Liquid Hound
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How to SUCCESSFULLY roleplay a Peckerwood
I decided to make this guide based on my Peckerwood knowledge to give Peckerwoods as well as potential Peckerwoods a guide on accurate and realistic take on Peckerwood roleplay:
Peckerwood TerminologyI decided to make this guide based on my Peckerwood knowledge to give Peckerwoods as well as potential Peckerwoods a guide on accurate and realistic take on Peckerwood roleplay:
The term Peckerwood was coined in the 19th century. It was a derogatory term used by Southern blacks to describe poor and/or rural Southern whites. Blacks viewed the blackbird as a symbol of themselves, and viewed the redheaded woodpecker as a representation of whites. In the 1940s, the term "wood" became part of California prison slang and, in the early 1970s, was used to refer to white prison inmates, who were willing to fight to avoid being raped or robbed. Inmates eventually made the term peckerwood a source of pride. In the late 1980's, recruitment of young men and women in many of the nation's prisons helped lead to the emergence of pro-white street gangs similar to Skinheads. Women in this movement are called Featherwoods (women skinheads are called "Skinbyrds" - "Birds").
The style that fits you best
Peckerwood development stages often get players confused on how to develop a successful Peckerwood personallity, Peckerwoods may vary regarding on location, habits, local laws as well as personal belief. Peckerwoods by nature are not necessarily racist, most of their focus is concetrated on money, however, there are locations where Peckerwoods have adobted skinhead habits and Nazi / Neo-Nazi ideologies. Keep in mind that Peckerwoods are considered Caucasian degenerates by default, meaning if you develop a white gangbanger/degenerate amongst other whites, you most likely can call yourself a Peckerwood.
Institutionalization
Most of the Peckerwoods adobt their name and habits from prison, which is where Peckerwoods mostly thrive (Caucasian people are all under the "woods" category in prison), no matter how strictly-behaved they are, no matter how self-disciplined, a Peckerwood can at any time, turn himself into a degenerate in Prison, your institutionalization may occur from any white gang really, not that important weather it's NLR, PEN1, Aryan Brotherhood or any other Caucasian prison gang. According to the way you achieved your institutionalization, you should adobt similar habits and develop them in any way you want, the important thing in roleplaying a Peckerwood is the "base" of your development to follow some certain steps, the rest is up to you and your creativity.
Interaction with the world
Peckerwoods, being degenerates and white trash, may often be found in ghetto areas or any other area that a gangbanger would most likely hang. Peckerwoods usually carry a nickname, most likely given by a higher-up to him, his nickname often indicates an important action that put his presence on the map, or some other times it could indicate his origination. Most of the nicknames given often come from violent act. Nickname examples are: Shoes (A Peckerwood that most likely beat up someone by hitting him with his shoes etc.) Lock (A Peckerwood that keeps his mouth shut, uses a lock on a chain to attack people, infamous for his picklocking skills). When interacting with others make sure you portrait a picture of a degenerate, or a degenerate in-the-making. Peckerwoods are most likely going to be high or be looking to get high, if you see a Peckerwood out and about you know he's up to something, they don't tend to come in the surface unless they want to perform a criminal activity with no emphasis on what the activity would be. Peckerwoods also have a sense of brotherhood when it comes to group play, so they're also likely to cruiser aorund in a pack.
Peckerwood culture
Peckerwood dressing code mostly consists of prison-styled clothing, T-shirt, shorts and shoes, frequently but not always with emphasis on white. They are heavily influenced by the East Side culture and sometimes most Peckerwoods may even adobt the cholo dressing style. Although Peckerwoods are mostly racist / racist towards blacks, they don't seem to have an issue with Hispanics, quite frequently hispanics are even spotted within Peckerwood sets. Peckerwoods are known as "White guys that talk like blacks", indicating that it is common for a Peckerwood to use / over-use languange slang similar to the one African-American gangsters commonly use. They are commonly known to stick to their past when it comes to music, pointing their interest towards oldies and gfunk synthesizer-like hits, some of them even chase a career in rapping, with their instrumentals originating from the old-school vibe. It is also worth noting that their most racist behaviour shows herself during their time in prison.
Roleplaying a Peckerwood with a gang
When roleplaying a Peckerwood affiliated with a gang, you may adopt habits the gang follows as well as their slang, Peckerwoods have a pretty simple ranking system when it comes to hierarchy: Kid, Junior Member, Senior member. All three of them relying on individual respect heavily. You may /not/ portrait a luxurious lifestyle, even if your Peckerwood has a rich family, rich people pretending to be Peckerwoods oftenly fall under the "wannabe" scene, ignored and avoided by other Peckers. Even if your Pecker has developed a racist mentality, he should turn colourblind when it comes to business, this helps on avoiding unnecessary beef with other sets as well as producing roleplay (keep in mind, in the real world Peckerwoods could even have blacks as best friends). Peckerwoods may be misfits in a society, considering the time some can spent in jail/prison may cause them to forget how to blend in on the outside world. Things a Peckerwood may be found himself in are, but are not limited to:
-Lowrider events
-Drug dealing
-Dog fighting
-Dog breeding
-Mud related events (Off-road racing etc.)
-Burglars
-Drug cooking
-Weapons dealing
-Nazi/ Neo-Nazi rallies
-Rap events/ Rap battles
-Robberies
-Prison activity
-Street racing
-Brawls
-Scams (During drug deals, gun deals, anything an uneducated person could perform in comparison to what an educated person would)
-Credit card fraud / skimming
-Fake ID crafting
Do's and Don'ts
If roleplaying with a gang, try to be respectful towards the people you judge are powerful and well-respected in the community. If you're trying to join a faction it would be great if your background consists of a troubled chilhood, try not to look like you can handle yourself as this will provide you with even more of a reason to stick with others, as well as create roleplay, unless you are told to by the HC of the faction do /NOT/ try to roleplay a Peckerwood from another set or sent from the prison, as this will put a major boulder between you and your membership, ESPECIALLY if you're a newbie to the Peckerwood scene, it is much better if you ask ICly "What does ""over the fence"" mean?" to show your lack of slang knowledge, and don't be afraid to ask about anything you can't comprehend, it is something others will appreciate as you add to your development, not to mention that a variety of players turn to OOC messages to receive knowledge about what slang means.
While trying to join a set, you may be put "On Trial" by some sets, indicating you're on a probetionary period to earn your stripes/ membership within the set, during this period other Peckerwoods will start suddenly involving you in activities and check your progress during them, this is a core moment for your development as you most likely will be roleplaying a teen with lack of experience in criminal actions, meaning you will find yourself troubled or experience difficulty doing some things. Some factions just want to see if you're going to grab development opportunites instead of just robo-gangster roleplay everything, with that being said, you are most likely to join a set if you develop properly but fail some tasks, than just succeed in everything and skip some parts of your development.
What makes Peckerwood roleplay differ from gang roleplay?
Peckerwoods are not necessarily affiliated with a gang, Peckerwoods are more likely to form a community or participate in an existing one, just because you saw a Peckerwood hang out with a gang of Peckerwoods, it does not mean he is involved in their activities. Peckerwoods tend to go where the money goes, making them adapt to different conditions. Peckerwoods are restricted to a certain range of roleplay potential, but that range has a big variety and freedom as to how you can develop and what activities you may partake in. Peckerwood roleplay hits the spotlight by offering multiple types of roleplay, relaxing, casual, some can go elitist-mode and at some situations you might even be brought at the edge of your seat. If you are looking to develop a gangbanger / degenerate or enjoy the ghetto lifestyle and the feeling of being a misfit, the Peckerwood style is for you.
Hope you found this guide helpful, feedback is accepted in the comments section, this thread might have things added to it soon.
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