Batista paced the side walk for a few minutes, pondering a few thoughts that had wandered rampant in his mind from an earlier conversation. He nodded a few times as he shifted an empty wooden box onto the curb and stepped on top. A smile curled at the corners of his lips as he'd toss out a few coins, here and there to attract some attention, hopefully some would stick around for the conversation, too!

There has been some talk of how street presence is lacking among leaders and overall. It's evident that majority of people would rather endorse a leader who has a reputable presence in The Streets than one who lingers in the shadows. However, assuming a leader makes time in his schedule to show up to a few street events and even share thoughts on a topic, is that all it would take?

What's your opinion on the characteristics of the leaders about now, or better yet, what leader would really be appreciated and successful? Is the silent leader, who frequently converses on Skype Ave or the popular coffee shop, WhatsApp, while avoiding The Streets or our business districts, a growing norm for future leaders?

An old philosopher, Machiavelli had laid out a handful of characteristics to lead a successful reign. How practical are these characteristics though?

Being a good, happy, and completely truthful is wholly detrimental to your reign just as being the opposite. What's the happy medium? How can one be loved and feared, also, is it really what we'd admire of a leader? Take a moment to think of our history, notable tyrants and groups who held power and stomped on those on the rise. Utter destruction set upon cities because a leader or many, hell bent on maintaining their rule without a possibility of another to take their reigns.

All in all, my question to the masses is, what makes our leaders so great? The ones that have their stories told time and time again. The tyrants we all hated but loved. How does one attain such status? It's possible for just about anyone to reach such heights.

Merci tries to catch a coin, but some one else snatches it away before she can grasp it. Jerk. Could have at least spoken, right?

Batista has a familiar look about him...but she can't put a finger on it and, instead, shoves her hands in her pockets and speaks.

"It's fun to hate the tyrants, sure, but the leaders who attempt a solid difference...those are the ones that stay on in my mind after reading even the most recent of journals. The men and women that gave back, contributed, tried something new. Off the top of my head, I'll pick just a few...RobOakheart. ChristianGato. Kate_Logan. Whether it was the creation of a pillar group, an innovative job board, an initiative to try out free cities, or a new spin on a newspaper...these people made shit happen, and we loved it."

She steps away, quietly smiling a moment before passing Batista on her way back to her car, discreetly shoving a healthy tip in his pants.

She is drunk really really drunk. Or maybe not , she is only drunk a bottle of beer.. She wanders alone in the empty street. Why she did it ? No one knows why, even she doesn’t know why she likes to wander alone,,  She stares the empty road, she hears sounds of coins are falling. She looks to the right , infornt of the isle.

There is a man stands on the wooden box, looks like he is giving speech. She is wondering what he is talking about. So she comes closer to him. He talks about what make a leader great. She listens carefully, this is interesting topic. But he is talking about skype and whatsapp she doesn’t understand about it..

There is a lady catches his coin and talk about her opinion. Pandora knows her, she smiles at her. Her mind fly away to her cl. Oragnar she thinks he is pretty active on the street or business districts. She proud of it, its mean he wants to know about what happens on the street. Pandora agrees with the lady.. She rises her hands ask her turn to speaks. 

“ I agree with creative way leaders who speak on the street, to show people from others city, and let them know him or her that they are exist on this world. But I could also understand with those silent leader maybe they are too busy build their own family or for them “ Silent is golden” so they are only take a look what is happening on the street. “

She comes to closer to him and take a look, she doesn’t know him before.. Then she continues her words.

“ If you ask what make the leader so great, the story being told time after time or Tyrants who is hated but loved. I prefer to choose the one who hard to kill and fight for their own people.. They can’t be called A leader if they can’t lead people..”

Ezreal watches as groups start to form jumping up and down into the air with their hands out as if it was going to magically rain money or something. Seems he had missed his opportunity to see such magic happen before him. Shrugging it off he listens for a few moments before daydreaming to himself how Batista managed to escape the basement that EvelynReed would regularly keep locked. Shrugging his shoulders he laughs "Cheeky bastid".

Personally I've noticed my lineage has been fond of leaders who were actively about in the streets along with their headquarters. With that I felt if they were keeping communications high between the ranks while attempting to get to know the members they actually vouch for, it was a good place to work for.  It's always good to look for a leader who will try and motivate you to do more without, in the back of your head cursing that you have to still wake him up from his routinely two day slumber.

Walking over towards Batista Ezreal begins to light up a cigarette, sitting on the ground the begins to stretch his legs for the long walk ahead.

Batista offered a smile as he watched Merci approach and give her thoughts. He'd watch her curiously, that smile curling at the corners of his lips as he listened to her contribution. He definitely felt something odd, perhaps he knew her in a past life? Or, no, was it the tacos he chowed down an hour prior?

While I agree, I still feel as if the people we label tyrants, get the most attention and are continuously brought up. It almost seems as if everyone wants a tyrannical reign of their own, conquering this thing of ours and laying waste to anyone or city for whatever reason. It's the tyrants that get the most fame, and while they become infamous, they're looked up to by many.

It's too bad that the ones that band for the betterment of society don't receive the praise or mentions they deserve after their time. Usually, they become forgotten.

Batista looked to Pandora as she began to share her thoughts on the subject.

I'm with you in that I enjoy hearing leaders step out on The Streets to share their thoughts and agenda. I like to see how cities are interaction, leadership from both ends of the nation working with each other or against. I believe it's important to keep the general public informed, to an extent. I don't understand the silent leader though, however, I've come to understand it and accept the personalities that they are.

Thank you both for your inputs!

Sky was listening to what everyone has to say while sitting on the roof of a car, not his car but it seemed like a great place to listen from. He didn’t notice the lovely lady walk up to the car and stop, she didn’t look to happy. Which didn’t make him happy at all, how had he failed to not notice such a beauty heading towards him. But why didn’t she look happy? Oh this must be her car.

Taking a closer look he recognized the lady, it was Merci she had spoken first some jerk had also stolen the coin that should have been here. Flashing a quick smile Sky hops off the car, walking toward her he takes her hand and kisses the back of it. “My apologies ma’am didn’t realize the car belonged to such a beauty” with another smile at her, he slides one of the coins he had managed to snag before sitting on her car into her closed fist. With a tip of his hat he was off toward the crowd to put his two cents in.

“What makes a great leader? Well we are never going to get answers that are all the same. Personally I do not care whether my leader is active in the streets or business districts. It helps them become known and seen, and trusted within the community. But the fact that they became a crew leader means that at least their godfather trusts them, this is good enough for me.

What matters to me is how the leader handles his family. Sure they cannot know everything all the time but keeping them as in the loop as possible is always helpful. Also trying to make a connection with ever member is important, we are not there just to be a way to make money off of. A leader who, just isn’t in it for the money at the end of the day is what makes a great leader, they don’t have to go out and conquer our world and be remember to be great. But if a leader like that would want to conquer the world I would follow and help them as much as I possibly could, not because it would be my duty but because I respected them.”

Sky yawns, it’s not often he spoke seriously well this is probably the first time in his short life. Putting his hands behind his head he turns to see if the beautiful lady had left yet, her car was defiantly the best spot to watch the discussion from

Shantelle stood a little bit from the crowd. It was such a nice sight to watch the streets that she didn't want her view to be obstructed. She was catching the conversation just fine and it had given her quite a bit to think about. She debated with herself for a few minutes before putting her two cents in.

"I think there is a tad bit of confusion between calling a leader great and whether they were memorable to you. To me a great leader is someone with whom I can have a conversation with and not sit there wondering if they are going to get upset and shoot me out of the blue. A leader should be able to communicate with their members. A great leader can do this and manage to be seen time to time. I don't mean sit out here on the streets every single day and saying anything just to be seen. Ones that can get into a discussion, say something worthwhile and carry on their business. I have the utmost respect for those kinds of leaders. The ones who aren't too busy to attend a discussion around our streets.  Those who dare to change the community for the better are also great leaders. They were willing to try something, dared to be better. RobOakheart and ChristianGato are prime examples of such leaders.

There are other leaders whose names will be mentioned time and time again because of the things they did. Great leaders will vary depending on one's interaction or line's interactions with them. A great leader is something each person will view differently.

The thing you can't argue is that there will be leaders that will always be talked about regardless if people saw them as great, mediocre or a tyrant. Why? Because of what they have done. Common knowledge tends to be talked about.

For me, I can list some names that I remember quite well based on things that they did. These are just examples and by no means the only things that they did during their reigns.

TheDean for his take over of New York.

Roman and Prem for their reign. The bloodlining of multiple lines in our community in eight cities (when we had eight cities in our community before two closed down to business).

Whether or not this all makes them great leaders is down to personal opinion. Someone who does not come out to our streets to speak at all might be considered great by someone who actually has contact with them, but they may not be remembered by anyone outside of their own doors."

Shantelle shrugs a little and wanders off from the crowd once more. She'd continue to listen because it was interesting to hear other people's thoughts but she had already shared her own.

What makes a leader great. I could really shorten it. Lets says Person A is infect and will died, but everyone cares and wants to use all supplies.

Every last, we humans, we got dos damn thing emotions. The what makes a great leader, them is saying, I''m not using supplies on Person A who is injection and possible get us sick. So the leader takes it upon themselves to pop the infectious Person A.

Not because they want control, but to save their community. And supplies. Now tell me, how of this sounds like This Thing of Ours?

Supernova scratches his head and takes a quick puff from his joint. Supernova puts his head down, he says only like 25 minutes of words and everyone atleast an hour. He takes another puff from his joint and forgets about the whole thing.

Shady_Sam arrived late to the discussion, all the coins and what not having been collected by the greedy, the needy and the curious. He whips out a cigarette and lighter, igniting the end of his death stick before inhaling its toxic smoke. He approaches towards the forefront, blowing out the puff of gas through his lips. 

"Interesting topics for discussion, Batista. Thank you for bringing them up. In regards to street presence, I would say it's effectively optional. Not all leaders need to bounce around from street corner to street corner to prove that they're alive and active, I often feel that it is much more important to be an articulate and precise speaker who makes clear and powerful speeches. Anyone can come to the streets and bring up a topic or showcase one of their adventures, but it is very difficult to stand out from the crowd. Those that can have such an impact and persuade their audience to their side holds true power. 

But at the end of the day, a leader must lead, be it a subcrew, family or an entire city. In most cases, that requires much more private and interpersonal communication. Strategy and tactics are not discussed in the streets but in cafe rooms and within headquarters. Casual banter and professional networking is often dealt in mob mails and telegrams. Most leaders nowadays only venture into the streets when there is urgent information and news to express, which is perfectly acceptable. One of the prime examples is Borkers who, as I understand it from the Potato, handles most of his work behind closed doors. In addition, when he was required to make a statement about why a Philadelphia crew leader had to be gunned down, he spoke extremely well and possessed clarity of speech. If all of our leaders can be like such, I do not foresee any amount of problem with the current tread. 

As Teddy Roosevelt said, 'Speak softly and carry a big stick'." 

Sam takes another drag of his cigarette, before moving onto his last point. 

"As for what makes a leader strong and great, it is quite simple. Prestige comes from prowess and achievement. Leaders who can direct capable crews and cities will often find themselves making a memorable impact on the history of this thing of ours. Powerful guns, strategic leadership, charismatic influence and successful application of such are all common traits of the legends of the past, present and most certainly the future."

My family has seen many leaders come and go. They've seen names go down in history. But my family were rarely close to such leaders - these leaders often made a lot of noise in the streets and no doubt did all sorts behind the scenes. The direction of the community at that time was no doubt influenced by these various leaders - but my ancestors actually learned very little from them directly and could not relate to calling them "great".

For me, the true meaning of a great leader is much closer to home. It means the often unsung leaders who not only invest their own time in development, but also in building a fun atmosphere within a family. Many of my longest serving family friends are those I met in some forgotten crew many years ago. These are the sub-communities that will always exist within this thing of ours.

The great leader is not the one that drops a family in one wave, but the one who builds it up over several months. Sometimes one is required to do the former, but the great leader does the latter well.

With a wry smile Bonkers remembers the tales of former families and heads round for a coffee with the great grandson of one such family friend.

I think the talks so far on what makes a great leader have shown us something beyond any doubt, it's completely subjective and will depend entirely on the individual in question. Some will value specific skills far more than others, some will value an individual skill as the be all and end all and for nearly all the atmosphere and feelings created are a major part of the legacy laid down by a truly great leader. I couldn't disagree with a single word of that, it's all true.

The one thing that I think hasn't been mentioned, and which is a universal throughout the history of these shores, is that a true leader can't and won't stand alone. To be a great leader they NEED a genuinely great family to support them. No man is an island, despite how often Clause tries to prove me wrong on that. Every great leader has to have close friends and family that fill in the gaps and support them over the journey. Building a family is tough, it's damn hard work. If they're trying to build an empire or a real legacy to leave behind it's even tougher. It just can't happen alone. We've all seen the great right hands and hit squad leaders over the generations, often unsung heroes that deserve just as much of the credit. These men and women are true leaders, they couldn't do their roles without incredible leadership skills, they simply choose to forego the limelight or actively prefer to avoid it. 

So in a word what makes a great leader? "Family". 

After the last man finished talking, it was  quiet for a few seconds, until Pinocles decided to walk in  front of the mass who was gathered. While  his  was  making his way through he noticed  that some people instead of paying attention to  what other say, and disusing  about the real issues, they were simply looking for more coins.

Hello  my fellow comrades my name is Pinocles, and perhaps some of  you might already know that I work for mr. Argyle

I respectfully listen your opinions, but I am afraid that  with  the majority of you  I will disagree. Not, because you are wrong, you are not actually wrong, but the characteristics that people want to see in a good leader are exactly those who we use to describe  a  good person. A good person, and not  a good leader. 

Of course the leader is a person too, but he  can't be a leader if he is  a friend. 

Mr. Batista you have mentioned Machiavelli, I assume you refer to his  book, The Prince, written about 400 years  ago. In there yes, he describes a leader in such  way where we are sure it  would  be perfect for our society. A leader needs to be the one who will undoubtfully rule, and keep his family, his empire, his business safe. To do so, he might have to take some decisions who  his friends might not approve. Of course at the same time the good leader must take care of his public profile, and make sure he inspires his people. Thus a good  leader needs to have people next to him, people who wisely advise him. Diplomacy, spies this is all part of the game. 

Street presence? I would say 100% is essential as the streets are the only place where a leader can show his rhetoric power  over  other leaders, a place where he  can  be  a good, or bad diplomat, and a place, where he will inspire, or repel other people. 

Pinocles put  his hat on, and walked back to the crowd.