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| This Thing of Ours | Started by: InsaneVibe on Aug 29, '08 16:27 |
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A young girl walks up to the front of a well established hangout for our kind. She looks a bit nervous but quite determined. Fidgeting slightly and playing around with a long string of leather with a wooden heart at the end that she uses as a necklace, she finally turns around to face the waiting public that simply knows that she will start talking in but a moment. She looks in the crowd seeing a few friends, she finally takes a sharp breath and starts to talk still playing with the wooden heart. This Thing of Ours... Is dieing. Do you want to know why? Because anyone can join us, anyone can be part of The Riot, The Red Guard, The Quiet Type, The New Scum or The Mocha Syndicate. It's open season. Permanently. How does that help us grow? Well it gives us those oh-so-precious crew-members. But how precious are they anymore? In the larger Families why is it still so easy to join? Even in the small ones! This shouldn't be so. How do you ever expect to be the top of the chain if your crew is but a miss-match of odds and ends? Taking in another sharp breath the continues a little louder so that more people will hear what she has to say. How can we possibly still be striving for people - any person - after we have thirty, fourty and more? How much new blood will actually get passed those three first days? Ten? Maybe less? I understand new Organisations for there first ten to twenty members but after that what's the point? You're going to end up growing anyways; why not try to make a tight knit Family out of what you already have? Seeing many people are quite attentive, even if some don't look too happy, she cheers up, knowing this is what she wants and finally stops fidgeting. This Thing of Ours should be much different... It should be made up only of people that will answer a call no matter how insignificant, to see how they can help. It should be made up of people that know each other and talk to each other daily. It should be made up of people that together complete each other in the highest possible way. It should be made up of people that will die when ranked Consigliere for their family or family members without a moments thought. This is not the case. I don't need to give examples, anyone here knows that what I say is true. The worst part is, this is true from one extent to another for all Families in this life. Don't get me wrong, new blood is good. We've all been new blood, but I expected the bar to be raised much, much more and much faster than it has. Let them show us they'll put up a fight! Let them show us they'll stay here! Let them show us they can learn! Don't give it all to them! Because that's how we die. The "easier" we make this life, the more it will decay. The girl obviously is passionate about this subject; so much you can almost see the fire in her eyes. Even so she starts to cry slightly. How can such great minds, such relentless souls, that all fight for This Thing of Ours be so blind to our greatest murder? Are we all so preoccupied with the next auth, the next war, the next big thing that we cannot see what is really happening? We strive to be better every second of every minute. We seek to do what is best every hour of everyday. And Our World disintegrates in the process. Take this how you like, shoot me if you will, I speak for what I believe and for what I love: This Thing of Ours. The whole time she never let go of her wooden heart. Taking one last sweeping glance at the crowd she slowly walks away with the tears still streaming down her face. |
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Kangaroo listens patiently to InsaneVibe before raising his voice.. First of all: you are not a member of the Mocha Syndicate, so what do you know about how things are being run here? I agree with you, quality should always come first, not quanitity. Recently there has been a huge wave of newcomers coming to these shores. In your opinion, what is supposed to happen with them? What is someone supposed to tell you who does not know how things are done around here, in order to receive an invite? This is a serious question, I'd like to get it answered. There is not much they can say in my opinion. It is up to the leaders to judge if the person who's asking for an invite has the skills to be a decent mafioso or not. In the Mocha Syndicate I simply ignore people who I feel do not make enough of an effort. I do not just invite anyone. Of course I prefer to have loyal, high ranked, skilled members but how can I know they will be, when they are only civilians? Anyone who has had parents around here can easily make up an invite request without meaning what they say in it. |
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| Reply by: Kangaroo at Aug 29, '08 16:53 | |
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InsaneVibe turns around hearing a voice coming from the crowd. Drying her tears she listens and after a few moments thought she answers. Mr Kangaroo, I included The Mocha Syndicate because your Family as most have a very large following. I grant this does not mean you pick up every person off the boat you find but it does mean that you do it to one extent or another. Many people stil and have - through-out centuries - wanted to join our Organisations, this does not mean that they should be accepted because of such. People that do not know what to say with such people as yourself should not be coming to you in the first place. They should at least have a slight idea of how to speak and how the minors things work. I will admit that I can not provide a perfect answer to that question because there is none. You ahve to know who you are dealing with, what they like and what they are looking for. Most importantly you have to be able to fill that position as best as you can. I see that I made an error speaking here, I will revise it: If they do not prove to you they can do what they told you they could they should be put out to the streets plain and simple. People that are just "there" do not help a Family and shouldn't stay within it. |
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| Reply by: InsaneVibe at Aug 29, '08 17:16 | |
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Hurry hurry hurry, that was the way of Ms. Rossi's life as of late. Yet the woman, despite her pressing schedule, had a knack for being late due to her ever growing cravings for fun. Even now, on a day when she was scheduled for five meetings with associates, she had tried to fit in a small shopping excursion, only to find herself running down The Streets, her high heels causing her ankles to turn every other step and two shopping bags swinging wildly from her hands. As she neared the end of 43rd Marietta noticed a small gathering of people and in the middle was a young girl, visibly upset. 'Performance art,' she thought to herself, trying to move around the crowd and carry on her way. Before she had made it far though the opening words from the girl stopped her in her tracks. "This Thing of ours, is dieing." Turning on her heel and setting her shopping bags down upon the ground, the Mob Boss of Detroit placed her hands on her hips and began to listen to the girl.After five minutes things had winded down, and the girl began to walk away. Ha! Marietta snorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest and turning to the man next to her. How presumptuous, that young girl, assuming this Thing of Ours is dying. I, like Kangaroo, am a tad bit offended that she included my family as well as everyone else's in her sweeping statement "anyone can join us". To be honest, how does she expect fledgling crews to survive, other than to take in potential members? After all, that is what everyone, no matter how experienced their bloodline may be, is at the rank of thug or gangster. A potential family member. And furthermore, how many of these families did she attempt to join before settling where she was? My guess was she only tried the one she is in, as many current city heads frown upon civilians whoring themselves out to find a home. If she did not try the others, how does she know that it's "easy to join"? I myself just made a public appearance yesterday, citing exactly what I would be looking for in a potential family member. Marietta lowers her head and shakes it from side to side for a moment. Not everyone is working to be at the 'top of the chain'. And besides, odds and ends? That sounds like a normal family to me. I don't know about you, but growing up none of my brothers and I were exactly alike, but we were still a family, united by blood and love for one another. If everyone had the same opinion, same voice, same look, same motto to life then things would get a bit stagnant, in my opinion. I feel this is why people favor diversity among the Mob Bosses of the Seven Cities, and why I favor diversity among my crew. The more voices you have, the more ideas you have and the more room for growth and potential you have as a family. I know that I, for a fact, am putting forth my best efforts into creating the 'tight knit family' she spoke of. What I want to know is how can she pass judgment when she knows not what goes on in each and every single city, nay, in every headquarters? From my own observations of the families, people are happy where they are. If they were not, they would find a way of ending their life, would they not? People are content where they are, therefore they are all either complacent with being nothing more than a bottom rung member, or their leader realizes they are precious and treats them as such. I myself prefer to think in this current world it is the latter. The woman pauses in thought before pressing her finger thoughtfully to her lips. What else did she say? Families should be made up of people who are of the utmost loyalty, or something to that effect? People who will die for you? Well let me see. Have I created a family that would die for me at the drop of a hat? I honestly do not know. I've only had the reigns to Detroit for less than five days. Yet I'm working towards it. I am working towards forging a relationship with the people who have decided to join my business. What I have learned, however, is that the only way to spark loyalty is to first prove your loyalty to another. Every day I do my best and work as hard as possible for my family, so that they may see my example and put their faith, trust and loyalty forward for me when the time comes. I give them positions within the crew, I ask them for their help, I speak to them on a personal basis. I also give them opportunity. Marietta stops to shake her head again in disbelief. No, I don't believe there is as much handholding as she assumes there is around here. Helping new blood, I highly doubt, is the focus of everybody's daily schedule. The subject is always on my mind, sure, when I am approached by a bloodline unfamiliar to my own, and I do take the time to show people around because I know, that in each person, there is the mobster inside of them just waiting to come out. Yes, some need more patience and work than others, but in the end it may be worth it. It is not too easy, for if it were the numbers of dead civilians, gangsters and thugs would be at an all time low. Clearing her throat Marietta blushes, tilting her head to the side. I'm having a hard time gathering my thoughts! What was I saying? Oh right, I give every potential family member the gift of opportunity. I extend to them the same amount of help and guidance that my great-times-a-million grandmother received when she first set foot onto these shores. How is it killing this world to extend a hand of help? My great-times-a-million grandmother, as I said before, set foot upon these shores without a clue as to what she needed to do or where she needed to go. Thankfully a small group of people gave her a push (or ten!) in the right direction, and have been there for my bloodline ever since whenever they have needed help. Since my granny Madeline, my family has actively contributed in a positive (and once or twice negative) way to this community. I agree with her when she states this Thing of Ours should be so much more different, though. Instead of more people crying over the death of the world, I would love to see many more people contributing into making it flourish and grow. Because yes, sometimes we need to help that little plant, or gangster, so that it will grow into a big, strong tree, or potentially the next Don. If you water your seeds, they will bear fruit. Give them a chance and they could become the family you have always wanted. People need a leg up once in awhile, and who is going to give it to them? Marietta watches the girl's retreating back as she walks away and narrows her eyes. Obviously not her, as she's already walked away and left this world for dead. |
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| Reply by: Marietta at Aug 29, '08 17:19 | |
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So... without knowing me... without knowing my family... without knowing the least bit about who I am or what I stand for.. you come out and condemn me for letting this thing of ours die by encouraging new immigrants to come to these shores. Yeah. That makes sense. I was going to come out and make a long speech like my friends Kangaroo and Marietta, but to be frank, I'm just not going to bother indulging your delusions any longer. I apologize, ever SO humbly, if my desire to see this land grow is not what you, Miss Lowly Goomba, have in mind. How can I EVER restore your faith in me. I am all adrift with the loss of your respect and whatnot. |
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| Reply by: Daera at Aug 29, '08 17:46 | |
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While I think there are good points within your speech, InsaneVibe, I think you are forgetting something. This is a business. Each leader is entitled to give you, me, or anyone outside their family squat. They run their families (businesses) as they see fit, and it's my assumption that they know best how to provide for themselves and theirs better than you, I, or a rival leader. The simple fact is that people equal workers, workers equal production, and production equals capital. This capital is what makes their families strong. Money makes the world go round after all. |
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| Reply by: Hitch at Aug 29, '08 18:35 | |
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Hitch, thank you. It is nice to see someone remember that this thing of ours is about self-interest, not love and puppy dogs. Speaking of which... It should be made up of people that together complete each other in the highest possible way. Let's not get carried away, shall we? I don't plan on rolling around in a field of daisies, kissing and hugging anyone else in my family. I might plan a few bank robberies or murders with one of them, but I can promise there will be no tongue involved. Alot of what you say, however, I agree with. It is far too easy to get into a family. That is not to say I think it should be exceptionally difficult, but Jesus H. Christ, do we really need mafiosi standing out on the street corners handing out brochures to each chump who steps off the boat? A powerful Mob Boss should be taking some scruffy bum by the hand and helping them find work? It should be more difficult to find a family in the sense that a new immigrant SHOULD NEED to learn to start using his wits RIGHT AWAY! Most of you are too soft. Maybe you would not be so soft if you had a tougher upbringing and had to learn some street smarts. Back in the old days (here he goes again), a mobster had to be considered a Gangster before any family head would even CONSIDER inviting him. Not to mention, there were hitmen swarming like sharks waiting for that Thug to become a Gangster. Here was one common tactic: The Thug would lay low if he felt he was about to become a Gangster. Minutes might pass, even hours. Then, quickly, he would jump up and fly to a remote city and quickly procure an invitation from a Mob Boss that he probably had already spoken to. The circling sharks would be taken off guard, not noticing that their prey was up and running again and no longer in their same city. The new Gangster would accept his invite and be under the protection of a family. See what I mean? USE YOUR GODDAMN BRAINS ONCE IN AWHILE! The element of needing to be smarter than a fucking mushroom has been removed from La Cosa Nostra. It is de-evolution at work. We are becoming lazier and stupider, because we are able to and allowed to. In this respect, I agree with what you are saying Ms. Vibe. Of all the ways that we help new immigrants, none of them should be necessary to inform them that they need to get affiliated with a family. They know, when they arrive to these shores, that these cities are run by the mafia. If they cannot connect the dots and realize that they, too, must become part of the mafia, then perhaps they are too stupid to benefit a family, but if they ARE smart enough to figure it out, it is not necessary to rake them over burning coals before allowing them entry into a family. |
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| Reply by: FlyingPig at Aug 29, '08 19:00 | |
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| After thinking about the words I just spoke, I felt I should clarify that "self-interest" relates to the interest of the family that each person belongs to. The personal, individual self-interest and the family self-interest should be considered analogous, because in most respects they are, literally. | |
| Reply by: FlyingPig at Aug 29, '08 19:19 | |
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With a cigar in one hand and a large bottle of whiskey in the other, Noob gets up from his bench and walks amidst the crowd I do have to ask why someone is coming to the street and questioning the leaders of their actions and their ways of running their business's. No matter how valid your point might be I'm sure there is a better way of expressing it, but maybe that's just my opinion. Without trying to re-iterate what has already been said it would SEEM that it is easier to into a family, I think this has been proved several times with having sponsored gangsters running their mouths in the street, which ultimately ended in their demise. I can only talk from an outsiders view though, and only comment on how I perceive things, as I am not the one who is giving out the invites. I would to know what you suggest as a solution though, as you have brought the question up, maybe you have an view of what you think should be done? Noob takes a sip of his drink and walks back to his bench, waiting to see if anyone else strolls by |
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| Reply by: Noob at Aug 30, '08 11:11 | |
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