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popculturebuffet · 11 months ago

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Uncle Scrooge: The Secret Santa Spell Review (comission by WeirdKev27)

Happy Holidays all you Happy People. It's that time of year again, time to haul out the holly and the breadcrumbs because we're talking about ducks again. Yes while I haven't talked about ducks nearly enough on this blog as of late, finding a Ducktale for christmas has always been a priority.

This year though Kev took the reigns on this one after realizing this was a tradition, and found me TWO. We were originally going to do the darkwing duck christmas special, something I didn't know existed and still know little about on purpose and still plan to next year.. but then... he found this. See back in 2021 I reviewed the Carl Barks comic a letter to santa. You can find the review here.

But the main takeaway is it features THIS iconic scene

Look saying i'm a simple man would be a boldfaced lie, but sometimes it's the simple things like an absurdly rich duck and his nephew fighting to the death with heavy machinery so one of them can give their nephew's the remaining machine as a christmas present that bring me joy on this holiday season.

That said after years of basking in the warm glow of having randomly found a comic about Scrooge and Donald battling to the death with steam shovels, I found something just as holly jolly.. and just as gloriously, wonderfully nuts. My friends it's time I introduced you to the Secret Santa spell.

Again Kev, my producer of sorts, deserves the credit here: he found this in Disney Christmas Parade, IDW's christmas anthology they printed every year for a while, and god bless him for it as this story is gold. It's a genuinely good, well done Magica story that thanks to taking place on christmas and involving a claus somehow less thought out than the one where if you kill Santa you become Santa, figgy pudding, a murder tree, and a volcano finale, is also completely bonkers and I love every second of it. This is a geninely fantastic scrooge story and one worth taking a look for yourself if you can find it online since it's out of print. For those of you who can't or simply don't wanna, come with me under the cut as we explore the hap happiest christmas since bing crosby tap danced with danny fucking kaye while Donald and Scrooge tried to pummel each other with steam shovels.

This story comes to us from writers Fransico Artibani, Lello Arena and artest Silvio Cambolli. I hadn't heard of any of these people before this as i'm not really up on my itallian duck comics but they do an excellent job here and I certainly will be looking out for more of their stories.

For this story we open at the bin a few days before christmas as everything's winding down for the holiday and Donald's doing one of his last bits of slave labor for Scrooge when two Scottish obviously suspcious carollers show up. Scrooge apparently gets so many that both are and aren't villians in disguise he's worked up a bit of an extreme solution.. granted he wanted to just pour oil on them but then legal got involved.

So he has to go with the Virtuetron 3000, an elaborate setup he had gyro work up that puts MIND READING HELMETS

Yup i'ts magica.. I mean I can't blame Scrooge for being suspcious, turning her shadow into a teenager to sneak into the mansion only for said teenager to fall in love with scrooge's daughter, this ain't, but i'm less concered with Magica and Co's half baked scheme and more concered a man who underpays his employees, quite literally owns the town, and already has a fairly sketchy moral compass has MIND CONTROL technology.. and giant killer robots

You'd think this would be an out of character expendature... but he got it from a reliable presidental source

Scrooge did all this so he could have a restful christmas. Magica.. isn't having the same as she has some uninvited guests.

Okay so some introductions are in order as i'm sure some of you had the same reaction I did

Thankfully Inducks also indexed who they are. Starting with the one I DID recognize, the little tyke is Magica's niece Minima, the basis for Lena and Magica's exact oppisite: kind, selfless, cheery. The only thing she isn't inverted on is magical talent, as Minima has a knack for it.

The two strangers are Rosolio and Gramma DeSpell. Yes GRAMMA, that's magica's grandma. What's intresting is there's two distinct versions of the character that don't really contradict each other, with this one in the 90's becoming a bigger fixture, and there being nothing to say this isn't the same character given a Sabrina the Teenage Witch style makeover, just a few years BEFORE Zelda and Hilda's got there's in fact. Go figure. She's a bit of a hippie and tries to talk down Magica from her schemes.

Her sidekick here, and sexual harasser, is Rosolio, a mildly inepet magician who followed her from italy to hit on her.

So Magica's about ready to just abandon her magic shop and go.. fuck off or whatever when Minima innocently brings up something...

Yes folks, this is indeed our premise: Santa put in a clause in his magic that's somehow weirder than "If tim allen shoves you off a room tim allen become santa claus" or "If tim allen dosen't find a wife in time he ceases to be santa claus" or.. let's just say anything tim allen adjacent. If you wish for something seven times and happen to be some sort of spellcaster, you get it, regardless of morality, intent or what it actually is. Which DOES mean good news for one little boy man robot

But still raises a LOT of questions. It's not a bad concept, that asking for something enough means santa will take pity but why isn't their restraints? Why has Magica, someone Santa would objectively not liked asked 7 times? why have we only heard about a magic version of the junior woodchuck guidebook this once? why didn't we get a fourth season of ducktales so Frank could adapt this? These are the things that keep me up at night. This is also a thing that keeps me up at night.

Donald just admit you need glasses instead of taking it out on your children, for all our sakes!

So Magica goes to the north poll to deliver letter 7 personally while Gramma.. only stops Rogoilo from going with her then hopes she'll be okay.

Magicia isn't as an elf being pulled by a sleigh full of pengys and getting there late notices her. Honestly we wouldn't have this plot at all if the best boy pengy wasn't busy.

Magica is frozen solid and is revived by 30 cc's of hot chocolate. I don't know if Tom Hanks sang to her, he was also busy that christmas

Magcia repays this kindness by busting up the north poll, going on a rampage to find Santa since the elves handle letters. Keep in mind this ENTIRE act of the story, her getting frozen, her going on a rampage, her bringing an evil dead tree to life before fighting an army of teddy bears and snowman

YUP. You didn't think the insanity stopped at mind policing, killer robots, santa clauses and improperly placed penguins did you? Nope we get a full on offscreen lord of the rings battle complete with ents simply because Magicia wants to gloat in person. And despite this section being padding.. it works. of COURSE magicia would want to gloat to santa, of COURSE she coudln't wait for Christmas day. It's totlaly in character and her singing oh christmas tree or spitting out hot chocolate are just.. such nice character touches. Of course she's so dedicated to being evil she hates something sweet. OF COURSE.

It's something neat about this comic: i'ts bonkers, no question.. but it's also simply fantastic on it's own merit. The idea of Magica getting a santa wish is neat on it's own, but the story then uses Minima to anchor it: she's frustrated it seems her aunt will never be happy and always obess over the dime, and thus teleports to the bin to take it from her, not understanding WHY it's precious to scrooge or WHY her aunt wants it, simply wanting to make her aunt happy. No one even knows; the thought police helmet's don't scan ill intent.. because there isn't none. It's just an innocent child wanting to bring her Aunt christmas. This version of Minima reminds me a LOT of 87 webby, and it's in the best way: innocent , kind, selfless.. all the good things.

Anyways Santa finally goes to confront magica, wondering why she's doing this the answers no.. and forgetting his own stupid policy until it's too late, with her asking for the dime and him entering a trance to go get it.

It's christmas eve and Scrooge is bored as nothing's going on. Disturbingly he wants to know how litigatoins are going. Those orphans aren't going to be forced out into the snow themsleves, ghosts of past buisness partners be dammned!

Scrooge is interuptted from taling to Mrs. Quackfaster byt he arrival of santa. Thinking it's magica in a disguise , he sicks a robot guard dog on her he turns into a sheep.

But then we get the crowner, the weirdest, best, and most wonderful thing in this story.. I present...

I"ll level with you all, while holiday shopping was easy this year, i've still been dealing with a lot of seasonal depression and regular ole depression. It's been a long month with loved ones in the hosptial (nothing serious but also nothing you need to know about in full), work piling up and me not even taking the time to enjoy some of my gifts. I've had plenty of kind people, thoughtful gifts, and wonderful friends but sometimes the stress of this job, as much as I love it, and the world can get to you. So getting to just relax and review a comic where Santa turns Scrooge's bin into a giant figgy pudding while under hypnosis.. it helps> it warms the spirit and reminds me why I do this. For the joy of good stories.. and for the wonder of nonsense.

For those who like me wondered what Figgy Pudding actually even is, wonmder no more: it's a traditional british pudding made out of animal fat. You no doubt have more questions but we have more story

So Santa snaps out of it once he gives Magica the time and she teleports out. Scrooge asks santa to go get it.. but despite you know having TURNED SCROOGE'S BIN INTO PUDDING and stolen his prized possesion, he's .. less than helpful.

I just.. dude... man.. santa dude man claus... Christmas is important. It brigns joy to children and it's why youd o this. I get that. But how does "I need to return the dime I stole while BRAINWASHED due to a stupid bit of magic I never bothered to undo or work up a backup plan for", equate to "greed begats greed'.

For starters the Dime.. isn't just a dime.. and you should know this. Your santa. You know everything about a person, it's your deal. This dime was the first bit of honest money Scrooge ever earned, a reminder of what he started, something he dearly loves and treasures not because it's MONEY but because of what it means. And even not knowing that Scrooge didn't start any of this shit. Scrooge has to constantly ward off Magicia's crap, something you DO for a fact know as you rejected her wish till your dumbass magic kicked in. She's not trying to steal his hoarded gross amount of money, she's trying to take the dime and she's trying to do it for an evil plan. YOU KNOW BETTER SANTA.

Granted this could be a christmastime grift as Santa gets Scrooge to promise a big dinner and bonuses for everyone in duckburg, so he could've simply been fleecing scooge.. and I prefer that interprtation as it fits santa better: Santa would WANT to make up for what he did with magica and WANT to stop her because Santa is a kind, caring person. And even if she hadn't used the santa spell against him, she still attacked his elves out of spite. I prefer to think he would've helped anyway but knew Scrooge deserved to be taught a lesson which, fair play to the big guy.. Scrooge ABSOLUTELY did.

So they go to stop him while Magica goes to show off her dime.. and minima realizes Magica didn't open her present and thus dosen'jt know and is about to make an oopsie.

So Scrooge and Santa go to stop her, but can't... luckily thanks to Minima giving Scrooge a chocolate coin instead of giving her the midas touch, the spell gives her...

It's an excellent brick joke on Magicia hating chocolate, and a great visual. it temproarily makes her the sweetst duck in the world.. which leads to some shipping bait

But a genuinely sweet ending for Minima who, if for one moment and only thanks to magic.. gets to enjoy her aunt. I mean Magica becoming sweet thanks to choclate magic is KINDA Messed up.. but it's hard to not enjoy a child who simply wanted her aunt to be happy.. getting that for one breif moment.

I still feel bad for her as this won't lass, Magicia will be back to her abuse hateful self.. but I can't begrudge a kind, innocent little witch her happy ending. I just don't have it in me. It's not forever, Magicia gets herself back.. but for one day.. she'll treat her family how they deserve. And Rogilo how he really dosen't but you can't have everything now can you?

So because we can't just end on the sweet moment, Santa assures Scrooge the figgy pudding bin will turn back after christmas.. but until then.. he has a promise to fufill.

Every christmas story should end with the whole town eating a rich man's property. Hell EVERY christmas should. Eat the rich's buildings kids!

This story is excellent. Really werid? yes. Having a pretty bonkers ending for no reason? Yes. Is said ending hilarious, the throughline of Minima heartfelt, and the zanier stuff also really funny? Entirely. It's a well done Scrooge story set around christmas with santa's indgiance at helping scrooge being the only thing I really don't like. Had he phrased it less as "you brought this on yourself" and more "you don't deserve it after how you've treated your employees" it'd make more sense. Still one little bump dosen't ruin the figgy pudding.. I think. I don't know how figgy pudding works. I do like this story though and highly recommend it. Thanks for reading.

#scrooge mcduck #disney #donald duck #magica de spell #minima de spell #granny de spell #rogillo #comics #idw #ducktales #christmas

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anamelessfool · 3 months ago

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Who are your favorite characters on the Sopranos so far? :)

Augh yes! (Also, instant follow bc I need me some Sopranos content but I have to be careful about spoilers....)

There are SO MANY I love. I'm really fascinated by the relationships more than anything. So I'll focus on my current fave. Really love the three soldiers so much: Silvio, Paulie and Christopher.

PS I just finished season 2 last night so no spoilers please 💕

They are all pretty horrible people doing some horrible criminal acts. And they process this in really intriguing ways. In a way, Paulie and Silvio are Christopher's future. They've figured out how to mentally handle being evil.

Christopher is dedicated and he just longs for recognition. He'd do anything for approval, and got so excited when those film guys gave him obvious nods. But he had the hard realization that they're just cosplayers. They don't know what it's like. They haven't bled and they haven't suffered and they haven't made anyone else suffer. It was so tragic to see him abandoning his dream of being a storyteller so he could live the real story. Stories are stories. Reality is you're responsible for evil acts. And they will haunt you. Forever.

Silvio has decided he's just going to be a cartoon character. That's what's going to keep him from realizing he's a criminal. Any moment of doubt and grief, just make a cartoon face and do an impression and everybody laughs. Yeah, he got a system so he's ok /hj

Paulie is like...oh my god I adore Paulie. He's like...weirdly wholesome. He's a happy samurai. Chilling and living his life peacefully one moment, and then the sword comes out the next. Like a big happy guard dog. He only spends energy on hard truths when it matters, right before a decision. All other hours of his life he's using a reflective board to work on his tan. I just love him talking to Christopher whenever they're alone. Esp his idea about his sentence in purgatory. "Eyyy what's 6,000 years compared to eternity?" Like...oh my god how do you live (affectionate)

Thank you now I wanna hear yours hahah

#ask answered #the sopranos

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tiny-wooden-robot-fics · 6 months ago

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Against the Tide - Eight

Rating: Explicit Pairing(s): Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez x Original Female Character, Silvio Ricci x Original Female Character Characters: Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez (Bleach), Silvio Ricci (Ikemen Prince), Olivia DuBois (Original Female Character of Color) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergent, Pirates and Princes, Slow Burn, Action/Adventure, Worldbuilding, Angst, Some Subtle Racism, Sexual Tension, Political Subplot

Previous Chapter: Seven | Next Chapter: Nine

Summary:

He turns to look at her, his expression serious. "Look," he starts, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking directly into her eyes. "I wasn't tellin' you lies when I said I wanna make you fall in love with me, Sae. You might not want this life," he goes on, motioning to the ship around them, "and if you don't I can't force you. If you tell me that all you want is for me to make you feel good, to give you three nights of pleasure and then never touch you again... well, it ain't what I'm hopin' for, but dammit, I'll take that, 'cause I want you bad enough that I'll settle for havin' ya a little while over not at all."

Read on AO3

“When we get to Baiz,” Olivia starts, “we’ll stay at an inn.”

Daisy claps her hands together excitedly. “You mean on a bed in a room that doesn’t move?”

“Yes,” Olivia laughs. “We’ll only be there for three nights - just enough to restock supplies - but it’ll be long enough for everyone to get a bit of a break.” She smiles down at the girl. “And I’m sure you’d like to sleep in your own bed for a few days, too.”

The younger woman flushes. “Not that I haven’t enjoyed bunking with you, but it would be nice to stretch out a bit more in a bed of my own,” she admits.

“Of course.”

“Does that mean we’ll get real baths too? Every night we’re there?”

“Every night we’re there,” Olivia confirms. “That’s exciting too, right?”

Daisy is practically vibrating with excitement. “Meaning I can put on perfume and actually smell it,” she laughs. “Oh, I can hardly wait!”

Olivia is still chuckling quietly when the sounds of the crew preparing the Hellcat to dock reach her ears. She decides to go up on deck and see their approach to the coast of Baiz herself.

“Ready for solid ground beneath your feet again?” Grimmjow asks her, as he watches over his men.

“I can’t say that I’m not,” Olivia starts, “but I don’t think anyone is more ready than Daisy.”

“I bet,” he laughs. “Didn’t think she would last as long as she did at sea.”

“Well, she has the best teacher ever at her disposal,” Olivia grins. “I know a thing or two about being around a bunch of stinky men.”

“You just wait ‘til I get a proper bath,” he shoots back with a smirk. “See how long you can resist me then.”

Olivia rolls her eyes. “The minute you wash all the sea filth off of you, I’m sure you’ll fall right into bed with some tavern girl you come see whenever you’re here.”

He inclines his head to the side. “You thought it was a joke when I told you I wouldn’t touch another woman if you stepped foot on the Hellcat?”

She looks up at him in surprise. “I was under the impression that condition only came with the caveat of us sleeping together.”

“Then you shoulda asked more questions,” he chuckles. “Sae, I meant what I said. I ain’t lookin’ at other women. Not while you’re here.”

“It doesn’t mean I’m going to have sex with you.”

“I know that,” he shrugs. “But I want you to know I’m serious. Not just about the sex, but about the other stuff I said, too.”

Olivia studies his face. “Grimm. You’re telling me that even if I don’t crawl into bed with you, you’re not seeing any other women?”

“That’s exactly what I’m tellin’ you.”

“And…” She takes a deep breath, knowing she shouldn’t ask but unable to help herself anyway. “And if I do decide that I want to crawl into bed with you?” She lowers her voice. “What then?”

“Then I give you the best three nights of your life,” he says matter-of-factly.

“And after those three nights are up, and we all file back onto the Hellcat ?”

He turns to look at her, his expression serious. “Look,” he starts, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking directly into her eyes. “I wasn’t tellin’ you lies when I said I wanna make you fall in love with me, Sae. You might not want this life,” he goes on, motioning to the ship around them, “and if you don’t I can’t force you. If you tell me that all you want is for me to make you feel good, to give you three nights of pleasure and then never touch you again… well, it ain’t what I’m hopin’ for, but dammit, I’ll take that, ‘cause I want you bad enough that I’ll settle for havin’ ya a little while over not at all.”

She draws in a sharp breath. “I…” She isn’t sure what to say. There are a dozen different thoughts floating through her mind - some she can make sense of, and others she can’t. She isn’t sure that diving headfirst into any sort of relationship with Grimmjow is what she wants. She isn’t ignorant of the complications that could come with getting involved with him - someone who’s gone half the year, someone with a reputation like his - and she doesn’t know if she’s ready to commit to being out at sea with him for all the time he spends there.

And then there is the matter of Silvio… what he means to her, what she means to him - if anything. Whether there are still residual feelings on either of their parts, and what those residual feelings would mean for the future. How that would affect this diplomatic mission.

It all makes her head spin.

Grimmjow seems to sense her turmoil, and he flashes her a smile. “Hey. Put me outta your mind for now and enjoy the port,” he says, pressing his lips to her forehead before pulling away from her again.

The exchange is visible from where he stands, just at the top of the companionway. He cannot hear the words being said, but he sees the uncharacteristically tender way Grimmjow looks at her and the way he presses his lips to her forehead in a kiss.

He watches her for a moment after the pirate walks away from her, long enough to see the expression on her face. Whatever the other man has said to her has plunged her deep into thought.

Silvio can take a guess at what it is.

Like many of the things surrounding his complicated history with Olivia, he would never admit to anyone - perhaps not even himself - the way witnessing the exchange makes him feel. It boils the blood in his veins, the way her gaze follows the pirate even after he’s no longer within speaking distance of her. The way her brown eyes have gone soft with some emotion he doesn’t want to name.

She used to look at him that way.

“So this is Baiz?” Daisy looks around, her eyes wide as though she’s trying to take everything in all at once.

“This is Baiz,” Olivia agrees. “I’ve only been here a few times, and the last was about three years ago.”

“What’s it like here?”

“See for yourself,” she laughs, motioning to their surroundings. “Colorful, lively, bustling.” She pats the girl on the shoulders, gently steering her towards a two-level building a few yards away. “Come on - let’s go get a room before they fill up.”

She and Daisy are on their way up to their room when she catches sight of Silvio in the tavern. “Daisy, do you think you’ll be alright getting settled in the room if I come up a little later?”

The girl follows her line of sight. “Of course,” she says brightly. “There are lots of women here, and I’m only going straight to the room we’ve been assigned.” She smiles bashfully. “I’ll wait for you to go to the bath house.”

“I won’t be long,” Olivia reassures the girl with a smile.

He doesn’t look up when she seats herself across from him, not even when she speaks.

“I can always tell when you’re angry with me,” she says quietly.

“Bullshit.”

“I can,” she insists.

This time, he does look up. “What do you care?”

His icy tone surprises her, but it does not deter her. “You may not believe this, but what you think still matters to me,” she says.

“Why should it, Olivia? You made it clear a long time ago that what I think doesn’t matter. Not enough to make a difference in what you do, anyway.”

“Silvio… Can we talk about this, please?”

“Why now, after all this time?” He scoffs. “Does it have something to do with whatever he said to you? Maybe you’re feeling guilty about it, hm?”

Taken aback, she looks at him sharply. “I don’t—“

“On the deck,” he says. “As we pulled into port.”

Her gaze drops to the scratched wood of the table. “I wasn’t aware anyone was watching.”

“Clearly.”

Olivia sighs softly. “I’m not sure what it looked like to you, but—”

“It seems,” he says, “that Jarron Barnes passed through here recently.”

Her train of thought has been abruptly derailed, and it takes her a moment to catch up. “Through Baiz?”

“Mm,” he nods.

“How recently?”

“A month ago.” Silvio glances around the tavern. They are evidently between a midday and evening rush, so there are many empty tables. Still, he lowers his voice and leans closer to her across the table, presumably to be heard better. “One of the barmaids said she heard bits of his conversation with his crew while he was here. Plans.”

Olivia’s chest tightens. “Plans,” she repeats. “Did she happen to hear any timelines to go with these plans?”

“She didn’t.” Silvio shakes his head grimly. “She did say that when she asked him - casually, the way she usually does - when he’d come back to Baiz, he told her not before winter’s end.”

She mulls over his words, feeling the tension in her chest loosen into relief. “Well that’s good news, right? He can’t leave Vora for Clario without passing through Baiz. Which means he’s planning to stay on Vora for the entire winter?”

Silvio fiddles with a coin on the table, spinning it in circles and watching it fall. “In a perfect world, yes. But…” He looks up at her. “Not coming back to Baiz before winter’s end doesn’t necessarily mean he’s staying put on Vora for all that time.”

“What else could it mean?”

“That he’s been successful in his exploits in the Yarmouth,” Silvio explains. “And that he’s casting a wider net.”

Her stomach drops at the implication of his words. “Oh no,” she says softly. “That would be very bad.”

“It would.”

“So what do you suggest we do?”

He doesn’t answer right away, his eyes on something over Olivia’s shoulder. She turns her head slightly to see a tavern girl approaching with a tray of food in her hands. “Would you like something too, my lady?” The girl asks Olivia.

Olivia glances at the plate in front of Silvio. “I’ll just have what he’s got. And whiskey and water,” she adds with a smile. “Oh, and if you would be so kind, can you make sure you take a plate of the same up to room twelve, please?”

“Of course.”

Silvio waits until the girl is out of earshot to speak again. “My source,” he grins wryly. “But if she listens to others for me, I’m sure she listens to me for others.”

Olivia nods in understanding. “So what should we do?” She asks again.

“Continue with our journey as planned,” he says simply. “On to Vora.”

“And what about when we get there?” Olivia asks, eyeing him as he digs into his food. “You never did get around to telling me what your plan is once we reach Vora.”

His blue eyes alight on her, and he swallows the mouthful of food he’s been chewing. “Because everytime I try,” he starts, “your wildcat comes prowling around, pawing at you and taking all your attention away from me.”

“I think that’s just coincidence,” Olivia says wryly. “It’s a big ship, but no ship is big enough to keep two or three people from running into one another often.”

He laughs, but there is no humor in it. “I can’t tell if you’re really stupid enough to believe that, or if you think I’m stupid enough to believe it.”

“I don’t think either of us is stupid,” she rebuts indignantly.

“Then you’re a liar and you think I’m gullible, is that it?”

“Silvio---” She cuts herself off when the food and drinks she’s requested are set on the table in front of her.

“Will there be anything else, my lady?” The barmaid asks.

“No, this is perfect,” she smiles up at the girl. “And please, you don’t have to call me that. My name is Olivia.”

The girl doesn’t seem to know what to do with that information, and so she simply nods and takes her leave. Olivia looks back at Silvio. “You’ve been here before,” she surmises. “You said that girl is your information source.”

“One of them,” Silvio nods nonchalantly. “So what?”

“Does she know you’re the Crown Prince?” Olivia asks, her voice low. “Does anyone here know that?”

A slow smile spreads across his face. “Why? Are you thinking of cashing in on your status as the Crown Prince of Clario’s former lover?”

“Of course not.” She snorts. “No one would believe it anyway.”

“What’s so hard to believe about it?” He shrugs. “You think people see me as that sort of uptight prude?”

His question takes her by surprise, and she realizes what he thinks she’s meant. “No,” she laughs a little. “I don’t think anyone would ever look at you and think you’re an uptight prude. I just meant…” She laughs again. “I just meant I didn’t think anybody would look at me and think I’m the sort of woman you’d be interested in.”

“Even the most simple-minded individuals know that looks can be deceiving,” he says.

“True,” she concedes with a smile. “I mean, one glance at you and people would think you were an arrogant, pompous ass with liquid silver running through your veins instead of blood. They’d take one look at you and write you off, never realizing there’s a heart in that chest as wide as the Seral Channel.”

He doesn’t seem to know how to take her words. “Idiot,” he mumbles.

“Your cheeks are red, Prince Silvio,” she teases. “You look like a tapestry, with your silver hair and your red face.”

It startles him, the way she uses words that he still remembers from all those years ago. He can see by the way she smiles at him that she remembers them, too. He isn’t sure what expression he’s making, but the smile drops quickly from her lips and she shakes her head. “I’m sorry,” she says softly. “I… shouldn’t have said that.”

He says nothing, instead throwing a few coins down on the table and pushing back from it.

“Aaaahhhh,” Daisy sighs, drawing the sound out.

“Comfortable?” Olivia smiles, glancing over at the way the younger woman has stretched herself out on her bed.

“So comfortable,” Daisy giggles. “I forgot what it was like to sleep in my own bed.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Olivia advises her with a chuckle.

Daisy watches her put on fresh clothes - not nightclothes, but the sort she would wear during the day. “Aren’t you going to bed too, Lady Olivia?”

She glances over at the lady’s maid once more. “Not quite yet,” she answers. “There’s something I have to do first.”

“Someone you have to go see?”

She pauses. Of course she’s been paying attention, Olivia thinks with an amused smile. She’s a sharp girl, sharper than she lets on sometimes. “It’s just a friendly visit,” she says breezily. “I won’t be long.”

“I won’t wait up for you,” the young woman says. Her voice is full of innocence, but there is something in the way she says it that makes Olivia stifle a laugh.

I wonder what she thinks I’m getting up to… who she thinks I’m going to see. “Goodnight, Daisy.”

The surprise is clear in his face when he answers the door at her knock. He stands there staring at her for a moment before speaking. “What do you want?”

“To talk,” she replies.

“Can’t imagine what else you could possibly have to say to me,” he shrugs. “And you sure you want to risk your wildcat finding out you came to my room at such a late hour?” Silvio flashes her a knowing smile. “A man could get the wrong idea about a woman going to another man’s room at night like this.”

“Good thing you’re not just ‘any man,’” Olivia declares as he steps aside to let her in. “And neither is he.”

He closes the door and leans against it, crossing his arms over his chest. “How did you know I didn’t have my own company?”

“I didn’t,” she admits. “I suppose I was just hoping you wouldn’t.” She glances at the single glass and bottle on the table in the room. “But I thought I told you drinking alone is no fun.”

“Then shut up and start drinking,” he mutters.

She does, settling herself at the table and tipping the glass he’s been drinking from up to her mouth. When he raises an eyebrow at her, she shrugs. “You told me to shut up and start drinking, so that’s what I’m doing. Besides,” she adds, “we’ve shared much worse.”

“Won’t argue with that.” He grabs another glass on his way to the table, lowering himself into the chair across from her. She pours liquor into his glass before refilling her own. “You said you came to talk,” he reminds her. “So talk.”

“I know you think that what happened between us was a matter of me not loving you enough,” she starts quietly, her eyes on the dark liquid in her glass. “And maybe that’s what it seems like. But that wasn’t it at all. It… still isn’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Contrary to what you might believe, I don’t hate you, Silvio. And if you asked me flat-out if I still love you, and I was giving you an honest answer,” she adds, raising her gaze to look him in the eye, “the answer would be yes. You’re important to me. You always have been.”

He looks at her warily. “You expect me to believe that, after all this time?”

“You’d be right to be skeptical, based on the way I ended things,” she affirms. “I was selfish. I was only thinking about myself. I called it doing what was best for both of us, when really… I was just doing what was best for me and telling myself that it was for you, too.”

“How could you think any of what you did would make me happy?” His voice is harsh, and Olivia can feel the emotion beneath the surface.

“I didn’t want to disappoint you,” she admits. “I thought you deserved someone who would give it her all, who would welcome the responsibility of everything that came with being your wife… and your Queen.”

“What the fuck is that bullshit, Livvy?” He scoffs. “I didn’t want a wife that was excited about being Queen. I wanted a wife who loved me enough to be with me. Being Queen is nothing,” he goes on angrily. “Hell, being King is nothing. Nobody was asking you to shoulder the entire kingdom of Clario.

“You think my mother loves being Queen? She fucking hates it. She hates it, Livvy. But she’s so over the moon for my father that she would do anything he asks. And him? He’d fly out to the heavens and bring that same moon back for her if she asked him to. Them being King and Queen? It’s just something that happened around the fact that they fell in love.”

“Oh,” she says softly. His words hit their intended mark. “I… didn’t know,” she confesses.

“Because you never asked,” he sighs. “You just decided what you thought was best - for both of us. And as if that wasn’t bad enough,” he adds, “you moved onto that damn pirate like nothing ever happened.”

“I didn’t,” she protests. “It wasn’t like that with him.”

He looks at her dubiously. “You’re telling me you don’t have feelings for him?”

“It’s more complicated than that.”

“Then make it simple for me.” He leans back in his chair, glass to his lips. “Make me understand.”

She grabs the bottle of rum, tilts it over into her glass. When she sets it upright again, she puts her glass up to her lips and swallows what’s there in one gulp.

Silvio raises his eyebrows questioningly.

“Yes, I have feelings for him,” she reveals. “They’re different from the feelings I have for you.” She pauses. “I don’t know if I would call it love.”

“But you could love him,” he maintains. “If enough time passes.”

“Can’t any one person fall in love with another if enough time passes?”

“You know what I mean,” he replies witheringly. “You can see it heading that way, right?”

His question is a fair one, she knows, and one look at his face reveals he isn’t asking just to be spiteful. Not this time around. He seems to be genuinely curious, despite whatever inner feelings he has on the subject. “I suppose so,” she finally admits. “But… life as a ‘pirate’s whore,’ as my mother so eloquently puts it… I don’t know if that’s the life I want.”

“A pirate’s whore?” Silvio laughs. “So your mother can call it that, but I can’t.”

“As I told her,” Olivia says indignantly, “that’s not what I’d be.”

“You don’t know that,” Silvio frowns. “You’ve seen what he’s like - can you honestly sit here and tell me you think he’d change?”

“You did,” Olivia points out reasonably. “Don’t think I didn’t know about all the girls you’d taken to bed before you started courting me.”

He isn’t quite sure what to say to that - she’s caught him out and there’s no denying the truth of her words. “Do you think,” he grumbles, “that any of those girls meant a damn thing to me?”

She stares at him, hesitant for just a beat. “Maybe they did,” she starts thoughtfully. “Didn’t you ever think of courting one of them and making them your bride? After all, it was only our parents who wanted us together initially.”

There is no shame or embarrassment in his expression, and no hesitation when he answers her. “I never wanted anybody but you,” he says. “Even when I didn’t realize it.”

This time, it’s she who has been stunned into speechlessness. “Well,” she says after a moment of said speechlessness, “that’s… I don’t really know what I expected you to say, but it sure wasn’t that.”

Silvio shrugs nonchalantly, as though he hasn’t just dropped an emotional bomb on her. “So what are you going to do about the pirate?” This time he does nothing to disguise the clear animosity in his voice. “You say you think he’ll change… and you seem to actually believe that.”

“Why do you hate him so much?” She asks, in lieu of addressing his somewhat accusatory statement.

He scoffs. “You wouldn’t like my answer.”

“I don’t have to, and I’m not expecting to.”

“You really wanna hear that story?”

“I do,” Olivia answers earnestly. “I know there’s a story, and I know that story has nothing to do with me.”

“I wouldn’t say it has nothing to do with you,” he grumbles. “But there are reasons outside of you that I don’t hold any affection for him.”

She gazes at him for a minute. Saying nothing at first, she reaches across the table for the bottle of rum, tipping it into her glass. Once there is liquid there, she looks back up at him.

“I’m listening.”

Previous Chapter: Seven | Next Chapter: Nine

#tinywoodenrobot fics #black oc #bleach fanfiction #ikemen prince fanfiction #bleach #ikemen prince #ikepri #bleach grimmjow #grimmjow jaegerjaquez #silvio ricci #ikepri silvio #olivia dubois

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mkmas · 1 year ago

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silvio’s personality is obviously not for everyone but one thing i love about characters like him is that you can see their flaws clearly. im personally rarely into characters who have some kind of righteous front only to have some hidden dark side or whatever (if you like that good for you im not shaming!!!). anyway small spoilers and rant under the cut

i really didn’t think silvio would be my fav prince tbh. he really surprised me because he’s actually very smart and has reasons for his actions like the fact that he doesn’t actually like jewelries and he only wears them to show his worth to ppl seriously caught me off guard and i mean he’s right!! even irl people WILL judge your appearance, especially when you wanna do business with them. i originally thought he wore them because he wanted to show off or something. ofc he’s not perfect, his personality can be overbearing and too rude sometimes but it balances his character well. he treats rio badly but you can’t say he doesn’t care about him. the king ab*sed him while and favored rio,,,, i think people with siblings will understand why deep inside he has some negative feelings towards rio (ESPECIALLY if you’re the oldest sibling). even with that, we have flashbacks that show silvio wasn’t always horrible to rio. there was even that one interview where he said he went adventuring with rio when they were kids and they got matching earrings from that which they both still use btw.

i hate it when people have so much to say about a character without finishing their story. i dont like rio but i dont make hate trains criticizing him. yes i can understand why he’s so attached to mc but it’s not my thing so whatever i move on🤷‍♀️ it’s fiction and an otome game, ofc these characters will have redeeming qualities so you can’t blame people who like controversial characters. it’s a completely different story if it’s irl ofc. yelling about morals and ideals at an otome game is sooo boring imo like you must have very bland taste in romance novels…

**it’s kinda late, idk how to word things properly and i cannot english. the important point is i wanted to gush about silvio in the sea of hate🫶 thats all ty.

#i knew he was gonna cause controversy with his route release but i feel like ppl only read the first half of his route #or spoilers abt it and then finalize their opinions #ik hes not the best character but at least understand where hes coming from #hes not the best but hes my fav IDC #ikepri #silvio ricci #i wanted to defend the jangler in the main tag sry

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norel-ravenclaw · 2 years ago

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Ikepri Tattoo Headcanons 2/2

Fandom: Ikemen Prince (Otome Game)

Featured characters: Main 13

Genre: Headcanons from a supremely biased and tunnel minded gremlin

Rating: um, PG?

Description: YES, THANK YOU ANON! TATTOO HEADCANONS UNLOCKED

WARNINGS: | i guess if the thought of tattoos bothers u enough you’ve likely left already | totally get it though | also the pics are all from google search and pinterest, reverse image search for original location but no guarantee of ownership |

Luke - The protector bear. A paw on his shoulder, an ode to you on his calf, and a teddy for his sister on his wrist. 🥺 Of course Mr Obsessed With Honey also wants to celebrate his first love.

Rio - Maybe he’d get something for himself. But the rest is for you~

Chevalier - Doesn’t really see the point but if he did, his crest makes perfect sense. Plus something to remind him of you and his humanity.

Leon - A lion and roses, duh. And Shakespeare for his truest self because of his truest love~

Gilbert - A tiger seeing the light, surrounded by soft flowers~ And he gets what Chev got to ruin it 😈 But also bc he loves you

Silvio - Basic simping pirate bitch

Bonus: Who of the 13 is getting these with Belle?

#ikemen prince #ikepri #ikepri leon #leon dompteur #rio ortiz #ikepri rio #ikepri silvio #silvio ricci #ikepri chevalier #chevalier michel #ikepri luke #luke randolph #ikepri gilbert #gilbert von obsidian #norel writes

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cloudcountry · 1 year ago

Note

Thoughts on Keith??

I only got the first chp done since I can't find any posts or videos about the perfect dialogue choices (I wanna get the epilogue this time)

but even the first chapter was good enough to get a reaction out of me- he literally noticed MC was uncomfortable around Silvio so he just intervened without a second of hesitation? What a guy. (Clapping)

Bless him.

He's already got a good-boy star for that

(I'm gonna give him one of those whenever he does smth I like.. let's see how many he gets by the end of his route shhshshhs)

gonna try really hard not to say anything taht will spoil teh route for you but just know that this man is so. So much like v from mystic messenger. im getting the vibes.

like yes, he is kind. he is so so kind. but that kindness comes from a place of guilt and honestly im guessing its self sacrificial. his kindness is a detriment to himself and we're already SEEING that.

he is SUCH A GOOD BOY. i can tell the route is trying to make me scared of him but i dont give a SHIT. girliepop i have done SHAKESPEARES AND EDGARS ROUTE YOU WANT TO THROW A "VILLAIN" CHARACTER AT ME THINKING ITLL SCARE ME TRY AGAIN I LIVE FOR THAT SHIT HELLO

#rubia <3 #auburn talks ikepri <3

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pawnkyyy · 6 months ago

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HAHA you notice! yea i just realized right after post this that 'they actually doesn't look so much different in height'......

i remember gilbert is shorter than chevalier but didn't remember that gilbert is shorter than chevalier ONLY TWO CENTIMETERS so yes, it was my brain's fault…… i’m sorry………………..

but i'm very glad you like it :') <3

also no pressure but if you happen to draw nokto/silvio version, please can you tag me too? I really wanna see it🥹🕺

They would

ESPECIALLY GILBERT

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dear-mrs-otome · 2 years ago

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Hi, I just finished Silvio's true love ending, but I wanna ask if you could confirm their convo from the epilogue

Did Gilbert really said "Because I love Bunny-san" right to Silvio's face? Or is it like? I'm using an app so I am not really sure. Thank you

Haha ah yes....this infamous bit.

The answer to your question is...maybe?? Djdjdjdj LOL Welcome to the ambiguity. Background, for those who aren't familiar with the scene: This is a flashback to the conversation where Silvio had negotiated with Gilbert to sign off on the 4-way treaty. Gilbert eventually says he'll do so if Silvio will promise him one thing - that he'll become king of Benitoite.

He says it's because Silvio's untainted, unlike his dad who is sullied. And he also says Emma is the same, a pure person and he doesn't want to see her corrupted either. Silvio angrily says he'll keep that from happening, he won't allow anyone to taint her, not even Gilbert.

This seems to please Gilbert, and relieved he says the above. 'Because I really like Miss Bunny.' 大好き can be interpreted as 'loving a lot', it's all in context. Would Gilbert be outrageous enough to say that to the face of the man he knows loves Emma and she loves back?? Perhaps. Personally, it IS Gilbert so I wouldn't put anything outrageous past him.

I think it's probably safer to go with 'really like'...but whether that's meant in a friendly way or a romantic one is something only Gilbert knows. Or whether he even means it at all. The only thing we can say for sure is that, if he's being genuine, he harbors a great affection for Emma.

Just how and to what degree is up to the reader to interpret, until we have his route I suppose.

#mrs o talks #spoiler #spoilers #ikemen prince spoilers #ikepri spoilers

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clavissionary-position · 2 years ago

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anyway here's my quarterly

--🤍-- Ikepri S p a n k Chart --🏓--

🤍🤍🤍 # of 🏓s indicates degree to which i wish to be spanked by him at this current point in time (max is 5). Naturally my favs have a greater number ^^

🤍🤍🤍 nsfw 18+ blog, minors dni. i don't reply to ageless blogs, sorry!

J I N 🏓🏓🏓- - The man majored in technique and I want a trial

C H E V A L I E R - - - - - I don't want quite that level of pain... *thinks some more* ... 🏓🏓- - - I still wanna try 👉👈 He wouldn't go out of his way to hurt you, and I think he's far more gentle than even he thinks he is. Also you'd agree in advance on the level of pain. Actually it would be really hot wouldn't it? ... 🏓🏓🏓- -

C L A V I S 🏓🏓🏓🏓🏓 No way he wouldn't make this fun as hell, while being infuriating at the same time. He probably has a "I need to see your thighs bruised for me" kink

L E O N 🏓🏓🏓- - Teasing and sexy and he has that Masa voice while doing it

Y V E S 🏓🏓🏓- - Do it, Yves. DO IT.

L I C H T 🏓🏓🏓- - Yes. Let's go. I just hope he doesn't feel guilty afterwards...

N O K T O 🏓🏓🏓🏓- Technique and he's a favored hubby so Lmao imagine the Kleins playing pingpong on your ass

L U K E - - - - - Yeah sorry buddy >< Not feeling you at the moment. I'm sure he'd be alarmingly excellent but yeah

S A R I E L 🏓🏓- - - I'm curious especially since 🏓 is Sariel's middle name

10.

R I O - - - - - Sorry Rio ><

11.

G I L B E R T 🏓🏓🏓🏓- I want it but I also don't want it. Even if we agreed upon a pain level in advance, I fear the initial pain from Gilbert of all people. That being said, he's all about that immediate aftercare. Spank-soothe. Spank-soothe. Or maybe he does spank-bite-soothe?? AAAAA I'm not trying to die. I'll toss the idea into my drafts for a fic later though ^^

12.

K E I T H 🏓🏓- - - For both Keiths. I think it would be super cute to see how flustered shy Keith would get at the mere suggestion, but I don't want to make him uncomfortable. I worry alter!Keith might go a bit ham.

13.

S I L V I O ? ? ? ? ? My brain is too fried right now so I don't actually know where Silvio stands. Hopefully I'll have an answer during next quarter's check-in

#ikepri #ikemen prince #ikepri jin #ikepri chevalier #ikepri clavis #ikepri leon #ikepri yves #ikepri licht #ikepri nokto #ikepri luke #ikepri sariel #ikepri rio #ikepri gilbert #ikepri keith #ikepri silvio #atelier spank chart

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auroras-blend · 2 years ago

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Are there any easter eggs in the last chapters of GCT?

Hello, yes, I'm sorry for the late reply!

I know I responded to easter eggs for GCT before but I have no idea where I left off! I'll just start with chapter 7 and go from there:

Chapter 7: Meeting the Cardinal

Cardinale's late wife, Carmela, is based on Carmela Soprano.

Cardinale's young appearance is based on Vincent Price and his old appearance is based on Lou Gallina from the Sopranos

“He got lucky on his first go,” she said brightly. Cardinale laughed but Papa only gave a sad smile. I thought it was funny. This line references that Vittoria isn't Leonardo's first child (Andrea) and the reminder made him sad.

Vittoria's bracelet is made of Silvio's ring

Chapter 8: The Enemy of My Enemy

Marie makes her first & only appearance

There's an outdated photo of Sawyer's family on his desk, proving he's a distant presence in their lives. It's noted he has grandkids though

Vittoria is thriving in this chapter

Tab soda was popular in the 1970s, the flavors mentioned were particularly popular in 1971.

Yes, mini-fridges were invented by then! Cool, right?!

Vittoria still doesn't know her father was in prison or deported, just general details that people believed/made up lies about him that sent him out of the country

Chapter 9 : First Communion

Leonardo's tailor heritage is referenced by Vittoria when she wonders why he ordered her communion dress knowing that he could sew. His study of photography is also brought up when she wonders why he hired a photographer- especially when he's so picky.

Giuseppe returns and refers to Leonardo as Leo Angelino. Leonardo refers to Vittoria as his little angel and Giuseppe agrees, hinting at Leo's alias as the Angel Don.

Vittoria's mental illness is referenced when she talks about "hearing fairies"

Vittoria flexes her manipulation skills when she pretends to nearly faint so her father will get her out of the interview.

Vittoria says a little "How Rude", a reference to Stephanie Tanner's catchphrase from Full House

The story of Hades & Persephone mimics her parents (just without a happy-ish ending)

Her maternal grandparents are referenced

The true nature of the men in her life is somewhat revealed

The men's critique of Leonardo's family structure and gender rules mimics his comments towards Patience in Ragnatela about gender roles and a big happy family. He's not so happy when the turn tables

Leonardo's godson is mentioned and is noted to be the only grandson of Bianconi. As of now...

Vittoria's fondness for snuggling into Martha's chest in order to seek a maternal comfort and affection she never got to experience, reflects Leonardo's own fondness for um...womanly assets.

Feeding ducks is a fun experience. The ducks are a reference to the Sopranos

Chapter 11: Silence is Golden

Martha's maiden name is Harrow, a reference to Richard Harrow from Boardwalk Empire

The pervert, Pepe LePew, returns!

Chapter 12: Halloween Shakedown

Disney references to Sleeping Beauty & Cinderella litter the chapter!

The city treasurer, Paul Thompson, is a reference to Nucky Thompson from Boardwalk Empire. Probably a grandson of Eli or something!

Ben Rosetti, reference to Giuseppe Rosetti from S3 of Boardwalk Empire

Vittoria mentions her grandpa Richard

The old crew (Silvio, Cardinale, Malone, & Bianconi) are referenced. Leonardo notes he never got to go trick or treating.

Chapter 13: A Whole Decade Old

All of the gifts were released in 1971, when the story takes place

Vittoria learned the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker. I chose the nutcracker because that was the ballet we went on a field trip to see!

Daisy is based on my pup, Rosie from the flower name to the breed. Though my dog is a schnoodle. Daisy is a golden doodle.

Apparently, I accidentally put a Frozen reference in there: "Do you wanna build a snowman?" Whoops!

Chapter 14: Merry Christmas

Daisy's middle name was based on Leonardo's daughter's name in @liquor-belle AU Mommy Dearest. I just really love the name Fiorella!

Nicky's in town for her parent's parole hearing

Vittoria gave her father a sculpted candy jar and her Halloween candy after learning he never got to go trick or treating when he was a child

They get to see Sleeping Beauty. It was re-released in theaters in 1971 after making its original debut in 1959

Chapter 15: Garland City Zoo

Leonardo's paranoid about Vittoria getting kidnapped after reading about missing girls in the newspaper. This is during, what crime historians refer to as the serial killer era or the "golden age of serial murder."

Pietro Cardinale is referred to as Peter, the anglicized version of his name. He's noted as being as tall as Leonardo

Pietro and Leonardo don't hug or kiss each other on the cheek, a reference to how mafia relations changed in the 1970s.

Gilbert doesn't know Italian and his father knows very little. (This part isn't mentioned but the Bianconi brothers don't know a whole lot either). Leonardo is one of the last dons to speak the language fluently and is passing it on to his daughter.

St. Joseph's, the school Leonardo attended, is name-dropped

I use the term "walk with purpose" in everyday life, especially with my students!

Peter Cardinale is the dark side of the war. He's so desensitized to killing. I used Jimmy Darmody (Boardwalk Empire), Richard Harrow (Boardwalk Empire), & Danny (Peaky Blinders) for inspiration. His coping mechanism is cigarettes that he used to replace alcohol.

Peter says "they could take a son from you", referring to the draft that was a prominent fear for parents of sons since this was the time of the Vietnam War.

The lie Vittoria's been told to tell people about her mother is revealed, including what her mother's "name" is

The Lindbergh baby is brought up

Introducing the Borghese Lion Enclosure! Courtesy of Leonardo after being guilted by Vittoria in the chapter The Lion's Den

Both Vittoria & Gilbert suffer from foot-in-mouth syndrome

Chapter 16: There Had Been Worse Days

All cereals were period accurate

Gary, Leonardo's old cellmate, makes his first (and only) appearance. Gary, the REAL menace! The EVUL man had the AUDACITY to rip off the American government! That FIEND!

Gary got 20 years (15 with good behavior). He served the 15 and got out 4 years AFTER Leonardo.

Gary was the only one in prison who knew of Vittoria's existence during Leonardo's stay there

Vittoria stabbed Rodney in the hand the same way Leonardo stabbed Patience in her hand. But in Vittoria's defense, "The pencil never went through his hand entirely."

The man Martha was questioned about has a name: Geoffrey Shafford. He's a pervert.

The title is true. Leonardo's had worse days. It was fine.

#easter eggs #garland city tales

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3laxx · 7 years ago

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Wintery Warm Drabbles - 22nd “Silent Night“

Part 4 of 5, next one is the last of this mini arc ;)

Ao3 / FF.net

Marinette stepped down from the fight of stairs, searching around in the room. Adrien didn’t speak with anyone, was not at the buffet, didn’t get himself something to drink. He was gone.

Maybe she should check the hallways?

She didn’t even want to imagine what Chat Noir would do to Adrien if he had really dragged him off.

When had it been a good idea again to tell this stupid cat everything? Yeah, right, it hadn’t been.

She walked to the buffet where she briefly met Silvio again, apologizing for Adrien’s weird behavior. He merely smiled and shrugged it off, offering her another dance for the night which she agreed to, but only after finding Adrien again. She had really enjoyed dancing with the Italian, and especially their conversation while the slower part of the dance. Silvio was a smart man and he could help her.

Marinette now went for the doors, stepping out into the big hallway that led to the foyer in the front of the building. She sighed as she couldn’t spot Adrien here as well, just a few people who had searched for a quieter place. She also suspected that behind the opposite door laid a room that Gabriel Agreste had also rented, with poker and stuff. Chat Noir surely wouldn’t drag Adrien off to there… Maybe the men’s toilets?

She began walking down the hallway away from the foyer as suddenly, a voice called for her.

“Marinette!”, she turned around and saw Adrien jogging towards her, his blonde hair tousled and his eyes worried, “Marinette, wait!”

She came to a halt, turning fully to him and inspecting him of anything that she should know about. Just in case, to know if she had to make this mangey alley cat a living puncake later.

Oh god, had she just-… Yeah, anyway…

“Marinette, I was worrying about you! I, uh-… You were off so quickly and I, uhm-…”

“Are you okay?”, she countered his babbling, grabbing his arms and looking up and down on him, “Oh god, I’m so, so sorry, I-… I was on the balcony and Chat Noir came by and he asked me if something was the matter and I told him and he wanted to talk to you. Was he rude? Did he do something he’ll regret? Oh, I’ll make sure Ladybug knows about this, I-”

“What?”, he interrupted her with a laugh, then shook his head, “Oh, oh, that… Yeah, I was just out of the ballroom when he showed up and talked to me. He wasn’t rude, don’t worry. He was just-… It was eye opening. That’s all. Uh, please don’t tell Ladybug?”

She gulped, not wanting to meet his eyes as she pulled her hands back, her face burning of embarrassment that this damn cat had really talked to Adrien about her feelings. Good thing Ladybug already knew about this.

“What-… What did he-… S-Say?”

Adrien sighed, rubbing the back of his head, and looked around to see a few guests watching them.

“Let’s-… Let’s go somewhere else for that? Somewhere more silent?”

She nodded, hesitantly taking his offered arm to let him lead the way. He walked past the ballroom and into the other room which was something like a lounge in contrary to her assumption that some old men played poker here.

Adrien walked them to a quieter corner, taking a seat on a small table and politely declining the offer of a waiter to bring them something. Marinette took her seat across from him and suddenly noticed that Adrien had deliberately chosen a table on which the view on them was mostly covered.

They stayed awkwardly quiet like this but before they could continue their silent night like how it had already started, Marinette decided to speak up.

“Uhm, so-… What-… What did Chat Noir tell you? I-I swear, you can’t trust him on most things! I probably didn’t say half of what he told you!”

The blonde model merely smirked, shaking his head and leaning onto the table. He rubbed over his chin and nervously looked up, then he caught her gaze again.

“No, he-… I don’t think he said anything too personal. W-Well, I hope. He just-… Kicked my butt by scolding me that I dared to take such a beautiful young lady out on a, well, uh-… Fake date.”

Marinette snorted, her face probably burning in the deepest shade of red that she ever had, hiding her face in her hands.

“These’re his words alright, I can practically hear him saying that… Gosh, Adrien, I’m so sorry you had to deal with him. I’m really, really sorry, I didn’t ask him to do that. I-… I tried holding him back but I guess he was too upset. That cat really has the need to save the whole world…”

Adrien seemed almost shy now, crossing his arms on the table and biting his lip.

“Uh, well… But I, well-… You shouldn’t apologize. I should. And I am! I-… I’m so sorry, Marinette. Chat was right, I-… I acted like a complete idiot. I-… I should have made this a real date all along. I actually planned to, even before Silvio asked you to dance.”, his voice turned into a snarl as he said the Italian’s name, “I really was an idiot… I wanted to ask you out before and this would’ve been the perfect opportunity but of course I completely messed up… I mean, what was I even thinking, asking you to be my fake date when, when looking so-… So beautiful and-… Ugh, I just made a fool out of myself… I’m so sorry…”

Little did he know that Marinette.exe had stopped working as soon as he had apologized. She had barely been able to listen to him admitting he had wanted to ask her out before over the rushing of her blood and it only got worse as her vision began swimming. When he finally looked up he recoiled, then immediately slid over to the seat next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and leaning her against him to steady her.

“Marinette! Oh god, I’m so sorry, I-… Uh, you look like you’re about to faint, I knew I shouldn’t have burst it out like that! Do-… Do you need water? Or an ambulance? I can call an ambulance, no problem, I can immediately call and ambulance and a helicopter and-”

She managed shaking her head at his rambling and when he abruptly shut up she even choked out a few words in a very high, panicky voice.

“Uh-… N-No… Just-… W-Water, maybe…?”

He quickly nodded, overly eager to fulfill her wish. He jumped up and bolted away towards the bar, asking for a big glass of water. She tried breathing through after he had left, focusing on the tablecloth in front of her.

In… And out… In… And out…

“Marinette?”, a voice whispered, way smaller and higher than Adrien’s. Also, it came from her hip, “Marinette, are you okay?”

The girl smiled and inconspicuously patted her purse, her breathing getting deeper and slower and the feeling slowly returning to her fingers.

“Yeah, I’m-… I’m getting there. I just gotta breathe a bit.”

“Quite a bomb he dropped there…”, her little Kwami commented, pushing against Marinette’s hand to comfort her, “Are you gonna be okay with continuing to talk to him?”

Marinette paused, looking up to see Adrien gesturing on the bar counter, his hair flying as he pointed to their table.

“I-… I think so, yes. He’s-… He seems really sorry, though, I don’t quite-… Well, him babbling about wanting to, uh-…”

Tikki snuggled tighter against her hand through the purse and even buzzed a little, making Marinette’s heart calm down instantly. Her Kwami just had that kind of effect on her.

“Marinette, please remember that you can leave at any time, okay? If you feel like you need to you can leave at any time you want.”

The girl nodded, smiling.

“I know, don’t worry. It doesn’t seem like I’ll have to, though. I-… I actually want to talk this out. As soon as I don’t feel well I’m sure he’ll let me go if I want.”

“Marinette?”, a deeper voice now sounded and Adrien reappeared, holding a big glass of water for her, “Are you, uh, feeling better?”

She managed a shaky smile and nodded, taking the glass from him and drinking a big gulp. The nervousness that Tikki hadn’t been able to take faded with the cool water and as she set the glass on the table, Adrien sitting in front of her again, she felt way better. Still, there was something to talk about…

“So, uh, Marinette… I-… I’m sorry I made you feel uncomfortable. I, uh-… I can go and, well, uh, escort you home or-… You go back to the party and talk to a few people and, uhm-…”

“Oh, you mean like Silvio?”, she grinned, actually winning back some of her wittiness to tease him. Somehow, after her conversation with Chat Noir, she found it really easy now to talk to Adrien.

“No, not him!”, Adrien growled, sending a glare to the door as if Silvio already waited there to steal her again, “Anyone but that smug Italian womanizer who thinks he’s so great with his swept back hair and white teeth and slick behavior and-”

Marinette giggled at Adrien’s immediate response to the other man, shaking her head.

“Yeah, how horrible he is for asking me to which university I wanna go. Or if I need a good word in this industry. Or if he can introduce me to a few people who helped him immensely. What a horrible, horrible, selfish man for wanting to support me.”

Adrien’s mouth snapped close like a sea shell and he became beet red while Marinette giggled a bit more, then she took another sip from her water.

“… I could also introduce you to people who could help you immensely…”, he mumbled, crossing his arms and glaring towards the door, probably trying to hit Silvio in the other room with the daggers he shot out of his eyes. Marinette laughed, shaking her head.

“I have no doubt, Adrien, really.”

He grinned as he looked at her again, his eyes becoming softer.

“Sorry…”, he sheepishly chuckled, one of his hands flying to the back of his head. She grinned and shook her head.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. But, uhm-… About the date thing…”

He sank into himself and sighed, his hands both resting on the table again. After a moment he looked up to her, such an adorable begging expression on his face that she couldn’t help but reach over, placing her hands over his.

“Well, I-…”, he began, his ears already shining in a bright red, “I meant what I said before… I’m not so sure you actually heard that because, well, I seemed to have shocked you, but, uhm-… I’d-… I actually wanted to have you as a date, I was just too awkward and probably too confused and naive and I only realized I was really, really wrong when you, well-… When you weren’t you as soon as the party started… I-… I realized I wanted more and I should’ve given you the chance to, well, uh-… Make it certain for me.”

She tilted her head as Adrien slowly took a gentle hold of her hands, blinking in surprise.

“Make it-… Certain for you? What?”

He sighed, biting his lip. Then he obviously came to a big decision he had to take. As he locked their gazes again she could see he had made the decision.

“Well… I was in love with Ladybug. It was-… Probably more of a celebrity crush… Since she never really reciprocated my feelings. I, uh, I was a fool to think she’d ever love me… But then I, well, I began seeing you. And I guess-… I guess I fell in love with you at some point, I dunno when. When I think back now it feels like it’s been from the first moment on and because of that I was confused… I tried not to think about it because it irritated me how-… Unnoticeable such a crush can grow and how long it can stay so… I should’ve taken the chance for you to make it certain for me. To, well, kinda give me the reassurance that I didn’t have to deny anything when looking at you…”

Marinette didn’t exactly know why she skipped the freaking out part.

Probably because Tikki pressed herself against her hip through the purse, buzzing softly to keep her calm. Or because everything Adrien had said was so raw and honest that she didn’t even have the thought to freak out. Maybe she also was just a tiny bit relieved that the crush on the other girl that she had suspected Adrien to have, had been on herself all along. Well, on her superhero persona, but how was that really different from herself?

Maybe she was also just a bit, just a teeny tiny bit, absolutely relieved that Adrien was ready to have the same feeling for her, after such a long time of pining after him and being awkward and stuttering and making Alya laugh at her and facepalming herself and causing Nino to talk about her with Adrien in an attempt to make him notice her and-…

She smiled, her cheeks beginning to hurt.

“Let’s see if I can make it certain for you then, hm?”

#miraculous ladybug #25daysofml2k17 #25daysofchristmasprompts #adrien agreste #marinette dupain-cheng #tikki #adrienette #fluff #silent night #freckles writes

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adriennescomingbacktolife · 4 years ago

Text

(IX)

“I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier.” Adrienne Levi leveled her gaze at Matt Knox, sitting up in his hospital bed. He slurped at a Jello cup, dislodging the gelatin and swallowing it whole. Crossing her arms over her chest, she let him finish. “Wasn’t sure what to say.” Knox rolled his tongue and the cherry gelatin prize down his gullet. He eyed Adrienne evenly, a smirk cracking his features before speaking in a dazed, sleepy tone. “Hello is a good start, I think.” At least he was still charming in his way, she thought. “Hi.” Adrienne did her best to hold back the waterworks. But that was before she watched the dumb match where these two nearly murdered each other, especially with what happened afterward. “Do you believe me now about him?” She asked with a mix of concern and slight irritation. Knox closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose. He took a moment before responding. “Would you be mad if I said I almost had him?” He said with a wry chuckle, “I always believed what you said, Ade. But you know me well enough now to know that giant, angry mental patients aren’t something I’ll shy away from fighting.” For the briefest moment, his gaze goes somewhere far off. To Zane’s wild eyes at the end of the match. To that horrid smell on his breath. The howls. “But yes, I believe you.” “...I talked to him last month, Matt. Like away from all of this.” Adrienne hadn’t told anyone about that strange conversation. Sometimes she wondered if it even happened. “He’s not okay. He seems sick. Like physically ill.” Matt’s face fell into a frown. His voice came flat, and not just because of the painkillers. “Physically, mentally,” he shook his head, “If Zane is that messed up, maybe he should be institutionalized. Someone like him, if there are that many underlying issues...hell, fuck underlying, just spend thirty seconds with him.” He wove a hand through the air, before chopping it as he made his point. “Zane King is going to kill someone. Maybe it’s not entirely his fault, but the longer people dance around and pretend it’s a non-issue? The bigger a risk, it becomes not just to the victim, but to Zane himself.” He paused, breathing in, before letting out a long exhale. “I have no love or understanding for Zane King. But, I have miles of it for mental illnesses. Hell, sometimes I see and talk to--” He stopped himself. “I’m just saying. He needs help, even if the help is being put out of commission.” Adrienne had a feeling that Zane welcomed threats like that every day. Pulling a seat closer, she sat next to Matt’s bed. “Maybe.” She said uncertainly. Her mind wandered to how this encounter only seemed to serve as a catalyst. Everyone seemed on edge, whether it was about this match with King or the other fires spreading as of late. Matt eyed her quietly, before reaching out a pale hand, knuckles swollen and bruised and grasping one of hers. “We never get any kind of breaks lately, huh, kid?” He asked in the kindest tone he could muster. “Between Silvio’s past coming to reap whatever was sewn, Mitch riding a bike between here and Detroit on no sleep, The Rat, Sebastian, and his fucking mouth.” He said, shaking his head. “At least it isn’t boring.” Adrienne’s hand relaxed in his. “No, it isn’t.” Knox squeezes her hand, before releasing it and settling into the bed. He looks around the room before setting upon the stuffed blackbird at his bedside. He reaches over and plucks it, showing it off to Ade. “Had someone drop this off while I was doped out of it last night. I think it was your new tag team partner.” Matt said with a cheese-eating grin, “You know, the one you replaced me with.” Adrienne feigned shock, “I didn’t make that decision.” Eyeing the bird, she smiled. “Besides, I think our mutual friend is trying every way possible to cause conflict. Especially after Stan was fired for cause. I guess carrying a list of my supposed daily routine is frowned upon.” “Fuck that guy.” Knox laughed, pausing to wince and favor his midsection. “And fuck Axton Gunn too. And well, almost everyone else if I’m honest.” A soft chuckle escaped as he eyed the drip. “Man, this stuff numbs everything but the tongue.” He sighed slowly, feeling and enjoying the warmth. “Yknow, Adrienne,” he has leaned back into his pillows a bit more, eyes lulling halfway, “you three. You, Mitch, Silvio. It’s like someone broke my reflection up into three pieces. Mitch, I remember bein’ that angry and protective because it was yesterday.” Another self-aware chuckle. “Silvio, well, he reminds me of all the ghosts.” And without a beat, he pointed a finger at Adrienne, “And you, It’s like an out of body experience, when I laid eyes on you. All the doubt and self doubt to boot, but then all the god damn grit to overcome.” A brief pause. Adrienne continued to let him roll. She was enjoying the company of a good friend. “Like my theme, you see.” After letting her soak in his pun, he continued, “You are currently enjoying … what, a five-win streak? You know that puts you only behind Silvio and Cortes, right? The tag champion, and future tag champion.” The cocktail seeping into his veins was clearly getting the better of him, but he adjusted and spoke clearly, “You’re better than good Ade. You’re great. Might be the best.” Adrienne responded with a polite smile. She let the Axton stuff slide. Too much to consider to get an argument about a celebrity and now a co-worker. One that she happened to think the best of. One she was struggling mightily with. Matt was someone special. Past that gruff exterior and tenacity to curse like a sailor, she saw a man finally reconciling with a past worth forgetting. It seemed to be a commonality. “I appreciate that, Matt. I’ve still got a long way before I could talk about myself like that. I’m not sure I ever could.” She didn’t intend to self-depreciate. Was a nasty habit. “But I do understand where you’re coming from. I’ll make an effort to think better of myself. I promise.” “You better, or I’ll take that Baltimore title from you. If you win it.” He snorted then, “Christ, I’m not watching that match. My best friend and my dragon...friend.” Matt furrowed his brow and shrugged before concluding, “You two are gonna tear the house down.” Adrienne acknowledged the compliment with a nod. However, his hesitation quirked her interest. She thought of something sarcastic to say. Maybe joke a little. But this was important, she could tell. Adrienne squeezed his hand and spoke low, “I’m happy for you, Matt. I really am.” “Yeah? Well, I mean, I don’t know what it is. Don’t wanna label anything or...” he trailed off. She nodded along, understanding that he would always be guarded considering the public spectacle his life has been made. “Guess it’s just nice, having a match to watch where I don’t hate someone. Not that I’m gonna watch.” Matt squeezed her hand back then, his voice lower now too, “You helped open me up to this sort of rot though, you know that, right? You dug me the rest of the way out of that hole Bert wouldn’t let me die in.” Listening intently, Adrienne felt the weight of his words. She never thought she had much of an impact on anyone. She tried her best, certainly but to hear something like this took her aback. “Learned that it was easier to put all that aggression into helping someone instead of hating everyone.” He snorted. “Christ. You’d think this was my death bed, and I was having ‘The Surge’ the way I’m goin’ on.” “The Rat has that effect.” She said with a knowing smile, followed by an immediate shame for letting that slip. Knox went to make a quip about bad breath when suddenly a knock on the door cut through the room. Standing at a proud five foot, seven in the doorway was a young, blonde, distressed looking woman of maybe eighteen. She wore an Imperial Youth Wrestling shirt and blue jeans. Matthew’s features went still a moment before a smile broke them up. “Hey, Hope,” he said with as much doped up cheer he could muster. Adrienne waved at Matt’s daughter that she had heard all about. But now wasn’t the time to chat. It was clear that Hope was being respectful, but that this was visit had a reason that didn’t involve her. “Matt, I’m going to leave you two be.” Standing up, Adrienne went to the doorway. “And after today, I could use a drink.” “I’ll be honest. I’m pretty shaken up about this one.” One of the newest contenders to the Baltimore City Championship, Adrienne Levi, was sitting at a corner table at the Angels Rock Bar. Located right in her new home city, she felt it would be an appropriate setting to talk about well, rock stars. It’d be a lie if she planned this. Adrienne just happened to be out mailing a letter when she saw a flyer for a free concert. Also, it was ladies’ night. Her little digital camera was placed on the table, framing the shot tight and level. Despite her surroundings’ dim lighting, it was clear she had on a black t-shirt on displaying Axton Gunn’s charming visage. Her elbows were on the table, hands steepled. Her eyes shimmered as she mulled over and contemplated her choice of words. “This is like my third take,” she admitted with her usual meek tone. “But I wanted to make sure to get this right. In less than a month, I have a great opportunity to represent this city. But that can’t be my focus.” Adrienne pivoted the camera slowly towards the stage. Stagehands were setting up for a concert. “Let’s set the stage.” When the shot reverted, her grin was apparent. “Get it, cuz like they’re setting … the … stage?” After the proverbial crickets sounding off in her mind, Adrienne continued, “Maybe I’ll just edit that part out.” In between her words, the ambiance of the bar took over. Clinking glasses, random conversations, and of course, the mechanical bull she made a concerted effort to ignore when first walking in. “One more stop before that huge century mark. Same partner. I know that I can trust her. I know that the fierce attitude that The Dragon Lady possesses will maybe lend a different perspective to this upcoming encounter. And they may be the very reason that she walks out champion instead of me. These aren’t things I can fret about right now. Our opposition seems to be of the same wavelength. I could understand why Sebastian Hawke would look up to someone like Axton Gunn. It would only be natural that these two eventually worked together. However, judging by all of our reactions, I doubt none of us expected this.” She gestured with her hands, following by a slightly exaggerated shrug. “But here we are,” she said with a smile, “Sebastian, I’m sorry I couldn’t find a shirt with you two on it. Maybe you’ll rectify that later for me. This isn’t just about your partner. I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about you. I wish I had half the courage that you did. The ink wasn’t dry on your contract before you accepted the challenge of someone who personifies this company’s mission statement. That is ultraviolence. You stood toe to toe with Mitch Heart and earned a lot of people’s respect that evening.” Mitch Heart had intended to teach Sebastian a lesson in humility through brute force. And while Hawke succumbed to The Broken, it only seemed to harden his heart. It made Adrienne wonder if that approach has been common to someone like this young man. “May we talk about what else happened? I think its rather important. To be dismissed, to be infantilized, to be marginalized - it hurts. I wanted to thank you for your advice the other day. I know that you meant well. Maybe those sorts of ideals worked for you in the past even. But that isn’t who I am. Here’s what bothered me just a little, Sebastian. I think you were just angry, and that’s okay. But you tried to hold me accountable for the actions of my friends. Maybe Matt Knox can be a little caustic. And Silvio and Kohaku are quick to speak their minds. And well, you met Mitch personally. I get it. I may have held Steve Matthews’ feet to the fire for his half-hearted denouncement of Alex Winter, and so maybe you think I’m a hypocrite.” Pausing, she took a sip of the ice water the server brought her earlier. The cubes were already melting, and she could maybe go for something harder. But Adrienne had promised herself not to drink on camera anymore as it set a poor example. “It’s a little different than a friend coming to my defense when you chose to be abrasive, don’t you think? However, I admonished my friend because I don’t think you had done anything particularly wrong. You were just asking questions, right? Or is that you’re confused that I could associate from people so different than me? It just requires a little empathy, Sebastian. Either way, everything washed out in the end. For you, this is an opportunity to hit the reset button on your debut. Maybe muddy the waters of the Baltimore City Championship scene by getting a definitive victory over the current contenders. However, if you wanted to, you could ask your partner about his motives sometime.” Adrienne slid her business phone into view. Having previously set this up, a brief audio snippet played for all to hear. ”...so glad to see you made so many new friends without me, Silvio. Can’t wait to introduce myself to ‘em… one by one.” That was Axton Gunn just mere moments after he drove Silvio Leon’s skull into the mat. Notably, after a feigned motion to reconcile. Adrienne’s expression was mired with conflict. Hesitation marked her words. “Axton, I know you may hear this a lot. But I’m your number one fan. Your music has always been a beacon of light in the darker periods of my life. That’s a little dramatic, huh? Your take-no-prisoners attitude is something I wish I could emulate every day. You just say what you want, consequences be--” Adrienne cut herself off. “You know what I mean. Axton, simply put, you’re one of the coolest people ever. And as evidenced by your debut against Kohaku, you bring all of those intangible rockstar qualities to the ring as well. Not only that, but you’ve also given so much back. You use your influence to help those who are less fortunate. And if you would forgive me for this little weakness, Axton, you’re striking to look at. Your eyes are mesmerizing. Your smile makes me melt.” She said with a reverence like the many times she had rehearsed in the mirror if she ever had the chance to meet him. Well, before this. “You are just perfect.” The clip played again - a startling interruption to her star worship. “But, you’re not.” Adrienne’s words hung in the air. She did her best to revert to a neutral tone. Maybe even stoic if her soft eyes didn’t always happen to betray those attempts. “You said as much. That makes me foolish to place you so high. It was wrong of me almost to deify you. I deprived you of your right just to be human. I would hope that you would extend that same courtesy towards my imperfect friends.” Habitually, she wiped away at her eyes. “I’d like to reintroduce myself. I’m Adrienne, and in just over a week, we’ll be opponents. Nobody will remember my name like yours, but in that ring, we are equals. I don’t want to brag, but I’ve worked hard, and I’ve done well for myself. I appreciate the kind words you’ve shared about me. I really wanted to say something prior, but well, you’re a star, and I’m just me. I’m okay with that. For the first time in a long while, I think maybe I like the person I see in the mirror. One of the reasons I’ve been able to do that is because I’ve promised to be honest. I can’t break that promise for you, Axton, I’m sorry.” Leaning forward, Adrienne stared intently into the camera. She spoke in a calm voice as if she was truly speaking to an audience of one. “Your first appearance in Carnage Wrestling wasn’t as Axton Gunn, the award-winning rockstar. It was as someone who had traveled across to the country to confront someone that had hurt you. Let’s take that at face value. You’ve always been truthful in your art. So I believe you. You laid everything on the table, and I think you and Silvio have a lot to talk about.” She said this with utmost sincerity. Adrienne’s gaze to Axton faltered as she continued, “And then I saw Axton Gunn as I’ve never seen him before. Not that I know you or anything. I’m just basing this on what you’ve allowed me to see. You struck Silvio.” Her fingers tapped on the table lightly as she looked away for the brief moment, all of this accompanied by a small sniffle. “You know, in this industry, a lot of issues get resolved through violence. There’s a distinct difference in what you chose to do and what happens within the confines of a match. Sometimes it even seems a little preformative. Silvio hurt you. So you decided to hurt him. This sort of thing happens every show. Could even get desensitized to it.” Whether she meant to or not, Adrienne’s hand went to the side of her face. “I always blamed myself when this sort of thing happened. There was something that I did to deserve a lesson. I needed to understand the hurt that I caused. Sometimes I’d get confused, and I wouldn’t learn fast enough. But, suffering creates clarity.” Her demeanor softened once she affixed her gaze towards the lenses of the camera. “I don’t think that is you at all, Axton. I can’t speak to whether that was premeditated or not. You’re one of the smartest people around, so when you speak, maybe I misunderstood what you meant.” For a third time, the statement from Axton played. “You met Kohaku last show. He may have pinned you in that ring, but you planted that seed. You sowed that doubt on the type of person Silvio is. You admitted what you did wasn’t enough. Silvio hadn’t learned his lesson. As you watch this, Axton, ask yourself a small question. You ever wonder how Kohaku feels about all of this?” Adrienne couldn’t confess to know about the inner workings of Starfox. However, their affections had been public, so no wonder Axton found out how he did. “None of this. None of this would be my business, except you made it my business. I’m next, Axton. I’m your number one fan, and I love everything you do. I expect you to be on your best behavior. I expect you to be the Axton Gunn that I’ve maybe had dreams about. But Axton, I can’t play the part you want me to. I can’t feed into this campaign you have against Silvio Leon. You will need to handle these things in private, and you need to be held accountable for how you chose to react to Silvio’s decision to leave you. All of this can be done without any more lessons.” Sitting up straight, Adrienne’s voice climbed to one of determined resolve. “Axton, I hope you understand how difficult this was. When that bell rings, you face a team that has been battle-tested under precarious circumstances, with the mutual understanding that eventually, we’d have to compete with one another for just one prize. The Dragon Lady will speak for herself some other time, but I can say in the brief time that I’ve known her, she’s the bravest woman I know. And well, when you lock up with me, Axton, I won’t be your number one fan. I will be the woman who stood up to the rampant misogyny that still permeates this industry. I helped quell back those who would corrupt the innocence of this world.” Adrienne’s eyes sparked if that were even possible, and she spoke with the fervor of someone who truly believed what she was saying. “In the face of low expectations, I’ve climbed through the wreckage of one of the most devastating nights of my career, and I’ve thrived. One day, I don’t know when and I don’t know how, but I’m going to be remembered, too. I hope that I haven’t made Sebastian or you angry with me, Axton. I just wanted to let you know where I stand. I’m going to fight you, removed from whatever your plans are, and if I have the opportunity to beat you?” Letting that question linger, she answered it herself. “I won’t hesitate.” Reaching forward, Adrienne went to turn the camera off. Inadvertently, her elbow knocked the plastic tumbler over and spilled water all over the table and her shirt and lap. “Darn it, not aga-” The feed cut. Adrienne let the bubble mailer slip from her hand into the open hatch of the USPS mailbox. Addressed to one Sylvia Gould.

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cbilluminati · 8 years ago

Text

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you came.

That’s a really awesome reference that you should Google. No, don’t worry about it, I’ll drop a Youtube link. It’s time for yet another edition of Top o’ the Lot (or TotL pronounced “TOTAL” by the kids), Outright Geekery’s weekly listicle. This week’s countdown examines all the great bars, taverns, clubs, and dives from my favorite TV shows, movies, comics, and more. While Cheers may not have made the list, nothing beats that song. So, without further ado, we hit all (or most) major forms of media, make it a double, and everybody sing along, with Outright Geekery’s Top o’ the Lot: 15 Fictional Watering Holes.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-mi0r0LpXo%5B/embedyt%5D

Honorable Mention: The One from Every RPG Ever

Including video games, table top games, and the occasional board game. You know the one: Where there’s always someone selling the exact stuff you need for the upcoming journey, the bartender is burly (probably a bastard), the bar maidens are hot and ready (and probably rogues), and (in too many cases) there always seems to be an NPC or PC ready for a team up.

This one is ridiculous in almost every single case. It’s cheap storytelling, hinges primarily on nostalgia, and none of that matters at all. Seeing the local Inn in video games like World of Warcraft or Elder Scrolls is often such a terrific feeling. It denotes discovery and familiarity in brilliant ways. But there’s way too many, so it gets a Honorable Mention.

15. The Bar with No Name

Ok, try to keep up. In the Marvel Comics Universe there is this bar…or maybe it’s a series of bars, where the badguys meet up for planning world domination, cementing their criminal networks, or celebrating good times (Kang’s birthday party was a true rager), and they do this in a place known only as The Bar with No Name.

This is the one that should be getting an Honorable Mention. What a cheap way around getting some bad guys talking. But it’s throwback, it’s subtle and dark, and some really cool things have started in these Bars with No Names…or whatever. And it’s comics. Comics get a pass.

14. Kadie’s Club Pecos

This is the bar from Sin City. A lot of things happened there. Dwight and Ava meetup, The Long Bad Night, Nancy’s Last Dance. What an amazing way to tell a story, and what a terrific scene.

Only hits this low on the list because so many others are just better. It should be on here, but 14 is as high is it’s getting. The dance is really good though…but NSFW.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yUWO2PFVF4%5B/embedyt%5D

13. Gaston’s Tavern

What a lovely little town. Too bad the only bar is run by this douchebag. But there’s no denying that Gaston’s Bar from Beauty and the Beast is THE happening place in that provincial little town. Everyone loves the owner too.

Gaston is the man, and he knows it. Why shouldn’t he run his very own tavern? But it’s that song! Although, a good tune can only carry you so far. And he’s such a jerk. Calm down, dude! Grab a drink, go lift some weights, and get with one of those other honeys. I mean, you own a bar. He should just move on.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuJTqmpBnI0%5B/embedyt%5D

12. The Bada Bing

The Bada Bing is the fictional strip club owned by Silvio Dante, second hand to crime boss Tony Soprano, and it was a crazy place. Topless girls, alcohol, and gangsters 24 hours a day. The back room was a gentleman’s club, where New Jersey’s finest criminals ate sandwiches, played poker, and counted money.

The Bing makes the list because it was just a cool place. The setting worked to help define the backdrop of this series, and it was one of my favorites. I picture myself walking in, spreading around the cash to all the fine “ladies” dancing, and being invited to the back room for a late night poker game, which inevitably leads to Outright Geekery becoming a front for the mob, my wife’s fingers being cut off as a warning, and me ultimately floating in the Hudson River. Worth it!

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lonfT9ITxhk%5B/embedyt%5D

11. Swerve’s

In IDW Publishing’s Transformers titles, there’s a story about a group of ragtag Cybertronians – loners, castoffs, shut-ins, socially inept etc. – who decide to leave Cybertron and search the galaxy for the fabled Knights of Cybertron. Things have not gone well. Despite that, however, one standout of this series in the context of this list is Swerve’s Bar. Swerve is a wise-cracking smartass of a guy, but he’s just looking to have a good time. And Swerve’s Bar is THE place to go on the spaceship The Lost Light should you have the need for some Energon Ale.

While Swerve’s doesn’t break into the top 10 o’ this Lot simply because it’s such a vague and relatively unknown bar, it makes the list overall because I just love these robots, their stories, and their relationships so damned much. I know, these are plastic toys from the 1980s. But their real to me.

10. Quark’s

Although it’s not the coolest bar from the Star Trek universe, Quark’s is easily the one that looks more like your traditional western frontier saloon, which is what Deep Space Nine was going for. Set right off the main hub in the promenade, Quark’s offered food, drink, fellowship, but most importantly it offered gambling and holosuites.

Having hookers and gaming was a real departure for the series as the Federation tended to frown on such things, but it added a sense of realism to the fell of the entire series. Real frontier stuff, unrestrained by the laws of the Federation. And the cast of regulars, including the ever-silent Morn, were fantastic additions. A great place that deserve to break the Top 10 in a list with so many great entries.

9. Club Rockit

Club Rockit was an actual, real-life place that writer Bryan Lee O’ Malley used to model the fictional punk rock venue in the wildly successful and fun Scott Pilgrim series of comics. It was described as cramped, ugly, and terrible by its creator, but we loved it for a lone reason: Sex Bob-Omb played there!

If you have a club in a comic book and there’s a cool band that plays there it’s going to be an awesome place. The club shows up in every instance of this license including comics, movies, and video games, and really just goes to show you how damned popular this series is. Sequel? I sure hope so!

8. The Leaky Cauldron

Founded by Daisy Dodderidge in 1500 to serve as a doorway between the non-magic Muggle World and the Wizarding World, The Leaky Cauldron is a pub and inn from the Harry Potter Universe. It was one of the first introductions readers and viewers had at what the new magical world we were stepping into truly had to offer.

Whimsy filled both the book and movie scenes that introduced The Leaky Cauldron, and it only got better from there. Beyond that, however, The Leaky Cauldron was a portal of sorts from the real to the imagined, a mainstay in scores of fantasy titles. Subtle and fun, it was a great anchor early on in the series and just neat in its own right.

7. The Prancing Pony

Another one from both famous books and popular movies, The Prancing Pony is in the village of Bree in Middle-Earth from The Lord of the Rings series of novels and films. This is where Frodo and his group meet up with the Ranger Strider in what became one of the most amazing adventures of all time.

More occurs at this inn and bar than just the meeting of Frodo and Strider, but it’s the most famous by far, and this meeting represents a ramp up in the adventure of the story. And it’s a terrific moment. Thorin Oakenshield and Gandalf meet up here at one point, as well, but it’s just not mentioned as much. While the Honorable Mention spot in this Lot may be a stereotype, this is the inn that created it.

6. Moe’s Tavern

When you visit Springfield there’s only one place where the Everyman goes after a long, hard day of running the nuclear power plant. Moe’s Tavern. The cold Duff on tap, terrific music, fun regulars, and, of course, Moe, our lovable bartender. There may not be a more well known bar on this list.

A lot of people know about Moe’s because so many people have been forced to watch so many seasons of The Simpsons. I guess it deserves it – I haven’t watched since season 5 or 6 – but Moe’s is still very worthy of making this list.

5. The Hellfire Club

I’m not really quite sure if this entry even qualifies, as the Hellfire Club is more of a group of people than a building where people drink, but I don’t care. The perennial X-Men villain, the Hellfire Club is a fictional society bent on obtaining power, but they do often have an actual club.

Sometimes a bar isn’t about the where, but the who. The place is terrific, but The Hellfire Club is really made up of really interesting – and often very evil – characters. And those cool Chess piece nicknames? So cool!

4. The Iceberg Lounge

Barely missing the Top 3 is the relatively new aspect of DC Comics Gotham City, Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge. The iceberg shaped nightclub, conveniently located in Gotham Harbor, acts as a legitimate business front for the Penguin’s criminal dealings, and also works as a place for Batman to use his makeup kit.

My favorite parts of the Iceberg Lounge are when Batman disguises himself as a criminal, goes to the lounge incognito, all in an attempt to overhear some underworld information that may help him solve the next crime. And it’s just really cool to see it floating there on Gotham’s Skyline.

3. The Ink & Paint Club

Yes, breaking into the Top 3 is the nightclub run by cartoons from the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Ink & Paint Club. In a world where toons are real, this nightclub takes the best parts of that animated world, puts them to wrok, and provides quality entertainment as well as superb nightclub services.

Opening on the Duck vs Duck piano duel, Jessica’s solo in the middle, and ending on that gorilla of a bouncer, the Ink & Paint Club not only left an impression on anyone who watched this movie, but it made viewers want to go there for a Saturday night of drinking, dancing, and drawing.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv24TJ8iXcs%5B/embedyt%5D

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy5THitqPBw%5B/embedyt%5D

2. Mos Eisley Cantina

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

But, man, they play such good music! Like many things in the Star Wars Universe, less was more when it came to this Outer Rim bar on the mudball that is Tatooine. Is was rightfully a dangerous place. Who goes to Tatooine if they aren’t in trouble and laying low? That’s a recipe for smugglers, pirates, and, yes, nerf-herders.

Again, less was more here. Lucas understood that an audience will fill in their own gaps, and usually an audience will fill it with better stuff than a writer ever could. So many alien races with absolutely no explanation whatsoever about who or what they are. It was perfect. Oh, and that house band is the best in the galaxy.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stbYF6XpTYE%5B/embedyt%5D

1. 10 Forward

Wait! They put a bar in a Federation Starship? Yes, they did, and it was awesome! Deck 10 in the forward section of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D was just that: A bar. A place where weary Starfleet officers could relax, eat, fellowship, drink, listen to music, and otherwise have an awesome time. It was weird for a while. There’s a bar on a Federation starship? But it ended up working so well for so man reasons.

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The primary reason was the bartender, Guinan, played by acting legend Whoopi Goldberg. But all of the little things fell right into place over a very short period of time to make 10 Forward one of the most popular place in the entire galaxy. Sometimes there’s a hostage situation, some days it’s a birthday party. Other days there’s a funeral wake, yet others there’s an emergency baby delivery (thanks, Worf!), and still others see the entire crew trying to beat each other to a pulp. Business as usual on the Flagship of the Federation.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWaguilvSrY%5B/embedyt%5D

See a mistake? Disagree with the choices? Let us know!

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TotL – 15 Fictional Watering Holes

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you came. That’s a really awesome reference that you should Google.

TotL – 15 Fictional Watering Holes Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came. That's a really awesome reference that you should Google.

#15 Fictional Watering Holes #Bars #Clubs #list #Taverns #Top o&039; the Lot #TotL #Watering Holes

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outright-geekery · 8 years ago

Text

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you came.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-mi0r0LpXo%5B/embedyt%5D

Honorable Mention: The One from Every RPG Ever

15. The Bar with No Name

14. Kadie’s Club Pecos

This is the bar from Sin City. A lot of things happened there. Dwight and Ava meetup, The Long Bad Night, Nancy’s Last Dance. What an amazing way to tell a story, and what a terrific scene.

Only hits this low on the list because so many others are just better. It should be on here, but 14 is as high is it’s getting. The dance is really good though…but NSFW.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yUWO2PFVF4%5B/embedyt%5D

13. Gaston’s Tavern

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuJTqmpBnI0%5B/embedyt%5D

12. The Bada Bing

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lonfT9ITxhk%5B/embedyt%5D

11. Swerve’s

10. Quark’s

9. Club Rockit

8. The Leaky Cauldron

7. The Prancing Pony

6. Moe’s Tavern

5. The Hellfire Club

4. The Iceberg Lounge

3. The Ink & Paint Club

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv24TJ8iXcs%5B/embedyt%5D

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy5THitqPBw%5B/embedyt%5D

2. Mos Eisley Cantina

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stbYF6XpTYE%5B/embedyt%5D

1. 10 Forward

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWaguilvSrY%5B/embedyt%5D

See a mistake? Disagree with the choices? Let us know!

Send emails to [email protected] Find us on Facebook at the Outright Geekery Page Join the discussion at the Comic Book Illuminati Leave us a comment below

TotL – 15 Fictional Watering Holes Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came. That's a really awesome reference that you should Google.

#15 Fictional Watering Holes #Bars #Clubs #list #Taverns #Top o&039; the Lot #TotL #Watering Holes

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