Luna cleared her throat, and shyly looked down at the ground. She played with the button on her tattered, white shirt before looking up again.

Not much of a polished speaker but I’ll try to articulate my points as best as I can, however don’t be afraid to interfere if anything I say is false, misinterpreted or offensive. I also don’t have a fine vocabulary like many people I know of, seeing as I barely made it through sunday school, but bear with me. Anyways, I’m probably just-another-person-rambling-again-about-the-same-thing but hey, like you, I care about the streets. Right?

Well, that starts off my introduction. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of the discussion, shall we.

Reason #1: The streets are a means of collaborative expression and creativity.
It grasps the community concept of the game and everything we do, where anyone is free to use their imagination and knowledge of experiences. Interacting with other characters is the best way you can seek to further improve your creative skills.

If we abandon the streets, we’re also abandoning the people. The people are important.
I know I know, people can be clique-y, and there are a lot of drama starters that can get plain mean but they’re easy to ignore. (On that note, if you’re kind of hesitant to start content on your own, send me a telegram and we can figure something out - I’m flexible. Shameless plug).
 

Reason #2: Change.

Every few weeks or months, there’s someone complaining or urging for people to speak up more. That’s not a bad thing. Let's push for change. Don’t be afraid! If you’re stuck, ask your crew leader. They should be your first contact, and most definitely can help you on what to talk about or how to improve your expression of words. There’s plenty of people and resources to get a great discussion or story going. If you complain about how dead the streets are, then why don’t you come here more, silly!
 

Reason #3 Build your reputation - a bright opportunity waits!

I mean, it’s completely your option to keep quiet and stay low, but it’s unimaginable to me how being given a made man rank in this way of life automatically gives you a reason to stop trying for bigger and better things. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not how it works. I refuse to think highly of any member of La Cosa Nostra that lives like a zombie. You can go complete your drug runs, win bets and upskill your gun as long as you want, but you’ll never succeed or move up in this way of life without an active presence in the streets.

Lastly, If you’ve come here to tackle me on my thoughts, comment on them or add some more reasons, well… do it. Silence is not an answer. I’m even taking no for an answer. We can talk it out, maybe catch some drinks later down at The Lounge.

Before I go, this isn’t intended to bash crew leaders on whether they encourage their members to participate in the streets or not, but if you do really practice what you preach, please take this as a call to action. This post is nothing special, many people have come out and voiced their concerns on this before. Treat this as a constant reminder of the significance of the streets, and why you shouldn’t hold back your own thoughts.

Doesn’t matter what rank you are, how good at speaking you are or the amount of money sitting in your bank account, you are wanted.

You are needed, to revive the streets again. That my folks, is the truth, and nothing but the truth!

Revival and continual conversation in the streets is what fosters better understanding in the life of ours.  It also becomes a place to share new ideas that can expand opportunities for everyone who takes the time to stop and listen to what others have to say.  Eventually, the Streets become the main artery of this thing we do. I agree with the points you've brought today.  

I sat at the bar sipping on a rum and coke. Heard Luna talk about the Streets. I remembered my first time on the Streets ....

There gonna laugh at me. God that sounds dumb. Shit, most on here are probably just teens, what could my 45 year old ass do except embarrass myself. Fuck it. It sounds ok. I have a good imagination. Lets see what happens ....

As I ordered another drink I thought "Yeah, she's right. Don't let the Streets die." I got out a pen and notepad and started jotting down thoughts .....

Once again this topic comes up in the streets, I figured it was time as it was a few weeks since the last mention of it.  What do you propose, Luna, to fix the streets and make people more vocal?  There are always calls of "more from our leaders", or "we need freedom of expression".   To me the streets are anything but dead, they are vibrant, more so than after the last lengthy war.

Luna hears what PeterMcNeil_ has to say and ponders on the topic for a second. 

I do agree with you though, the streets are more lively than it has been before but to answer your question, how to  "fix the streets" and "make people more vocal" I simply suggest: 

Involve other family members in what you have to say. Working with other people can really add more interesting elements to your story or topic of discussion. The reason I say this is because if there are no opportunities for other people to join you or contribute then it doesn't really reveal your personalities and how you react to things. 

Through this as well, you can empower other characters. As a result, they'll be more inclined to talk with you in-character.

I won't say solo roleplaying is a bad thing, because sometimes I do it since theres less time and pressure but I have found that I learn most about myself and others when I'm actually interacting with different people. 

Nonetheless, thank you for your time to respond to what I had to say. Good day sir!

But Luna these things have been discussed for generations.  I'm positive a few recent echos still resonate around our dear streets.  People talking to themselves is a big thing at the moment, and it's hard to join in that particular conversation, as often it is geared towards the original speakers thoughts.  

These streets are a riddle wrapped up in an enigma, shrouded in mystery and sprinkled with intrigue. The days of the weekly newspapers, that I can see from my fathers journals, seemed to drum up a lot of debate. Perhaps that could be the answer?  If only a Mother was available to guide that.

And the very best of days to you too Luna.  

I finished my drink and went back outside to listen to what Luna was still saying. There was a man, PeterMcNeil, retorting her with some facts and observations. It was a good debate. He made some good points from someone who has been here a while. The comment that struck me was "If only a Mother was available to guide that." I was raised to believe that it takes a village to raise a child. Being a CHILD of THESE Streets, I'll take advise wherever it comes from.

I found a open spot on the sidewalk and sat down to take more notes.....

Luna, quality gets ignored on the Streets.  My father's newspapers should have made many millions of dollars.

But they didn't.

So, why don't you invest in a quality newspaper?  We can discuss?

A secondary question is why don't you Monry?  There is no investment required to start such a venture, as you might already be aware, so long as articles are reported accurately and not defamatory.