Melis walks amongst the various street speeches. Gathering her thoughts as she thought about the points that have been made recently. All the talk of ancestors and bloodlines made her think really hard. Taking up a notion that struck her as she hit the top step of some random platform made of steps on an empty building.

Good day. As some may have noticed my bloodline took a short break recently. Not as long as they would have liked.

Melis shoots glares at the people that managed to rope her back in and smirks.

However, short or small break I have had some time to reflect and think. Some of you will know that the box I have been stuck into for years is the actual me. For those leaders that know this and have striven to help me prove this, thank you. I really appreciate those that have stuck by me in the crazy times and the good. 

This is my time to get the dirt off my shoulders. I have had a horrid reputation for as long as I can remember. Now before people start jumping on the blame wagon, listen to what I have to say fully before you start jumping to conclusions.

Taking sip of her soda from the thermos she always carried around with her before she continued.

I am not here to place blame everywhere and anywhere. I fully realize that I have very much helped in the making of the reputation. My ancestors could have easily gotten their act together ages ago but instead I fell into that box. However I am here to say, no more.

I hate the box that holds what people think I am compared to who I truly am. If you wish to see only what you want to then by all means it is not like I will bother trying to change your mind. You will think as you wish anyways.

As well this works vice versa. Everything is a two way street. My bloodline has held some judgements on people as well from the box they were created. Well not anymore. Everything from this point on will be based upon actions.

My judgements will come by those actions. Whether they be my own or someone else's.

I do not care who your bloodline was before if you are not holding mine against me. As a human we make mistakes. We are not above those mistakes but we can learn from them. We can better ourselves as people.

Taking a moment to gather her thoughts together before carrying on. Melis breathes in and looks around.

So I apologize for the wrongs of my ancestors but I am not them. This is a new beginning for me. I am brushing that shit off and moving on.

Melis makes a motion as if she was brushing something from her shoulders and steps down.

Roberto arrived onto the streets donning his famous fedora. It was a Friday, which made him particularly jubilant. He would go for pizza tonight with HandsomeRob and BlackWidow. As he listened to Melis, he thought he would chuck in his two cents on the matter. 

"Having worked with your bloodline for a short period it was plainly obvious that they were an extremely hard worker. Hard work goes a long way in my eyes. However, I won't lie and pretend it was all rosey, it wasn't. I think it takes some courage to come out here and admit that they had their faults and didn't help to turn people's opinion around when given an opportunity. 

I hope what you say rings true, because no-one deserves to be blacklisted based on how their family have acted in the past. Notwithstanding this, if the family member continues to act in such a way that was identical to it's ancestor, it becomes more difficult to look at someone with a clean slate. 

For what it's worth, my opinion of your family line has been reset. I will judge you on your actions from what I see from now on. I hope it works out for the better and you get what you are looking for out of this world"

Clive was waiting for Roberto outside of his town car. He opened the door and waited for Roberto to enter. Roberto took a smoke from the inside of his fedora, placed it between his lips and stepped into the car.

I agree with AssChicken said. I've proven this to be true time and time again and so have many others. 

I agree with AssChicken said.

This really was just said... 

Well, phili when you put it that way. I can't stop laughing. Haha

Melis smiles at Roberto_Carlos.

Thank you very much for your kind words.

Turning her attention to the others that have shown up.

If you honestly believe this is a speech about caring what other people think you are mistaken. It is more of an olive branch. A statement of forgetting old ancestor's grudges and moving onto the future. It is about change and one that is about time in coming. It is more about dropping the past in which my bloodline is judged and being who I am, not who they were.

I get that actions speak louder than words. However, in the entirety of this speech I do not feel that I have to do something in which is out of my grasp. Being able to drop the past is completely in my power. On my end it is something I can control. I do not control others however.

Some will continue to judge me on the past. Others may not. Either way I have extended an olive branch. I am moving forward. So if others choose to stay in the past that is their choice.

You can't just ask people to forget their opinions of you... it doesn't work that way. It isn't an olive branch, it's you telling people it's time to get over past grievances. Sorry, but once again that's not how things work. The point of their comments is basically laughing at you for caring enough to try to change their opinions... which is caring about another person's opinion whether you want to admit it or not. You can drop the past, doesn't mean others will. Olive branches involve you giving something to those you're asking to forget the past in a compromise, what exactly are you offering? Because most of us don't care if you base opinions off of prior actions or not.

You wanna pretend the human mind doesn't work by associating facts and tributes to people based upon past experiences and interpretations, then good for you. Sorry but I won't pretend. Each person is new, but the moment you attach a bloodline name to them they're transformed into a form of a continuation. They might not be held accountable for prior acts, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't treat someone differently (good or bad) based upon ancestral actions.

He knows he could go incog if he wanted a real shot. He isn't incog. It isn't a problem unless you look past current actions for ancestral actions. I'm actually a walking testament to what you're looking for, mate. My bloodline is filled with people who were unhappy or outright refused to be a hand before hitting made and actually building a gun or getting some earnings. It isn't as simple as ignore the prior bloodlines or depend on them, you should alter how you act towards someone because of it but not hand them the fucking world or shoot them on sight because so and so's great great grandpappy was a Godfather or a Rogue.

Since you were so kind to bring him up as well, I must ask: what's the point of his thread about me? You can't defend his actions and ignoring bloodline history, the fact you brought him in at all to use against me makes you a hypocrite for attempting to hold something from my past over me.

If you honestly believe this is a speech about caring what other people think you are mistaken.

Yet it's a speech to tell others to care about your wrong doings and to hopefully judge you by your new change?

If I'm not mistaken, those kind of remarks are what built your reputation to begin with. 

Although, as you well know, my bloodline has never had any personal issues with yours. I have always treated you fairly regardless, because I've always been the type to get along with someone until they wrong me. Which you never have. 

With that being said, I'm simply pointing that out to help you with your change, if you want people to believe your making an effort then making the same mistakes with your first step won't be the way to do it. 

I do wish you the best of luck though, everyone deserves a chance regardless of bloodline reputation.  

Tries again and wonders if she is in the right place this time .. oy vey!

Melis you are spot on. There are bloodlines that are useless leaders that continue to be authed because they are one of the cool kids who hang out in the coffee shops. There are extremely capable people who are overlooked because they aren't part of these groups. Too much is dependent on coffee shop relationships.

I would dare to say that a leader who did not hang out in the coffee shops and formed relationships through owning businesses and frequenting others businesses, who communicated here rather than there would make a better leader by not having been influenced by the goings on on IRC alley. IRC really is the back alley gutter of this thing of ours frequented by a number of backstabbers, gossipers and rumor mongers. Many needless wars have began from the rumors and, yes, blatant lies that were fermented in these dingy alleys.

Basically, you kiss the right asses you will get your opportunity (and sometimes several times over) because of it whether you are capable or not.

Great, this WWI clown is back :S where is coolklinkski when you need him :\.  I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets bored of his nonsense!  

Goodluck changing though Melis!

No, that still makes you a full blown hypocrite and insulting other speeches doesn't fix your position either. My guess is you're not on a crusade to get bloodline history forgotten, you're probably on a crusade to get something specific ignored and pretending that this "noble" goal is your real intention because you think it'll get you what you want. My specific guess for what you want is you think whining will get new blood in so that you or someone else can get back in the rotation for what you actually believe is a selected group that can only get authed or hand positions. That isn't a real thing either, hate to break it to you, but you could try whining louder on the assumption that it is.