Sunday was here- and Rawley found himself with more stories than there were pages in his newspaper. Writers clamored for column space in his office, begging to be the one to deliver "the scoop". Issue four, he hoped, would deliver on the vision he had for this operation and usher The Bulletin into its prime. Or it'd be just another newspaper tossed about on the streets. Who cares?

What mattered to Rawley wasn't just that someone got to hear the story. Anyone could tell "the story". It's the story behind the story that the people deserve to read. Maybe even, the story behind that story. Or the one behind that. Maybe that's the last story.

Bella Vista Bulletin, Issue #4, Page 1

WITH STYLE AND STAMINA:
SANTORO DECLARES WAR

In the early hours of December twelfth, a shot went off in the streets of Detroit. The shooter, a former Left-Hand Man to Joseph-Ligambi, was Vincenzo_Santoro. The target, a district head from Las Vegas, was a squirrel. Virtually no one heard about that shot, because he missed and it's really hard to shoot squirrels with handguns. But Santoro quickly abandoned those efforts and turned to the first man he could find in a bold suit: a far larger man smoking a cigar on the sidewalk. Wyzguy would prove to be an easier target and was killed shortly after.

Santoro would then spend the next 40 hours marauding across the six cities threatening but not quite killing our world's most prominent members. The old rogue was, at times, mistaken for Willy Wonka due to his commitment to a distinct sense of style and the army of seemingly suicidal minions leaping in front of bullets for him.

Due to the sheer duration of Santoro's operation, journalists at the BVB were granted an opportunity for a brief interview to ask how, if at all, he would want his efforts to be described and remembered. He had this to say:

My actions should demonstrate the flaws in a regime which trusts nobody except themselves. When you have a group of bigwigs, not a stitch of designer gear between them, calling the shots and ruling through fear and lethargy alone this is the result. People not pulling their weight. Pulling not wanting to pull their weight. Nobody cares about the collective because those in charge have shown them that self-preservation is the only thing fashionable to them so the collective doesn't even exist. This is "the group" and everyone else. There is no way I should be able to land 15 shots without my proers being beaten is there? And yet here we are.

While the Bulletin does not condone the actions of rogues, the Vincenzo_Santoro story is a curious one. The big picture story has already been told. But we, here at the BVB, don't settle for the big picture. We like little pictures. Like doodles.

One of the reasons that Santoro was able to conduct his not-so lone gunman exploits for so long is because of the, at times, disorganized response to his rampage. Not unlike how BeefStroganoffer was able to take more than a dozen shots, Santoro's work continued well into the next day. While the BVB acknowledges that many of our cities are still grieving those lost, the "other side" of this story bears mentioning.

For starters, several of those slain during the rampage weren't targets of the rogue. They weren't 1% shots either. Simply bad calculations in marksmanship and bodyguard attentiveness put two right hand men in the dirt. At the same time, the crewleader whose Left Hand Man was exhausting the hitmen of the six cities was nowhere to be found. Joseph-Ligambi, the self-aggrandized head of the Ligambi Family, contributed virtually nothing to the efforts to bring down a rogue from his own upper structure. Even after losing the head of his Parisi crew. And his own RHM. And several members.

Ligambi was not the only one with more enticing preoccupations, though, as many others were seen shooting at the TylerDurden crew as well- spending money to place their targets on the hitlist. Most notably, members of the world's elite- crewleaders and their RHMs- had a sharp change in perspective towards the rogue once it became clear that the rogue lacked the accuracy to kill them behind a sufficiently large army of bodyguards.

In other words, once they knew they were safe, several leaders stopped caring that their members were being gunned down- or never really even cared at all. Those that fought persistently to bring down the rogue know who they are- and those who spent that time out to lunch know as well.

BROAD DISSATISFIED AMIDST
BROAD DISSATISFACTION IN LA

The Godfather Chairman of the prestigious Azra crew- the first Godfather to take power in the current "batch" of leaders- has chosen to walk away from her life of crime. Shortly before her retirement, the Godfather sent out a telegram to her soldiers and associates summarizing the reasoning behind her decision. The Bulletin was able to obtain a copy of this telegram and we've chosen to publish a small portion of its contents to better understand the events that took place:

Family should mean something; but it should never mean compromising your personal standards of what is right and what is wrong; or muddle the line between what is real and what is imagined. People only have as much power over you as you give them. Please be ever guarded about whom you give that power to; it is intoxicating.

The circumstances in Los Angeles had many moving parts. Amira had recently chosen a handsome young lad to serve as her RHM. Amira had also mistakenly shot Joseph-Ligambi's RHM and lawyer during the war. The specifics aren't known, but while Amira was the Godfather Chairman of the city, her marriage to Joseph-Ligambi appeared to establish him as the perceived head of the city. And with that perception came tension and resentment. It's quite clear to whom Amira "gave power to", and would rather kill herself than continue in that arrangement with him.

While Joseph-Ligambi struggled to contribute in any useful or meaningful way during his LHM's rampage, less than two minutes after eulogizing his wife at her funeral, he moved his headquarters directly atop her corpse to take his place in the center district of Los Angeles and then had the following to say:

Dodging alimony and bullets

By the looks of it, Joseph-Ligambi's influence over his wife, the Godfather Chairman of Los Angeles, drove her to abandon her life of crime. And while he did spend a brief moment at Amira's funeral, he did so without taking a single shred of responsibility for his actions and now gleefully revels in the consequences of them.

Los Angeles, once a titanic power in this world, has now seen some of its best and brightest die, abandon the city, retire, or rogue. Perhaps this is simply the mark of a deeply flawed man running a deeply flawed operation, or maybe he genuinely thought that leading "the city of angels" meant he needed to fill it with more dead people. We'll never know.

Bella Vista Bulletin, Issue #4, Page 2

TAKING A LOOK AROUND

Are we settling in or just settling?

A triumvirate has formed among six Godfathers in three cities. Each Godfather, compelling in their own right, can now forge a vision for their district or city while enjoying the settled peace that only an interstate three-way can provide.

Chicago

Mourning the tragic loss of Don Koehler, Chicago has its work cut out for them. YourNextWife, former RHM to the slain Koehler, has stepped up in the center district to pick up where Koehler left off. Despite its young age, the city of Chicago is growing rapidly, already overtaking Detroit, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia to be the third largest city by population. Time will tell whether the loss of Koehler was a dooming portent or the start of a revival for the windy city.

Detroit

Wyzguy's death to the rogue created an enormous setback for the city of Detroit and the Ligambi family at large. Now with no Godfather Chairman in LA nor Godfather-eligible Dons in Detroit, the city has gone back to its roots- by restoring the exact same HQs with the exact same crewleaders that were there before. Truly an exciting time to be in the motor city. Perhaps that's why virtually no one wants to work there.

Las Vegas

Under the leadership of Mokus, Martin, and Striphe, Las Vegas has seen enormous growth in the past two weeks. With the newly-formed Morning Dew, the city now stands tall with two Godfathers and four crews, now home to the largest segment of this world's population. Given SpikeS's role in broadcasting the messaging of the this regime, many here are looking to Las Vegas for guidance and leadership in the weeks to come.

Los Angeles

What can be said about Los Angeles that hasn't already been? BillyMastrosimone now bears the burden of honoring the memory of his dear friend and former Godfather Chairman, Amira, and protecting her former members. But he must also balance this burden with the equally burdensome responsibility of maintaining a steadied relationship with the man who drove Amira to retirement. All eyes will be on Los Angeles to see the next episode in this soap-drama saga.

New York

SantoRubio's leadership in New York has restored the city to its prominence prior to the fall of Godfathers Allie and Kairi. With Sven and Space-to-the-pole establishing themselves as Godfathers in the northern and eastern districts, Rubio's role as the city head has been cemented until he can obtain the rank himself. When the city ran low on space to grow in their HQs, Sven authed raven7 to work alongside him in Bronx.

New York's role in the Godfather-council triumvirate remains to be seen, however, with direction and leadership deferring to Don Rubio rather than either of the Godfathers that now walk the city's streets.

Philadelphia

The home city of the Bulletin has achieved precisely what it aimed to with the move of Don Walter into Bella Vista. His transition into the city has been seamless, with a presence in its Business District and frequent visits to the city's coffee chops. Philadelphia has grown to its capacity and now selectively recruits for places in its Famiglia Di Fantasmi, headed by Don LouisFratto.

With Walter's origin from New York and Cadhla's close ties to the other Godfathers, Philadelphia has placed itself in a prime position promote balance and growth in the weeks and months to come.

Bella Vista Bulletin, Issue #4, Page 3

MESSAGES FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Understanding the how and why of The Rogue™

Rogues can be many things. Crazed gunmen, vengeful rivals, or sometimes just a way to escape the monotonous boredom this world can become when you've spent too long in it. But the latest in a string of rogues have all publicly stated that they are not crazy (though some Viennese specialists are still tabulating the BVB's findings on this matter), they are not seeking revenge per se, but are rather doing what they feel is best for themselves and/or this world.

In any society, an unspoken and unwritten contract is forged among its members that outlines the implicit agreements and expectations that govern our relationships with one another. Those at the top make demands of us- time, money, obedience, loyalty- and in return we are granted protection, guidance, and opportunity. Those are the terms of our contract.

But what happens when that protection, guidance, and opportunity dry up? When it's no longer available? When we're abandoned, leaderless, or passed over time and time again? Or worse, what happens when those things are forcibly taken from us in order to subjugate and embarrass us? Or to drive us away?

What happens when, for example, a city is so tightly squeezed by the grip of an inactive imbecile that it robs everyone around them of their protection, guidance, and opportunity- and with that, their joy in even being here? Those things that the top demands of us- that time, money, and most importantly loyalty- stop feeling "worth" giving.

We start to give up. We spend less time here. We retire. We rogue. This conclusion is so obvious that it's more akin to an arithmetic calculation than some kind of irrational decision. The intensity and frequency of these things are directly proportional to the sentiment I'm describing. In cities where protection, guidance, and opportunity flow freely- you see engagement and enthusiasm, not rogues and retirement.

Now, as was stated earlier in this issue, the Bulletin does not condone the act of roguing. But at the same time, the Bulletin does acknowledge that every leader has a responsibility to protect and guide their members. To forge a vision for their crew, district, or city that creates meaningful opportunities for their members. Demanding that crew members hold up their end of the "bargain" without these things is irrational.

The Bulletin has publicly asked for leaders to step up with such a vision- and for that reason we mourn the loss of Godfather Chairman Amira, whose vision for her city did exactly what is described here. She sought to deliver protection, guidance, and opportunity to those in her crew, district, and city. She gave up, and we mourn the vision that dies with her. But we also mourn those that retire because there's no point in being here. We mourn the lost time, money, and effort that is sunk cost working for a crewleader who simply doesn't care.

What comes next?

The stories in this issue presented an opportunity for the Bulletin to engage with its content in a more discerning way. Editorial bias is undoubtedly present across each of its pages, but we at the BVB believe this bias represents a worthwhile perspective on the events of this world. The intention of its content is not to harass or embarrass anyone, but to present an accurate account of what has transpired and why it should matter to you, the reader. Readers who believe this is not an accurate account, or that it shouldn't matter, are encouraged to state their case below.