter. Noone give hard worked money away, maybe people who wish to leave the game. I can do charitable things but not to give up money without reason."
I don't believe that Raluca regrets her decision to refuse to pay back 50million, despite the amount it has cost her in revives. Nor can I be certain if Marshmalllow regrets beginning this feud, despite the fact it will almost certainly cripple him financially. But with neither side backing down I have a feeling this quarrel may go on for a while yet. Whether such altercations come to define Raluca's time in Torn I do not know, but it certainly seems likely given her behaviour.
Someone who buy mugs and mugs their faction mates is going to make a lot of enemies in Torn, but what many don't know is that Raluca maintains a secret list of people she won't mug under any circumstances. This list includes trading partners, employees and frequent revivers, and I can't help but think this is a very unique way to exist. Raluca has found a core group of people she can rely on and basically said to hell with the rest. If you're not on her list, you are fair game.
It works for her, but would she recommend it to others?
"I'm not sure if my playing style is the best but can help to build up your character. The astonishing progress makes enemies, haters. I prefer just to let them talk, it's too much time wasted to make a conversation with them."
And she's not joking. In fact, Raluca barely has time for regular conversation with her partner MAD. And even when they do talk, it's almost always about business.
"Most conversations are business related but you can get her to relax to a game of chess from time to time.Raluca is a great friend wife and business partner but you do have to be on your best game to get the best deal while bartering with her. Raluca has her own way about her very goal orientated."
Unfortunately, being married to someone as divisive as Raluca comes with its own set of problems. MAD has received a handful of bounties due to his association, and he has also been sent anonymous messages demanding that he divorce his partner of nearly two years. MAD says that he can cope with both of these things and that his faction mates in the 39th Street Killers are able to offer protection when needed. But when I asked MAD why Raluca had failed to gain acceptance into a major faction as he had, MAD was surprisingly candid in his response.
"Honestly she is too much about #1 IMO. Top factions require putting self goals aside for the common interest of the group."
Considering Raluca's penchant for reactionary behaviour, MAD's honesty seems incredibly risky. Let's hope it doesn't lead to divorce!
Not that this would hinder Raluca's progress; because with so much under her belt already in just two short years, where she'll be in another two is anyone's guess. Top of the rich list or rotting in federal jail - both are equally likely. Yet, for all her perceived arrogance and abrasiveness, when you penetrate her harsh exterior, it becomes clear that Raluca knows her place in the world of Torn City.
"I'm good in game, but its not my ambition to be the gretest and moreover its almost impossible. There are lots of dedicated players who play the game from many years."
There's no doubt that Raluca rubs many people up the wrong way, but in Torn, if you're not annoying someone then you're living in the wrong city. Her detractors understandably complain of her underhand tactics, but have the people here forgotten what this place is all about? Raluca is a villain of the highest order, and she absolutely revels in that fact. Maybe she'll listen to dunmugmeh and tone things down as time goes on, but I hope she doesn't dilute herself too much.
Because let's be honest, who hasn't enjoyed seeing Marshmalllow flounder as he attempts to break down a brick wall with a potato gun. This pair may be criminals, scammers, buy muggers or whatever you want to call them, but one thing is for sure; Raluca is winning. She has her own individual way of playing, her own way of treating other people, and personally, I'd rather see Torn full to the brim with bad apples like her. Because bad apples make cider, cider gets you drunk, being drunk is reckless, dangerous and fun; and that's how Torn should be.
This approach won't work for everyone because most people aren't capable of such cold-hearted ruthlessness on a daily basis. But Ralucakiss84 is capable, very capable, and the rewards she's gained by her wanton bastardry tell us one simple truth about living in Torn City.
If you're gonna be bad, it pays to be good at it.
Well, it's a fact that in the short time Ralucakiss84 has been here she's made more of an impact than peers several times her age - and this can be construed as both a positive and a negative.
Let's begin with her economic achievements, legal or otherwise. Raluca's astonishingly successful bazaar has seen 58,977 customers purchase 4,688,860 items for a total income of $1,011,446,701,042. On 1st May 2017, this gave Ralucakiss84 a networth of $165,032,025,768, making her 37th richest in Torn and the youngest in the Top 100 by some margin.
And if you haven't traded with Raluca, she's probably taken cash from you anyway. Raluca has relieved Torn citizens of $34,891,089,524 through mugging (19th highest), at an average of around $44million per day - a figure which goes some way to explaining why she is also the most bountied person in Torn City history.
Ralucakiss84 has received 7,019 bounties as of today, and this puts her 788 bounties ahead of her closest rival for this most unwanted record. When Raluca and I began talking in January 2017 she was 3rd in the list, and her rise to the top just proves how divisive a character she is. In the 776 days she's been here Raluca's made 899 friends (2nd highest) and 661 enemies (15th highest); in doing so becoming one of Torn City's most active, effective and antagonistic inhabitants.
So what is her story? Where, or rather who, have all these bounties come from? And where will Ralucakiss84 go from here?
"The person who bountie me is a pissed off old man which I mugged after a poker timeout with 3 months before. He was fedded in the past for RMT, have 3 times more enemies than friends and don't train very much. So he use his funds with bounties. He also pays people to bountie me, abusing the bountie system. Also telling lies, insults and so on... I mugged him 2 times very fair poker timeout (45m) and random mug after I saw he sold some stuf (15m). Now he spent over 3b to bountie me."
The person Raluca is referring to is Marshmalllow, who she accuses of setting up poker tables with minimum and maximum amounts in order to mug them. When a player visits Marshmalllow's table with more money than allowed, they cannot join, and then he allegedly shakes them down. Raluca says she was a victim of this, and that she mugged Marshmalllow in revenge after he timed out of another poker match.
Marshmalllow agreed with this version of events but claims that the money he lost to Raluca was of little or no significance.
"He mugged me when I timed out poker - but I regained my mugged cash over 10 times when he lost 500 m back to me in 5 mins. I still told him either you return 50 m now or ill bounty u permanently and the settlement cost will then be more he said he will spend permanently but won't pay so be it."
Most people would be content to know that they had recouped their losses and then some, but Marshmalllow is not most people. And in response to Raluca's refusal to pay up, he began paying people to bounty her, in addition to placing his own daily slew of paid-for hits.
But according to Raluca, Marshmalllow's response went even further, as she accuses him of paying people to slander her good name in trade chat.
"His name is Marshmalllow a big lier who paid people to say bad things about me in trade chat, pays people to like his threads, to bountie me and so on. He is a bad person, a coward and a real money trader. Just check his history."
I must first point out that the RMT accusations against Marshmalllow proved unfounded, but three citizens who have asked to remain anonymous have provided me with evidence that someone had indeed paid them to sully Raluca's reputation. The going rate was $75k per message, but if Marshmalllow was behind this, he was doing it via a third party.
"The few messages I posted in trade chat about ralucakiss were paid, and they were from an entity that wasn't marshmallow (they wish to stay anon). They were paying me 75k per message, but quickly called it off after I posted a few. I have no idea why. I was paid to say stuff like "ralukiss84 is a scammer / buy-mugger".
So what is the truth? Every time we see someone slandering Raluca in the forums are we to assume that the comment is false and was paid for? Not necessarily, for Raluca freely admits that she has, is and will continue to be an enthusiastic proponent of buy mugging.
"I think almost everyone did a buy mug in this game, if you buy a very expensive item you want a little discount. But better ask him about buy/mugging he was a desperate buy mugger in his beginning and I have people who can confirm that. So I still don't understand what is his problem with my money mugged. It's a matter of principle."
"Buy/mugging is a business, cancelling a trade and mug after is a scam I don't scam people. Yes, I buy mug from time to time and sometimes bounties are good for defends and to level up. People with money or stats doesn't really care about bounties."
So brazen is Raluca in her underhand exploits that she has actively sought help in the forums when one of her buy-mugs didn't go as expected. But this knowledge is nothing new; buy muggers have to be bold, because if you choose such to operate in this way, then you will eventually be exposed. Buy mugging is not to everyone's tastes, but there is no escaping from the fact that it is a legitimate way of earning cash in Torn City. And it is something that Raluca does extremely well. Or at least she used to.
"I mug also when people sell big and land, after RR wins, poker timeouts, it's not only buy-mugging. For example my best mug is when someone won the slots jackpot and I was pretty fast to check the last winners and to mug him first. In mugging there is competition sometimes. I am not mugging very much nowadays, I also prefer to train."
A quick look at her money mugged graph tells me otherwise - she's taken over a billion dollars in mugs since that particular conversation - but I'd be lying if I said I expected Raluca to be completely honest with me.
Yet in spite of her reputation, warranted though it may be, the one area in which Raluca hasn't suffered much is in trading. Her bazaar is ridiculously successful for someone of her age, as we can observe by comparing her efforts to those of Hopslam, whom I interviewed for the previous Tornography two weeks ago.
Raluca's bazaar has taken in 58% of the customers, 96% of the sales and 80% of the profit acquired by Hopslam's bazaar, but she's done it in 23% of the time. This should in no way be construed as a slight upon Hopslam's achievements - he is and remains one of Torn City's greatest traders, if not the greatest - but this comparison just goes to show the astonishing progress made by Raluca in the short time she's been here.
"I started like a poor girl with no idea of the game, searched the dump, reselled lots of cheap items, watched the market 12h a day, started a 1* sweet shop, rented a ranch, trained with LSD and candies, mugged people for 1m. It was a hard work."
"My bazaar is successful because I keep it successful, I work at prices. I was mugged more than 20 times per day in my beginning having the best bazaar in the city with months. I didn't said something or post on forums like others. Usually I don't have time for too many talks I'm focused more on business."
"Activity means power, understanding the market means to be successful."
Hopslam and Raluca's styles could not be more different. Whereas Hopslam conducts himself with dignity, honour and grace, Raluca thinks nothing of trading with someone, beating them up and rifling through their pockets moments later. But there are many ways to achieve success in Torn City, and Raluca is simply choosing a different path to most. Her bazaar profits undoubtedly owe as much to her illicit acquisition of mugged cash as they do to her skills, but that's the way it should be.
Nobody in this city can expect success just for being kind, smart or organised. In a place like this, being a bastard should bring its rewards. That being said, if you go too far, you can and will be punished.
"Raluca is a dream player for any respectable faction. Stats growing super fast, money growing quick, and active 12 hours a day on torn, an absolute dream player. I thought what is the reason why these respectable guys don't want him in their faction? It's the attitude problem. If you have the wrong attitude in life or anywhere you are sure to get rejected or repelled sooner or later."
The above quote came from the aforementioned Marshmalllow, so his words must be taken with a pinch of salt - a substance he appears most familiar with. But it does seem that there's some truth in what he says about his rival's faction situation, as Raluca admits herself.
"In some factions were people which I mugged or I wasn't in mode to war for them. Also the hater Marshmalllow mailed leaders, obviously."
At this point of the article, I intended on publishing a leaked faction message given to me by Marshmalllow, which had been sent to him by The Equalizer 3 United leader The_Bull. This message, which I agreed to redact from this piece, covered the expulsion of Ralucakiss84 from EQ3U in early April. However, due to the harsh nature of The_Bull's language, he requested a chance to offer a more moderated commentary on the events which led to Raluca's removal.
And because I am really nice, I allowed it.
"Ralucakiss has, or had, a good relationship with at least one of our high-level members, and he vouched for them to be admitted into our faction. Normally, we take a person's enemy count into consideration, and Ralucakiss' enemy count was considerable. But, with the recommendation, we accepted conditionally. The conditions were that she/he behave, meaning no mugging/attacking of members, possible restitution to our members for past muggings, and following faction rules, especially during war periods. Also, I wanted them to explain in a post how she/he had mended ways, and were going to be a productive member of our faction."
The_Bull and his faction had some reservations over Raluca, but they gave her a chance under certain conditions. The_Bull even received anonymous warnings about Raluca, but after weighing it up, EQ3U decided she was worth the risk. So why was Raluca kicked from the faction just a short while later?
"The same thing that has annoyed all of his/her 300+ enemies, in that they buy/mug. The annoying thing to me, personally, was the pompous attitude when given the chance to redeem themselves. Instead, she/he explained that our faction was lucky to have them as a member now, as they do not mug faction members, and that we ALL should be grateful that ralucakiss had grace our faction with her/his presence."
"Yes, I realized that there was possibly a touch of facetiousness in the post, but the timing was horrible. I love playful banter between members, but when you are explaining to the entire faction why we should accept you, it is best not to be boastful and condescending. I was actually livid when I read ralucakiss response, and kicked them immediately. Yes, it was a rash decision, but a just one, I think."
Despite these comments, The_Bull was highly complimentary about Raluca in spite of her obvious problems with authority.
"On the other hand, ralucakiss has not broken any Torn rules, or they would have promptly been thrown into the federal jail. And her/his progression has been amazing, and quite possibly be one of the most meteoric rises in Torn history."
Raluca's buy mugging is something which is unlikely to change, regardless of which faction she is affiliated with. And such a practice will always grate with a few people out of every group, especially if they are your current or former victims. However, Raluca's faction problems seem to stem mostly from her unwillingness to war and her attitude - problems which could easily be ironed out if someone were to take her under their wing. What Raluca needs is someone to guide her through Torn, someone to utilise her talents and encourage her enthusiasm while rounding off a few of her edges.
Step forward dunmugmeh, who seems to be the reliable, patient mentor Ralucakiss84 so sorely needs.
"Yes, dunmugmeh is an awesome leader. We are friends."
Dunmugmeh is known for taking talented young citizens under his wing, and when his own Tornography is released in the near future we shall find out exactly why he enjoys providing this service. But while the Elysium leader had a few words of warning for his latest young charge, it's clear from his comments that he believes Ralucakiss84 has immense potential.
"I have known him since about a month after he started playing. He is a very good player and eager to learn and his earning a lot of money from his tradings as well. But it isnt all rosy. He argues a lot with people and he's a massive buy mugger."
"He plays to make himself stronger. I don't think he helps anyone out much like I do. He will be a BIG player in a couple of years assuming he doesn't get fedded for all the arguing. His unpopularity is mainly due to the buy mugging, but he doesn't pay too well for the stuff he buys he's pretty ruthless."
"Give it another couple of years and he could be a big name. He's my little pet who I have known ever since he started playing the game. He's eventually going to grow into a tiger."
Dunmugmeh went on to describe how Raluca has found it difficult to secure a decent faction with the specials she requires, and that she fits in with Elysium because they aren't too interested in warring. But if a recent forum post is anything to go by, it seems that dunmugmeh has had to defend Raluca's presence in his faction repeatedly, as well as having to reign her in when her past indiscretions were revealed.
In a thread whose subject was the most liked and disliked factions, dunmugmeh was forced to explain his decision, and from the way the conversation panned out, we can surmise that he ordered his faction recruit to repay one or more citizens for various unreported crimes. One hopes that his advice and support may finally be sinking in to the young firebrand. Nevertheless, Dunmugmeh has put his neck, thighs, spine and gall bladder on the line to help Ralucakiss on several occasions, so clearly, he must see something special in her.
But such proclamations will do nothing to assuage the concerns of the Torn masses, who believe Raluca to be a scammer, a buy mugger and worst of all a whiner. The one thing Torn universally accepts is that complaining is intolerable; although, it must be noted that the majority of complaints made publically by Raluca have concerned her repeated bountying by Marshmalllow. And in recent weeks even these posts have been curtailed, despite Marshmalllow going to extreme lengths to provoke her.
Marshmalllow's bounties have been stacking up since August 2016, so I wondered what kind of effect this constant attention had on Raluca's daily life.
"A typical day means training, trading, stocks, gambling, mugging, talking with friends and new people. Usually, I'm attacked 20 times a day but depends by others activity."
"When I wish I can play the game because I have good friends who revive me, but I think a bountie limit should be set (for example no. of bounties received per player at 500 per month), need to work similar like mug protection. Because otherwise a rich player can place easily thousands of bounties on another without problem and the cost should be doubled according to Torn economy where almost all people are billionaire."
Raluca seems concerned that this bounty situation could spiral out of control, and that both she and others could end up in trouble if bounties were allowed to continue as they are (the recent bounty changes seem to have made things easier). When I asked her tormentor what this meant, Marshmalllow took these comments as a sign that Raluca is starting to crack.
"He probably can't believe I can keep going on like this for so long now. Proud is the wrong word. I feel nice I can keep silly people like him constantly in hospital. I think I have personally put close to 4k bounties on raluca till date and obviously rising daily. i have not taken any break from bountying him and i dont plan to either."
"Firstly - he is online close to 12 hours a day, and if he is wasting 12 hours of his real life by just seeing white all the time it's not really worth it. I feel people play any online game to enjoy all aspects of it and not this way but i guess he likes it this way."
"Secondly - i think my strategy is clear for now just 24 x 7 x 365 bounty for him. it actually has worked. he tried to join many respectable factions after this new upgrade tree came out and either his application got rejected or he got kicked out of them in a few days."
"Thirdly - before I started bounty on him I had told him return my 40m or you will face 24 x 7 bounty ( maybe he thought I was joking ) i am not sure what he thought .. but he said ill continuously spend money but not return you..so its acceptable to me."
Marshmalllow thinks that Raluca's ego will prevent her from exposing her frustration at his bountying, but I don't believe that these bounties affect Raluca in the slightest. Bounties are an ineffective method of hurting an opponent as wealthy and strong as Raluca, and I fear Marshmalllow has vastly overestimated the effect his actions are having; as Raluca herself reveals.
"Minor irritation, they don't affect my real life. Bounties helps with missions, critical hits, leveling up. I don't turn people against Marshmalllow, I don't use my time in this sense like him. I think he will bountie me for how long he will play the game or when he will grow up and will see it's a waste of time and money. I don't have any plans with him, he was a non-value on market and did this bountie thing to get some attention."
Marshmalllow told me how he'd successfully bountied two other players out of Torn City for their indiscretions against him, and it seems that his prior successes may be warping his judgement somewhat. Raluca can easily survive these hits, and what's more is that her networth will continue to rise regardless. Conversely, Marshmalllow's wealth has plateaued due to his obsession with Raluca, so with two equally stubborn people involved, how will this conflict end?
Raluca doesn't seem to know, and nor does she seem to care either.
"I don't know how will end, looks like he want to burn lots of cash for that mug. Usually people use money to train he use them to bountie, this is the reason why he become weaker. Marshmalllow was the one who ignored me first, if he hadn't such a big mouth I should send him back but he made it difficult started with lies about me and so on. Now, I just like to see him how he spend the money with bounties."
"For example I sent 50m to someone who sent me a Palace, if someone is nice I should send money back but if is aggresive I won't send money back, strength doesn't matter. Noone give hard worked money away, maybe people who wish to leave the game. I can do charitable things but not to give up money without reason."
I don't believe that Raluca regrets her decision to refuse to pay back 50million, despite the amount it has cost her in revives. Nor can I be certain if Marshmalllow regrets beginning this feud, despite the fact it will almost certainly cripple him financially. But with neither side backing down I have a feeling this quarrel may go on for a while yet. Whether such altercations come to define Raluca's time in Torn I do not know, but it certainly seems likely given her behaviour.
Someone who buy mugs and mugs their faction mates is going to make a lot of enemies in Torn, but what many don't know is that Raluca maintains a secret list of people she won't mug under any circumstances. This list includes trading partners, employees and frequent revivers, and I can't help but think this is a very unique way to exist. Raluca has found a core group of people she can rely on and basically said to hell with the rest. If you're not on her list, you are fair game.
It works for her, but would she recommend it to others?
"I'm not sure if my playing style is the best but can help to build up your character. The astonishing progress makes enemies, haters. I prefer just to let them talk, it's too much time wasted to make a conversation with them."
And she's not joking. In fact, Raluca barely has time for regular conversation with her partner MAD. And even when they do talk, it's almost always about business.
"Most conversations are business related but you can get her to relax to a game of chess from time to time.Raluca is a great friend wife and business partner but you do have to be on your best game to get the best deal while bartering with her. Raluca has her own way about her very goal orientated."
Unfortunately, being married to someone as divisive as Raluca comes with its own set of problems. MAD has received a handful of bounties due to his association, and he has also been sent anonymous messages demanding that he divorce his partner of nearly two years. MAD says that he can cope with both of these things and that his faction mates in the 39th Street Killers are able to offer protection when needed. But when I asked MAD why Raluca had failed to gain acceptance into a major faction as he had, MAD was surprisingly candid in his response.
"Honestly she is too much about #1 IMO. Top factions require putting self goals aside for the common interest of the group."
Considering Raluca's penchant for reactionary behaviour, MAD's honesty seems incredibly risky. Let's hope it doesn't lead to divorce!
Not that this would hinder Raluca's progress; because with so much under her belt already in just two short years, where she'll be in another two is anyone's guess. Top of the rich list or rotting in federal jail - both are equally likely. Yet, for all her perceived arrogance and abrasiveness, when you penetrate her harsh exterior, it becomes clear that Raluca knows her place in the world of Torn City.
"I'm good in game, but its not my ambition to be the gretest and moreover its almost impossible. There are lots of dedicated players who play the game from many years."
There's no doubt that Raluca rubs many people up the wrong way, but in Torn, if you're not annoying someone then you're living in the wrong city. Her detractors understandably complain of her underhand tactics, but have the people here forgotten what this place is all about? Raluca is a villain of the highest order, and she absolutely revels in that fact. Maybe she'll listen to dunmugmeh and tone things down as time goes on, but I hope she doesn't dilute herself too much.
Because let's be honest, who hasn't enjoyed seeing Marshmalllow flounder as he attempts to break down a brick wall with a potato gun. This pair may be criminals, scammers, buy muggers or whatever you want to call them, but one thing is for sure; Raluca is winning. She has her own individual way of playing, her own way of treating other people, and personally, I'd rather see Torn full to the brim with bad apples like her. Because bad apples make cider, cider gets you drunk, being drunk is reckless, dangerous and fun; and that's how Torn should be.
This approach won't work for everyone because most people aren't capable of such cold-hearted ruthlessness on a daily basis. But Ralucakiss84 is capable, very capable, and the rewards she's gained by her wanton bastardry tell us one simple truth about living in Torn City.
If you're gonna be bad, it pays to be good at it.
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