Do you have goals? If so, what do you intend to do to achieve them? Many people will of course never achieve their goals... their sons or daughters may have to be the ones to fulfill their bloodline's dreams.

What type of person are you when it comes to your goals? Are you the type to 'take the bull by the horns' so-to-speak? Or are you the type to sit back and wait your turn?

Are you... passive or aggressive?

In the past, most will agree my blood has been extremely aggressive, even some of my most recent ancestors have taken on an entirely different persona to myself. However this time around I decided after witnessing my father gunned down in the East Coast vs West Coast war that I would tone it down compared to them. Have I managed to do this? I think I've done pretty damn well so far. I still say what I want to say I'm just less brash in getting my opinion across than others from my lineage have been. Instead of drawing my own line in the sand as to what I can say in public (meaning I word things a lot better than in the past) I have used the line drawn in the sand by the current set of powers we have. I have played by their rules instead of my own.

So although it will take a lot for some people to swallow this, I truly believe that I am now veering towards the passive side. 

Well, passive or agressive, someone always has to swallow it :P

That's why the best route is passive-aggressive, and always keep people guessing. :P

There are moments for direct aggressiveness, and there is no way to tell when those moments will come up. It's on a case by case basis etc :P

You're a good boy.

Countdown my dear friend, I couldn't ever consider you as passive. Though I think there is a remarkable change in how you address situations, by the fact that you do address them and don't sit back, that to me ends any potential for you being passive.

I find myself to be more passive than many of my ancestors have been. I haven't set out for this to be the case, its just the nature of the beast really. I guess there maybe hasn't been anything for me to really get aggressive about. Or maybe its old age kicking in? Who knows.

Tyrion, Sir. You should know better than most considering our blood's... history. Your ancestor paid the price for my lineage's wrongdoings probably more than once. :)

Normally by now, my blood would've blown up, said something totally out of place, shot someone they should've have or just generally been a dick... surely that has to count as some sort of passiveness? :P

You know, I was about to question whether there has been sufficient situations as to antagonise your hot-bloodedness, but thinking now about the life you've been through, I guess its fair to say that things could easily have gone down a very different path for you, and as you say in the days gone by your ancestors would likely have taken that other path.

Ok, I'll give you it. On reflection I will agree that you are starting to become more passive. That's as much as I'll concede, I won't say you are passive, I'll say you've been passive. smirks

Oh, and with regard to my ancestors deaths, they deserved them normally, if they couldn't keep your ancestor in line then they failed at their job.

Ive taken a much different approach this time around than I ever have before. I speak up, say whats on my mind, and generally try hard to get my point across. Be it on the streets, in private, or having coffee with my crewleaders or Godfathers. It's a much more refreshing way of life to actually get out here and speak compared to hiding in the shadows, only responding to my own voices.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm going to agree with Spike on this one. There is a time for both characteristics; I tend to employ one or the other depending on the situation.

For example, Countdown, if manually castrating you with no tools, I would be aggressive. However, if I were male and someone threatened me with castration, I would most definitely be passive.

Of course, there is the middle ground: passive aggression, or brinkmanship. The threat of aggression or the implication that aggression is on the cards if being passive doesn't come up trumps. This is another approach that I am quite fond of, though it is always essential to follow through on one's threat otherwise your word wastes away to nothing.

I do indeed have goals, many have been crossed off after reaching them. Some are still in the process of achieving. My ancestors weren't really known for getting out into the streets for debates or chit chat. Since picking up my father's journal and reading his stories, I've taken it upon myself to break this habbit.

I'd suppose it all depends on what type of goals your trying to achieve. I wouldn't expect for someone to use one specific trait while trying to reach each and everyone of their goals.

Me personally, I'm more of a passive person myself. Of course there may be times where I need to handle situations aggresively but I prefer to stay passive. A wise man once said "Whatever happens, happens." I've learned to accept this.

I, indeed, have had goals and surpassed them and have had to set new ones. Its quite amusing really to be able to set a goal you'd think you'd never achieve in your bloodline's history and then one day you notice you're withing an arm's reach of it. A blink of the eye later, you have achieved the goal and are basking in the satisfaction. It is, indeed, a pleasant change of pace for my lineage.

Onto your next question, a very good question, at that, Countdown. In previous generations, my ancestors tried the "take the bull by the horns" approach. This yield disappointing results due to the inability to limit the aggressiveness emitted by it. Reading through passages of journals of generations past, I've come to the conclusion that I should try the passive approach and sit patiently, doing what I must, and staying peaceful. This, in my opinion, has yielded me the best results my bloodline has ever seen.

Maybe for some maybe Aggressive is the way, but for me, slow and steady wins the race it seems.

I'm planning to be a castrated MUTE with no opinion...watch me rank bitches!