Shayna was usually the type to find herself in quiet corners. She was not one to always be out in the spotlight and drawing attention to herself was rare. But here she was, standing on some steps near some random street corner. Her thoughts these days had been all over the pleace and it was about time she addressed some on loyalty.

"Loyalty is a pretty big deal, no? Well maybe not so much anymore."

Pushing a strand of hair back from her face, she smiled a little. Her long silence was to allow the thought to sink in, let the people wonder where she was going with the statement.

"We see so much about loyalty. People claiming any small reason as a reason to switch up, but isn't it meant to be a permanent thing? Either way, loyalty usually inspires something in you.

I don't want to bore you with talking about whether you are loyal, or what you feel towards disloyalty, or what is considered disloyal. Let's talk about the things loyalty can inspire in people.  What does it inspire in you?"

Her mouth twitched. A much smaller pause before she started to speak again.

"For instance, loyalty inspires a work ethic most people don't hear much about today. If I feel that there is a reason to be loyal to you, I have a tendency to go out of my way to help you. Whether it means working harder to send up more tribute, or just wanting to be around when the city is in crisis to pitch in.

For me, it means working better, trying harder and being more active in any role that I can be placed into with whatever skills I may have."

Spotting another face in the crowd, Shayna lifted her head to address them.

"Does loyalty inspire anything in you?"

Having heard the conversation about loyalty has he walked down the street Sammy decided to stop by and give his two-cents.

"I think the concept of loyalty changes dramatically depending on the scope of the question. If you smoke the same pack of cigarette every day for years, you are now loyal to that brand. But, when is it acceptable for that loyalty to be broken? Is it acceptable to break that loyalty when the price increases or when they change the blend of the cigarette?"

He paused to gather his thoughts.

"I ask this question because to me, loyalty inspires critical thinking. It tests our resolve and the very fabric of what makes us who we are. Loyalty inspires us all to point the lens inward and evaluate what our true values are and how we apply those to make ethical choices while still preserving our chances of survival in this strange world."

Realizing he was probably starting to sound like a lunatic Sammy stopped and lit a cigarette...

"Or.. at least that is how I see it."

Grace pulled the bloody gloves off her hands and balled them up before tossing them into the nearest garbage can. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but based on the correspondence and journals left in my possession from people long past and far-gone, isn't your family line notorious for putting the barrel of a gun in their mouths and pulling the trigger at the slightest inconvenience to them?" Grace asked. "Seems strange that a family line who flitters about just to ensure they get their way is one to speak of loyalty." and with that Grace flipped golden coin, some may call it a credit the woman's way with a wink before leaving. She had an appointment with the Good Doctor Kenneth, hoping to bribe him with a beer or three to join her new Clinic. 

It's hard to keep it strictly inspirational when you say things like this:

People claiming any small reason as a reason to switch up, but isn't it meant to be a permanent thing?

Loyalty isn't a permanent thing, it's earned continuously. This keeps the playing field level. Leaders work for their members just as hard as their members work for them. Should leaders quit or switch it up on them and no longer keep their best interest at heart then shouldn't the same go for the members?

With all that said, leaders should strive for permanence. It's tiring work but that's why auth isn't just given to anybody. Chuckles.

Bellicose strolled down the street noticing a couple of Los Angeles folk standing around listening to an individual speak. He peered over and recognized the person from a previous conversation but could remember what the conversation was about. He stepped over and listened more intently. A question regarding loyalty. as others shared, he took a sip of his coffee and nodded his head in agreement for most of what was being shared. He then tossed in his few cents.

Ms. shayna Thankyou so much for your question here. Loyalty is by far one of my favorite things to speak about and more than that, to listen about. Years go by and people fadeaway and the need for the continued conversation is vital to our life, to the life as we know it. What does loyalty mean? What defines a loyal leader and a loyal associate? What’s the cost of loyalty? 

Bellicose takes a sip of his coffee and puts his left hand in his pocket.

However you ask a crucial question, one I don’t recognize seeing before. So I will only respond personally. Does loyalty inspire anything within me? Yes. As many have known I have always been willing to give my life up for those I serve, my ancestors have proven that time and time again sometimes in this suit and sometimes, like Video, out of the suit. I personally am compelled by the very threads that pull me closer to others in my willingness to give hours of service or an experience they have never had. 

Loyalty inspires me to put my everything on the line for those I work for. In my various roles as Bellicose, loyalty is what drives me to see the very best shine forth from the leaders I serve and to recruit only the finest of individuals. If you heard Aduros speak just before me, you can see this individual is on a fast track to be recognized by the world. These are the people we bring to our family. These are the individuals I am loyal to, those who protect one another and provide for the city. 

Loyalty inspires me to take a bullet. Should a rogue ever fly by, my leader always knows where I stand, a bodyguard of sorts before all else. I personally believe loyalty is still very much here in this world in fact, I believe it is what causes us so much frustration because some are loyal to things we do not know or can’t comprehend. Some of us are loyal to our leaders while others are loyal to the friendships we have had our whole life due to our parents introducing us. Both loyalties are beautiful. 

A LOYALTY that truly inspires me is when I see members of a crew asking their leader “what more can I do?” This is by far the greatest form of loyalty to me. Those willing to give more time and energy in their suits to build a thriving community an active crew. It inspires me to be the very best I can be. 

perhaps I have rambled and not been so coherent: I am just excited to speak on this. 

SammySoul, thank you for coming out here to share your thoughts. I must admit the questions are good ones. I unfortunately am not in the debate of when loyalty is acceptable to break. I do think that would be an amazing topic though to discuss at a later time.

That lens is an important part of things, for sure.

Shayna turned her head towards the very young woman.

Grace, I understand that your tastes may date back to events that are not relevant to the current topic. I do suggest you find your own corner and voice your concerns regarding retirement and whether it is loyal or not. Perhaps that could be your takeaway? A new idea or thought.

Leaving that alone, she moved onto the last two individuals to speak. A small smile on her lips.

Aduros, very good points. May I pose a question to you though? What if the fact that it is not viewed as a permanent thing by people that it inspires me to make it a permanent thing for myself?

Bellicose, your excitement makes me glad that I stepped out for this conversation. I think we may have some things in common.

Ask you have discussed. There is a lot to loyalty. I don't feel I can offer an answer to your question without mentioning the apparent lack of it in these days. 

My father was the great Ole. He drove a bus. Badly. He was involved in a war where the odds were poor and became poorer by the hour to the point he was the only one left alongside his Godfather. 

He went to his Godfather and had an open conversation about how all hope had gone. The bullets were coming and there was no way that we could stop them hitting. His Godfather gave him permission to talk to those around them in an attempt to continue the work they had done but in a new city where the principles they held could live on. He granted this and thanked him for having the respect to talk to him. 

The reason I raise this is because it is not always forever or to the very end. The loyalty you hold is to do the right thing by your principles, morals and your family. If your leader or Godfather are happy to grant you the permission to seek a new home then this, in my opinion, is fair. This is what you work so hard to achieve. The respect of your leader.

So what does loyalty inspire?

Loyalty should inspire you to be happy to lay down your life for the good of the family. To put yourself into situation where you are not safe but for the greater good of others there you stand. To answer the call at 4am and be where you need to be. 

As a by product of that it will inspire loyalty and acceptance from your leaders. It will show them your desire and create a trust and bond that you are truly bought into the principles that they set. 

This bond is the one we should all strive to achieve. Where there is an equilibrium where you don't even need to speak words to know what needs to be done. 

When that occurs then the bond cannot be broken by what is tattooed on your chest or where you call home. That runs through blood and why we see the perceived problems of families returning to take up roles below their rank. 

Just as pirates respected the blood oaths of families. So do we as mafioso

Wanting to make a name for himself, Vladimir eagerly listened to the topic at hand. As he noticed a few people stepping forward to give their own opinion on the matter, he watched his new leader speak. He didn't know SammySoul very well but all he had to know was the man took an interest and decided to let Vlad work for him. For Vlad, thats all he needed.

"The comparison my Godfather made was a perfect example of loyalty; brand loyalty if you will. To be loyal to the brand, you have to understand the brand. So for me its not just a matter of enjoying it. It's knowing what the brand stands for. Do they share the same beliefs and same core values as you. Now you don't have to be identical in thinking or thoughts because like my Boss said, critical thinking is necessary and that can be diverse. Bring new ideas to the table.

Anyways to answer the question at hand, I do think loyalty can be won over and inspire many things. Whether its earning and paying tribute, defending one's criminal organization, or even jumping in front of a bullet meant for someone else. These things can be inspired by loyalty."

Loyalty is pretty much dead in the water. Unless you're a lower tier mobster and by that I mean someone not really influential in the coffee shops, someone who has no real ambition to be involved in the more intricate parts of what goes on at the top. Unless you're on of those guys, then loyalty is just a word. The fact that the same family lines are around pretty much dictates how loyalty goes. Your family is likely to form alliances with the same family line it always has, that's just how it works.

Loyalty is difficult to pledge to one sole person because ultimately this world is now about self-preservation. If you invest heavily in that currency we call credit, then you're going to want to protect your investment at all costs, which means going down with the ship is rarely an option. On the other hand, if you haven't invested much financially, don't forget your time is a much more valuable currency and with the amount of time it takes to hone your skills as a hitter, why would you waste this after your boss inconveniently dies? You'd much rather want to stay alive and look to go somewhere you'll be safe.

I think for those who truly understand what this place is, loyalty is just a word that once upon a time meant something and we did stand by it but now, it's all about longevity and staying in the game so to speak. If you die, you're no longer a playing piece.

Aduros, very good points. May I pose a question to you though? What if the fact that it is not viewed as a permanent thing by people that it inspires me to make it a permanent thing for myself?

Well, striving for permanent loyalty from a leader's perspective is admirable. A run without a single rogue or retiree from your crew is a great accomplishment. Of course, that's not always preventable and you can't always please everyone. Permanent loyalty from a member's perspective isn't quite as honorable but live your dreams. Personally, my lineage have always held firm a set of core principles that no amount of friendship or CLs could ever place above. Ultimately, you choose your own path. Selecting who you work for is important and crew details are crucial in determining whether or not you would resonate with how they operate. This can also act as a buffer against disappointment.

I'm beginning to ramble though so I'll bring it back home. What loyalty inspire out of me? A plethora of work effort and integrity. In good company, such as the Council Of The Undead, I'll spend great deal of time ensuring my services are invaluable. Integrity in my opinion is the highest form of loyalty. You can't expect loyalty from someone who isn't being completely honest with you. In this life, CLs take in the most conniving, self-serious and manipulating bunch and call them family. To share a bond that is legitimately family-like can be a real special thing, as Ralf depicted.

Vladimir had heard one of the responses and thought it was a very interesting and truthful response to the question. The longer he thought about it, the more it seemed right at times.

"FitzChivalry I think you're absolutely right. In my family's journals many times have they seen people that just want to stay safe. Whether its hiding during a conflict, and are unreachable, or simply just jumping ship after you've taken the oath. Unfortunately thats just how its going to be when so much effort is invested in oneself. However maybe the one way to break that is to have leaders invest in their own members. Whether its with responsibility, time getting to know them, or even money. 

Thanks for sharing your honest outlook."

From the deceased maple syrup Prophet, Sir Honesty-:

Loyalty: Loyalty is a key criterion for a competent leader. Loyalty comes in different forms. Unless given a valid reason to, a leader must be loyal to their crew, city, and their auths, if any. This criterion must be considered in a different manner compared to the two above. For example, while keeping in mind that rare valid reasons exist to break this loyalty, leaders must be loyal to the district and city head. A city head must be loyal to all the crews in their city, but crew leaders shouldn't necessarily be loyal to other crew leaders residing in a different district, but residing in the same city, as both were made leaders independently from one another. Examples of competent leaders regarding loyalty would be to look at past Godfathers that let their districts die or a chunk of their city die without retaliation. District leaders that let their auths die and city leaders that let their city's crews die in the name of power or for weak reasons are automatically incompetent leaders, even if other criteria are filled. For what is a leader if they're untrustworthy? What is a leader if they have a history of turning their backs on others? Let it be known that a bloodline's history is strongly and positively correlated with their progeny's decisions, especially when it comes to how they will view loyalty and how volatile their fight or flight reaction is.

What you think HonestyMessedUp ?

There's a difference between loyalty in reluctantly maintaining the status quo due to inertia and loyalty when you are actively compelled to uphold some semblance of a shared group or social relation without being asked, for what you may feel are the right reasons. I fear some in this world see loyalty as merely staying within a crew and living out one's life, not roguing, and maybe reaching Don eventually. In my opinion, this should not be the standard for loyalty. 

I think some of the comments by previous speakers highlight this well: loyalty comes as a result of being inspirational. Although many a time, we throw around words like loyalty, omerta, et cetera, the interesting part about loyalty is that we've all had the experience of being inspired by someone on these streets. It may have come in a package large or small, an act of kindness, an act of rebellion, an act of cunning, or the mere countenance of how someone upheld themselves. Nonetheless, there is a piece of us that would like, very much so, to be able to replicate what we see in that person as being especially important. Thus, we would like not only to learn from them, but also learn with them. 

As others have said, loyalty doesn't originate out of the void. There is a specific reason why one might be loyal to people, and that level of loyalty is perhaps beyond the reach of what some leaders may expect from the jump because individuals have not yet had cause to be loyal as such. I'm more than happy to be loyal to anybody, but I certainly believe there should be effort on their part to earn it. And, a handful have. 

Wolfster listens in the background, gets distracted and misses half the speakers. Undeterred and possibly at risk of repeating someone else's points he gives his own thoughts on the matter.

Loyalty can still be gained.. and lost. For me, loyalty is offering to your leader by providing pro..-tection to them or the family as needed. Loyalty is being on board and keeping your mouth shut when trusted with information about an impending war. Loyalty is donating my hard earned money when I could just as easily invest it in other areas and stockpile for the future.

Perpetual loyalty, spanning generations from a bloodline, can still be attained at any point and this is what crew leaders can still aspire to achieve. If this has been achieved you know that your next of kin and theirs might work together or that they can reach out to you at any time for help with pro..-tection and the such. Individuals think that this type of behaviour is disloyal but I argue that there is no higher loyalty that can be gained from a person. Perennial. It's why the same groups of bloodlines always run together.. and usually always succeed together. Loyalty. 

This is a decent topic. I don't feel much like being out here on the streets. I'll quickly share my experience; Loyalty begins with earning trust. Both trust and loyalty are in fact interrelated. Trust does come first, then loyalty will be demonstrated. There is a saying I heard many years ago. Trust is earned, respect is given, and loyalty is demonstrated.  

There are times when this is not recognized by and for some but as long as ones knows they lived up to those standards, that's all that matters.  

Sarai doesn't really hear the replies of all the others, as she thinks of the word. Loyalty, something she's always prided herself with amongst her predecessors. Half smiling, she looks around and can tell some peoples loyalty and some not. Not that she could say anything when she spends most of the time in the shadows until it's go time. Her predecessors knew their way around since they were usually the ones to make it to the top. Maybe some thing has to change on her part to honor that...

Loyalty is everything in this life. If you don't have that you don't got nothin'. Yet if you have loyalty, yet you're too easygoing with it, you'll get stabbed in the back one day. Nothing lasts forever. Especially in this day and age. Like so many before me, loyalty comes and you stick with the ones you know. 

Sarai turns as she looks to keep a half eye around herself as she strides back into the shadows, where she will stay for the present. 

Loyalty inspires any of us to give that person our time and our effort, in return for their time and effort. 

To say one is loyal to someone because of longevity is like saying I vote Republican or Democrat because my pa did and his pa did and his before him. Giving no regard to what the groups are actually saying or doing. This becomes blind loyalty and leads to dysfunction.