Greetings, friends and fellows! I am Pyg, as some of you already know. And I have decided to come before you with a question, my debut among the Streets. And what a fitting question it is!

I have no illusions about how well known I am among you all. In truth, most of you probably have never heard of me before, and those of you that have encountered me know me as a man of my word, a man of loyalty, a man of honor. A jovial sort, ready to help where I can and eager to build up this thing of ours.

And there is the question! The ultimate in contradiction. Is it better in this thing of ours to be seen from afar, admired from a distance due to your reputation and your bloodline, or is it better to answer only when called upon. To have little or no grand reputation, but develop relationships with those whom you encounter along the way.  Perhaps I can explain it better this way:

Reputation - The boogeyman, Santa Clause, people with whom we have very little first hand knowledge, but whose reputation trickles down into the masses, creating a perception and a persona that we can all respect, though we have never spoken so much as a word to that person.

Relationship - Close knit people that do very little to step out into the spotlight. Quiet, careful folks whose name carries no weight in the big picture, but who can be called upon and trusted just as much as those with a reputation.

So, I am eager to hear your responses.

In my opinion, both of those attributes are immensely important. Which one is more important depends on what your aim in life is going to be.

If you are here to shoot for one of those flashy bold suits and make such a mark on MafiaReturns that you're name is mentioned along the likes of Deimne, ThomasRourke,Marietta and the like, then reputation takes precedence. This is not to say that relationships aren't important. They are important, immensely so. However, once a strong core of close relationships has been built, the rest should be based on people admiring you and worshiping you from afar.

However, if you are just here to probably help your leader scale new heights and become more powerful than he/she already is or even if you're here with the sole aim of roguing out at some point of your life and taking somebody's life, close relationships are more important. Reputation matters here too but not so much.

Just my two cents.

 Is it better in this thing of ours to be seen from afar, admired from a distance due to your reputation and your bloodline, or is it better to answer only when called upon.

I'm going to struggle to answer the question raised, as I'm not sure it's a question that has a general answer at all.

It really does depend on the individual. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way of doing it, just different ways that require different skills and are better suited to some, both in terms of their personality and their position in this thing of ours, rather than others. The obvious answer is that they are both incredibly important and each of us should strive to achieve both as best we possibly can. 

Without the close bonds that only come from one on one discussions and a friendship forged over time, we can never build the level of trust we require with those in an inner circle; regardless of whether they're above us or below us in a family structure. In order to really trust someone, or to earn the trust of someone else, it takes the type of conversations that can only ever be had behind closed doors to achieve this. It becomes easier over time as relationships are build over time, one of the reasons that older bloodlines in this thing of ours do unquestionably have a distinct advantage, but it can certainly be achieved in a relatively short time if the right personality is there.

Without a street presence to build a wider reputation, we can never hope to influence or reach a huge number of people that we'd never have the time or opportunity to reach in one on one contact. The wider reputation also plays a larger part the higher up the leadership ladder you go. It becomes less and less possible to have one on one contact with people that might reside in your district or city, so being able to show your persona and manner to a wide audience in a single swift act is simply the most effective and efficient way of doing so. 

Both are important, both are skills that can be improved with work and experience but both are also something that some people are born with gifts in and others are not. Someone attempting to use a technique that they aren't comfortable with would potentially do more harm than good to either relationships or their reputation. Some will excel at one on one interactions and can manage to achieve these engagements with a huge number of people. Others will be more comfortable and at ease speaking openly to the masses and donning the soap box regularly. It's a case of horses for courses and each to their own, really.   

Each person will feel differently Pyg, and it can in some ways give you an idea what kind of person they are.
I feel that if you want to have your name on everybody's lips and have a big reputation you are gonig to be a loud, free speaking sort of person.
If you value relationships more you could be in comparison quiet and will only talk to the people you know.

?It is something you are not taught and something you subconsciously become in a way. these two attributes are only a minuscule portion of what make up each person's personality

They are in a way opposite, however people with reputation can find themselves sought after many different kinds of relationships, sexual, business, friendships and their name may well be remembered for this.
The People who choose relationships may well just choose to keep what they know quiet avoiding attention that reputation brings, maybe they will have a bgi reputation within a small group...