Ack, forgot to mention about the pay-weekly scheme Rags was mentioning seeing as a few folk have asked me how I'd run that I'll lay it out here.

Let's assume I controlled Detroit for a second...

You do not pay me for making money on my turf.

You do not pay me so I can help you take down some other family/city.

You do not pay me because I just want the cash.

You do not pay me and still have to tell me everything about your family (pro'ers, hitters, etc)

You pay me because I am going to give you a helping hand when you need it the most... when you are attacked. You would be paying for a 'jokers card' when you needed it the most and as long as you keep 'paying the rent' I'd bail you out as often as possible. 

As this obviously puts me at risk also, the sum of money would have to be significantly larger than previous 'pay weekly' deals where GF's/acting GF's effectively just auctioned off their land to anyone willing to pay the price.

I'm not saying I'd 100% use this... it is just an idea. But it's something I'd definitely mull over if I was in a position to do so. I could flesh out the other ideas in a matter of minutes also. If I can come up with something that would suit myself, why can't anyone else come up with something to suit themselves. I don't want you to use any of my ideas, I want you to come up with your own.

''But what if the 'unoriginal' thinking of the leaders suits them just fine? Some would say: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.''

Really Sovereign? After the past couple of weeks, this world isn't broke?

Don't be so naive.

''Certainly our world is broken. However, I was referring to the methods that are used to mend it again. They're not creative or original, sure, but are they bad?''

Would you like me to tell you the bloodlines who are guaranteed auth given who we have in power atm?

That's how bad it is. We can already predict the future based on coffeeshop cliques.

Let's assume we have no coffeeshop cliques. Who has stood out as doing something deserving of being allowed to run their organisation?

That's a pretty small list if you ask me.

With the same cliques keep failing to inspire time and time again, there are literally hundreds to choose from. It's kind of patronising Credits, for you to think nobody but the 'usual lot' have the skills required to lead a family, given there are a lot of shit eggs in that 'usual lot' too, who manage to worm their bloodline into a position of power every time by sucking whoever's metaphorical dick they need to.

Don't pretend you want me to start naming names because you know as well as I do that it will cause hissy-fits from quite a few of them, which nobody wants to see.

You can't comment on the situation if you've not looked for change, paisano. 

My father didn't know anyone when he landed on these shores three months ago, however was left hand to a Philadelphia family when he died. Another man associated with our family sought work in LA and was Right hand to his crew there, during the war. 

My bloodline doesn't know anyone more than three months, however the opportunities and hospitality they have been shown has been a huge display of trust in their abilities and I will never forget that. I'm not going to blow their horn for them, but they must have done something of worth to earn that trust.

Things do change, people are developing outside of your 'cliques' and it is a credit to the community that people like those in my bloodline have been given these chances. 

That would be patronising if that was what I said, but it wasn't, was it?

I said lets imagine there are no coffeeshop cliques, negating your assertion that people are guaranteed auth based on their other worldly friendships. In my hypothetical scenario, who is it, specifically, who is doing all these impressive things and being passed over? 

I don't see a whole lot. Am I wrong? If so, who am I overlooking? There doesn't appear to me to be a long list of people being repeatedly passed over. Instead, there are people like you, adding little and complaining loudly about the current situation. 

From what I've see people are being selecting based on whatever criteria the leader who decides to auth them determines to be relevant. In my own circumstance, I don't frequent coffeeshops and, graffiti on the walls of the Peach Pit aside, haven't been sucking anyone's dick - metaphorical or otherwise and I still got the nod. 

But your bloodline does go bold over and over and over and over, Credits. Despite the fact that you're on of the less active mobsters we have.

Some folk who auth like to go for a 'safe choice', your blood is exactly that. Unless you're working for a tyrant, your blood is generally loyal, they're never going to be active enough to get a monster gun to threaten anyone with.

I'd rather add little and complain loudly, than add nothing and only show up to righteously put down people.

Clearly your agenda doesn't reach any further than what you've got to say and who you want to argue with, so I'll leave you to it.

Arrivederci, paisano. 

I don't believe your blood is as new as you preach, Sammy. I don't really waste time on people I believe to be liars.

Everything you say may be true and I may be wrong but the way you carry yourself suggests to me that you're fibbing... hence not replying.

I've got no reason to fabricate my past, however I appear to have wasted my time anyway. 

My bloodline reappear on these streets every 6 months to a year, so I don't have time to get to know people and any that I do know are gone when I next come looking for work.

As for the way I carry myself, that's experience and respect.

So I was right... you're a liar. The way you originally presented yourself was implying you were (almost) totally new to our world.

Your blood may not keep the same contacts, but they know exactly how this world works. Your blood knows how to act and how to present themselves to the right people. That is a huge advantage and that's how you got that position so your original post has no real meaning given you were attempting to prove that cliques dont really exist. They do... you just know how to work them.

My bloodline is irrelevant to me. It should be to everyone else as well. If it isn't, positively or negatively, there isn't a whole lot I can do about that; I've made my stance on it abundantly clear. 

Also, I don't think I've righteously shown up to put you or anyone else down and nor do I feel I add nothing. The reason I spoke here was because it seemed to me that you're citing the problems of coffeeshop auths (something I'm very much against by the way) as if there are lots of people working tirelessly, impressing the hell out of everyone only to be passed over. That isn't the case as far as I can tell and until it is, I don't really see what the alternative is. My intention isn't to put people down, but hopefully provide a hand-crafted leather-shoe-to-bottom for people to raise their game and get what they deserve.

Where the fuck do you think I started? I started in the gutter, like everyone else. I tried to be someone, I failed, so I tried again. 

At no point did I say I was new to these streets, I didn't even suggest it, but when LouisGato hit the streets looking for work, he knew nobody. Nobody held him in their favour, nobody knew what he could do and nobody would have thought twice about him if he sat on his ass for 7 days and got topped at the end of it. 

But he didn't, he presented himself as he learnt how to present himself from the people who have taught him in the past. He gave every penny he earnt as tribute to show his respect and worth and he fucking followed orders without question. You would rather see people authorized to lead that know literally nothing of these traits? You're proposing that my story would be more believable if I was fresh off the boat? 

Your argument is no longer rational, goodbye signore Owens.

Yes, it should be irrelevant but you know damn well it isn't and never will be for as long as people know who your bloodline is.

There are people working tirelessly, they're just too damn tainted by their past associations that they don't get a chance. That's been proved over and over with a few certain bloodlines (no, not talking about myself) pretty recently. Granted in the past week or so there hasn't been much to go on, but there was a pretty big war going on and still... I heard of saints for both sides of the recent war, none of whom's offspring will even get a look in unless we get another crappy KOTH.

If you're not seeing any talented bloodlines then you're looking inwards at your bloodline's normal circle of friends too much. They're out there, my ancestors saw people all the time, some... they found abhorrent on a personal level, but they truly deserved to get the chance to do something more and never did... probably never will.

If you want to live in a make-believe land where you're avoiding the fact that this is just a merry-go-round of the same old bloodlines then that's your bag, but I'm not moving there.

If you don't want to name names here, I would welcome a mail with these people I'm overlooking and what they're doing because I genuinely don't see it.

Duplicity looks at her district South Side and then tilts her head to the side a tad confused.

"You talk about the same auths. Before this my ancestors never even knew the two auths I have now. Heck Senza has only been around for a few months and she is beautiful in bold now."

"The thing about the same bloodlines getting authed is because it is the same bloodlines that work their asses off, that have a level head, and that are somewhat knowledgeable. Not to mention two weeks ago there were hardly anyone around besides these old bloodlines to even set up. We HAD to create room because it would take 6 leaders to house all the unsponsored. There wasn't much time to sit here and think 'Oh hey, I can't auth this person because I want some new blood to see it.' When the ONLY people they had were two old timers who were left."

"My example was taken from Chicago's situation two weeks ago. Yet, this time around I am happy to say that more people lived. I was able to set people up who deserved it and worked hard for it. Do I know if Oblivion's line has had auth. No, because honestly I didn't care to ask. I judged him on what he had done for me during his life on this character. Not his old ancestors."

"I couldn't be prouder that Senza is now having her chance to shine. That for her first time she gets to lead. So don't go pissing on that. You will quickly tick me off if you do. Now you can say, 'What about the other cities, blah blah'. Right now it is rebuilding time, most of those hardworking members died a few days ago. The new bloodlines that you want to see out here with bold suits are having to rank back up."

"Give this damn world some time to get rolling again before you start spitting on it. Please?"

At least one of the bloodlines he's referring to is that of "morty" and rightly so. 

I'd go as far as to say he was instrumental in the winning of both recent wars along with a few other more public figures who may have received the plaudits as a result of their bold status. Actually the morty bloodline was a damn sight more useful then most despite his lack of tangible skills due in part to his age during both wars. 

The Melis bloodline was another that worked tirelessly (that I saw) during the second war certainly but I hear rumours they are being rewarded for their efforts which I'm glad to hear. Are there others that just took a prowack every four hours and didn't really contribute much to the recent war efforts? Yes. In fact nearly a whole city would probably fall into that bracket. 

Don't get me wrong I don't think you can judge a person soley on their war efforts. However the simple fact is that the easiest time to see the differences between a crew leader and a crew manager are during war time situations. Some take the lead, some are carried, some are shit and some are exposed for being shit. And quite frankly there's a lot of shit going round this place past and present - dressed in a bold suit.