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toastedjeans · 4 months ago

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Introducing...

TOWER OMENS

A Good Omens and Pizza Tower crossover AU! Because apparently i love combining stuff that couldn't be more different from each other and seeing how it fits.

HEADS UP! If you aren't familiar with Good Omens or haven't seen the series yet, i highly recommend you ignore this post. There will be spoilers! Block the tag "#Tower Omens" for future posts if necessary.

With that out of the way, let's get right into it! [LOTS OF TEXT AHEAD I'M SO SORRY]

But before we look at the characters, a thing i want to mention is that instead of London, most of the events will take place somewhere in Italy. That means that some events, locations, and references will be different from the source material. You'll see what exactly i mean when we get to the timeline changes.

Oh also this will be pepstavo heavy. Because it's my AU and I'm predictable.

Anyway, here's the characters + the percentage of how likely it is they'll keep that role

Peppino as Crowley [1000%]

For being a demon, he's actually a surprisingly good person, and would never hurt anyone innocent. He fell cause he got mad one too many times, and now he's got trauma from the Fall. Other demons don't trust him and keep making his existence harder than it already is. He hates being reminded of the angel he once was, it makes him feel like a failure. Despite that, he would never want to become an angel again, in fear of falling again and going through the same traumatic experience a second time. Also Maurice is up there.

Instead of a snake, his animal form is a cow. No, not a bull. For reasons. His demonic mark is a big mole, burn mark, or scar in the form of a cow's head/skull located on his upper arm.

Instead of the Bentley, Peppino will drive an old Vespa, AND he'll be the one with an establishment. So instead of Aziraphale's bookshop, there will be Peppino's pizzeria! His pizzas are the best in town, not because he yells at them to be better, but because he's just so passionate about cooking. He has small horns he has to hide underneath various hats, and unlike Crowley, he can only marginally change his hair. Sure, he can make them longer, but he'll remain bald so he won't ever be able to hide the horns underneath hair. Usually he wears a chef's hat, and only takes it off around someone he trusts. Also, because of the anxiety, he's a terrible liar.

Lastly, he absolutely hates rats, and only tolerates them when he sees how sweet Gus is to them. But he would never hurt them of course. He just thinks they shouldn't be anywhere near him. Ever. But spoiler alert, he warms up to them cause of Gustavo.

Gustavo as Aziraphale [1000%]

As an angel, he's a good person, but he can still be mischievous at times. He can hide his nervousness pretty well, therefore he is a decent liar, and always here to help Peppino out of a situation when he can't come up with a lie himself. He's very powerful and can get extremely scary when angered. You know he'll kick Maurice's ass once he finds out how he used to treat Peppino.

Gus used to just make food appear with miracles, but after asking Peppino why he didn't do it as well, Pep teaches him how to cook. He sees how passionate he is and how much he's enjoying himself, so he starts to enjoy it a lot as well. They then become coworkers in the pizzeria.

He's more comfortable with experimenting with clothes, so he will appear more feminine in various eras, and sometimes still with the moustache because yes. He has an affinity for animals, especially rats. Instead of magic tricks, he will train rats and then do a little rat circus show (he doesn't harm them of course). Sometimes he feeds rats after shifts and talks to them, basically to keep them out of the pizzeria while Peppino is near.

Maurice as Metatron [95%]

Our favorite scumbag. He used to bully Peppino relentlessly, and still keeps insulting him even when he's not around. But he shuts up around Gustavo cause he's incredibly afraid of him, but won't ever admit it. Knows how powerful he can get. Is always kinda aggressive, but mostly just talks shit and threatens anyone who crosses him with The Fall™. Since he's God's right hand everyone is kinda afraid of him. Hates Noisette and is glad when she disappears and later on leaves

Ziti as Muriel [100%]

They have absolutely no clue what they're doing, but they're doing their best. Afraid of pretty much everyone, especially higher ranking angels since they're authority (yes, even Burton). An even more terrible liar than Peppino. They've never been treated with kindness before, so they grow attached to Peppino and Gustavo really quickly.

They pose as a health inspector instead of police (and i can make them wear a suit!!!). Gus shows them some rats and they immediately fall in love with them. Of course they don't know anything about Earth, as far as they're concerned, rats in the kitchen are a normal thing. Pests? No, look at them, they're too cute to be pests! (Also side note, as much as i still don't quite like Ziti as much, they're perfect for Muriel. I can't see anyone else in that role!)

Noise as Beelzebub [95%]

You know he hates Peppino. When he's in hell, he wears his suit, and his rat ears and tail are visible. But when on Earth (he doesn't come there often, he hates it), he sometimes wears his regular outfit to hide his ears and tail. It's really uncomfortable to him though. Instead of flies, he has fleas who are always surrounding his head. They look like tiny Noisys :).

He'd never admit it but he has a huge crush on Noisette. Even gave Noisette a flea container that now lives in her bunny hood.

Noisette as Gabriel [95%]

First off, major change from the series, hear me out. She's besties with Gustavo. While she's sort of the leader of Heaven, she sometimes lets herself get pushed around by other archangels when there's things she doesn't wanna do. Like punishing Gustavo after the failed Armageddon event. She still feels bad that she had to do this.

Other than that, she's oblivious as hell (pun not intended). She loves spending time with Noise and doesn't care that he's a demon. Or maybe she doesn't quite realize. I mean, he's nice to her, and he's funny. Anyway, even on Earth she keeps her bunny hood up, almost like it's part of her.

As Jim, she will be called Hazel. Since i don't want her to come back naked she just doesn't have the bunny hood on. It triggers her memories but she gets headaches from them, so she can only keep wearing it after getting her memories back. One of Noise's fleas is always on her and she keeps accidentally almost killing it by scratching herself.

Mr Stick as Michael [70%]

Really wants to be in charge, but he doesn't know what he's doing. He relies on the other archangels to do his job but he still wants to be the leader. Just. Without the responsibilities or having to make choices. He thinks he's extremely smart and knows everything better than anyone else. But when tested he insists that everyone else is tricking him or cheating (his waluigi side is showing...). Wants to be intimidating but i mean look at him. He's a twig. I could snap him in half with one hand. And I'm damn weak.

Burton as Sandalphon [70%]

Another one who's very different from the series. He's sweet and polite, but can be a little intimidating due to being Very Large™. He wouldn't hurt a fly though. He's also very good friends with Gustavo and Noisette, but like Noisette, he's sometimes pressured into being mean or cruel - such as attempting to kill Gus - by the other archangels

Fake Peppino as Shax [85%]

He'll be called Bruno in this. He never met Peppino despite looking like him, and being his replacement after Pep got banned from Hell. When angered, he can get extremely intimidating, but mostly he just doesn't quite understand how humans work. His speech is reversed, and only demons can understand him, but others can learn to understand him if they take the time.

He appears more goopy in Hell, like his in game sprite, and looks like the Nothing Compares guy when on Earth, but still can't speak normally. He either uses sign language when having to talk to humans, or just gestures around. Or he thinks he's doing sign language but actually just says gibberish.

In the end when Noise and Noisette are reunited, he gets promoted to Duke of Hell by Noise, but he doesn't want the position so he gives it to someone else.

Pizzahead as Lucifer; Pizzaface as Satan [99%]

Look. If Satan and Lucifer are the same character, then both are just different forms. In my head at least. Pizzaface is Satan (more demonic, huge, gets destroyed), and Pizzahead is Lucifer (more humanoid, human height, may return later).

While PF is more for intimidation, PH is more for visiting Earth in secret or when having to go through the Hell offices. PF created Fake Peppino and the Peppi clones, nobody knows why he seems to be so obsessed with Peppino that he keeps making demons in his image.

Pepperman as Uriel [89%]

He just really wants to get rid of Gustavo. He may look silly but he can be extremely intimidating, and way stronger than he looks. Selfish as heck. I want him to always wear a feather boa, both in his angel form and in his human form. And also i want him to look a bit androgynous. Genderfluid icon. Idk where his art would come into play but I'll find a way probably. Maybe his art form is fashion. So he's always wearing some kinda extravagant clothes, at least when he's on earth. Plus the feather boa.

Vigilante as Hastur [85%]

Basically looks the same as in game while in Hell, but with horns on his cowboy hat. On Earth he looks like a human cowboy. Idk how else to describe it lol. Even if he didn't like Doise very much, he's still mad at Peppino for killing him. He witnesses the Holy Water™ incident and tells Noise, but Noise doesn't believe him.

Doise as Ligur [95%]

Looks very similar to Noise, but unlike him, Doise isn't a rat, but a raccoon. Him and Vigi didn't really like each other that much, but they still preferred each other's company over anyone else's (especially Noise's). He dies via Holy Water but it's not as straightforward as you'd think (explanation below)

Peddito as the Holy Water [95%]

This secret special liquid is made for angels to kill demons easier. When thrown to the ground, it shapes into a sort of clone of the being who used it, but with hollow eyes, which is supposed to confuse or scare the opponent. It has the same strengths and weaknesses as the original, but without fears or other pesky feelings in the way. Since Peppino throws it, it will turn into a form that resembles himself. The liquid will then chase and kill the first thing it sees, in our case Doise, and then vanish with him. Like, he'll just vaporize or something. Only angels know about this weapon, and it is only used in extreme situations.

Peppiclones as Eric (disposable demon) [100%]

There's just. So many of them. Sometimes they get in a fight and kill each other before someone can give them instructions. Feral. Fake Peppino hates them cause they tend to get on his nerves quickly and rarely listen to him (which is impressive since it takes a lot to make him angry or annoyed)

Brick as the Hellhound [100%]

Brick will start out as a Bad Rat, and will turn into a Stupid Rat once given a name. Yes, she will still be gigantic. But she's the only giant rat, all the others are normal sized. Won't stay with Fungo, i really want her to stay with Gustavo (or at least reunite later on?). I don't care there has to be a reunion between them. Maybe Fungo is going to college and can't keep Brick, and the parents can't provide anymore. Idk. I love Brick i want her and Gus to stay friends

The Toppins as the Them & Warlock [101%]

Mushroom as Adam -> human name Fungo

Cheese as Wensleydale -> human name Gio (short for Formaggio)

Tomato as Brian -> human name Tom

Sausage as Warlock -> human name Saul or Soos

Pineapple as Pepper -> human name Pina

Pizzelle as Maggie [75%]

She's hopelessly in love with Rosette, but way too anxious to talk to her. Actually isn't sure if Rosette is flirting with her or if she's that nice to every customer. Sometimes she says things before thinking about them and regrets it later (she lets the demons into the pizzeria). Keeps thinking she's not good enough for Rosette or that she hates her

Rosette as Nina [75%]

She owns a cafe and bakery. Always has a smile on her face and is sweet to everyone she meets. She did just go through a breakup with her toxic partner, but tries to downplay it by acting like nothing happened. Actually didn't realize her partner was really manipulative and controlling until talking to Pizzelle about it when they're shut in during the power outage. She's not quite ready for a new relationship yet but keeps Pizzelle in mind, they're besties for the time being :)

Pizzano as Mr. Brown [55%]

He's an aspiring actor, but can sometimes be too much in his role, so that he keeps convincing himself that Pizzelle is his arch rival. He makes videos/short films on the internet (i don't wanna say he's an influencer but it goes in that direction). He doesn't quite have a crush on Gustavo, but he enjoys his company a lot more than Peppino would like.

✨ Timeline changes ✨

|| Before the beginning ||

Peppino used to be an archangel, he had bigger wings and hair (sorry Pep). Like Crowley, he created the stars but he used something like an oven for it, or maybe a cauldron. He used to be kinda apathetic towards other angels, and only liked creating stars. But he does eventually talk to Gustavo cause he seems genuinely interested in what he does, and nobody ever showed appreciation towards him or his work. Maurice was already a total asshole to him, which obviously angered Peppino, and then he just let him fall one day, stating that he wasn't behaving like an angel should.

Gustavo was a kinda low tier angel, basically just a messenger for other angels. Nice to every angel he meets in hopes of becoming friends. Unlike Aziraphale, he won't immediately be in love with Peppino at first sight but he talks to him more often than others so he starts feeling attached quicker.

|| In the beginning (4004 BC) ||

Peppino unintentionally made Eve eat the apple cause he bumped into the tree in his animal form and it landed directly in front of her. He's first on the wall cowering cause he feels guilty. Then Gustavo joins him and tries lifting the mood a little bit. He's aware that it was the plan to let the humans out but didn't know how. Tries reassuring Pep that he didn't do anything wrong. His weapon would probably be a flaming spear or lance. Or a big pizza shovel thing idk.

|| Bildad Era (Land of Uz 2500 BC) ||

Peppino won't tempt Gustavo to eat food, he's too worried about him falling. Since he has trauma from the fall he doesn't want Gus to go through the same thing so he tries to keep him from indulging too much. But Gustavo always wanted to try food. He knows that he won't get into too much trouble for eating food so he risks it.

|| Knight time (Wessex 537 AD) ||

Peppino is basically in the knight transformation, while Gustavo looks kinda like he appears on the Bloodsauce Dungeon title card. He's actually the one suggesting the arrangement, and Pep refuses more out of fear.

|| French Revolution (Paris 1793) ||

Peppino is the one getting captured. Idk why yet. Anyway, it's like Pig City where Gus has to break Pep out. That was my whole thought

|| Grand opening (deleted scene 1809) ||

Peppino opens his pizzeria for the first time. Noise, Vigilante and Doise visit him, congratulating him (begrudgingly) on spreading the Great Plague of Marseille (France 1720). They heard that Peppino was in France somewhere in the 1700s, but didn't fact check any further. He has no idea what's going on. They then tell him to look out cause there's an angel on Earth in the same area, and if he sees them he can just kill them anyway (maybe they make fun of him for being easily scared). Noise says that Da Boss (PH) wants him to come back to Hell and work side by side with him for some reason, he's pissed as hell (pun intended this time)

Meanwhile Gustavo wanted to congratulate Pep on the opening. When he sees the other demons, he hides, but listens in on the whole conversation. Is more careful since Vigilante has very good senses, and Pep doesn't notice him either. He then basically does what Crowley does in that scene, but leaves a little gift for Pep with a note that implies that he made the demons leave. Pep continues not knowing what's going on.

|| Holy water park break up (1862) ||

Peppino asks for holy water just in case of emergencies, but Gustavo refuses. He won't get angry at him, but more worried, so he offers Peppino his angel ring. It functions like a sort of communication device, so Gus would always know when Pep is wearing it. He tells him to put it on when he needs help or someone to talk to. Pep gets pissed, not only because he didn't get the holy water, but also cause he thinks Gus is making fun of him cause of the ring (also maybe he gets a bit flustered). He runs off and throws the ring back at him.

|| War (1941) ||

Peppino somehow became not just part of the mafia, but the boss. He doesn't know how that happened. His outfit will be inspired by Evil Pep. While he does have experience with using guns, it makes him anxious. He remembers when he was forced to kill others, and freezes up when he has to hold a gun. Sometimes smokes a cigar for intimidation purposes, but actually hates smoking, and will have a coughing fit. Goes by Mr. Spaghetti.

Instead of books, Gustavo delivers lab rats. He wanted to rescue them but either the Mafia or Mussolini want to test various nuclear weapons or whatever on them. Idk why. He gets so upset when he realizes the rats were killed by the bomb, but Peppino revives them, even though he hates rats, and gives them back to Gus. Gustavo is officially smitten.

|| 1967 ||

Peppino is for some reason still a mafia boss. Still wants holy water and wants his goons to bring it to him, but Gustavo stops him. He brings him a flask of special Holy Water, and tries again with offering his ring. He adds that he should see it as a reminder that he'll always be there for him when he needs him. Peppino accepts the ring this time. Since it's an angel ring it either burns or itches and he'll get a rash from it, so he wears it around a necklace. From this point on Peppino is seen wearing the ring around his neck, and Gustavo will not have one anymore. He also doesn't replace it. Also i thought maybe Gus appears more feminine here but still with a moustache because yes. I haven't figured out the outfit yet but i think this could be neat.

|| Nanny time ||

Peppino becomes a home tutor instead of a nanny. He's generally nervous around children, and doesn't wanna do or say anything wrong to them. He's afraid that he makes them cry or upset cause then he'll start to panic. Just like me fr.

Gustavo will appear feminine, as a personal cook for the family. He'll have old cartoon granny vibes, a dress with a cutesy lacey apron with hearts on it, long hair in a bun, and big cute oven mitts. Kinda like that one Granny Gnome in Gnome Forest.

|| Angel Disguise ||

During the pizzeria invasion, Peppino goes to Heaven with Ziti and disguises as an angel, wearing his white hoodie and cap with sunglasses. He'll try to be as authentic as possible so he also wears the ring Gus gave him and kinda forgets it gives him a rash (and also that Gus now thinks something's wrong). Then basically the same things happen as in the series, but with the addition of a very worried Gustavo.

While looking for the Clue™, Gustavo will wear an outfit that's kinda like a mix between Aziraphale and The G sugary spire. Also he will drive that Vespa, even if he doesn't have a license. He promises Peppino to keep it safe of course.

Okay that was a lot. I'll update this post whenever i change some characters around. Still need to figure out Dagon and Furfur (and some others from S1), plus Gerome and John. Hopefully I'll get these roles and characters figured out soon :)

#toast talk #pizza tower #pizza tower au #tower omens #peppino spaghetti #gustavo pizza tower #pizza tower oc #pizzasona #toast ocs #still not gonna tag everyone I'm a lazy piece of ham #also not gonna tag good omens. the fandom is too big and it scares me :(#this will probably devolve into its own thing eventually anyway so like. no need to tag #also the chance is higher that more people will See This if i tag it and I'm not ready for that #I'm already overwhelmed with like 10 notes so yea #anyway ramble over

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simslegacy5083 · 1 day ago

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Today's (1/6/2025) Episode: Changes and Chances

After dropping a much healthier Meelee back at home Noemi and Skye ended up turning right back around to go visit Skye’s doctor.

As soon as they arrived Skye’s pretty blue soft cast was removed and replaced with a brand-new one in a much less appealing shade of brown. “This can happen sometimes, either due to swelling or if the cast was just a little too snug to begin with” the doctor explained “It’s good you came in when you did. Since your surgery is so soon, you’re unlikely to have any more issues before then, but if you do let us know if you see or feel anything worrying.”

Skye nodded “I will, I promise.”

“I wish they hadn’t had to remove my nail polish.” Skye said to xir mom as they headed out.

“I’m sorry about that.” Noemi replied “but you understand why they did, right? The doctor said that changes to the color of your nailbed are one of the earliest indicators of circulation issues. We’ll buy you some polish, and you can paint them again as soon as they tell us its safe.”

Just then her phone pinged a couple times with messages from her loving husband, although these were invitations to go shopping, not on a date.

“Hey – that was your dad.” Noemi motioned for Skye to take a seat in the waiting room. “How do you feel about a trip downtown?”

“Mr. Peppino invited us to the flea market to help him pick out some décor for a new paternity satellite clinic he’s opening in Selvadorada. It could be fun. Get out of the house, try some new food, maybe find something to brighten up your room?” She gave xem an encouraging smile.

“Can I invite Elyse?” Skye asked. Xe enjoyed going on trips with xir folks, but it would be so much better with xir favorite sim there too.

Noemi frowned slightly but nodded “Sure. You know, I’d love to hear more about what happened at the game last night. You two got in so late we didn’t get a chance to chat. Did you have fun?”

Skye found xemself grinning at the memory of the previous evening “It was wonderful mom. Foxbury won the game, I got a great interview with Coach Silva, and… well… Elyse and I kissed.” Xe blushed deeply. “I want to ask her to be my girlfriend, but… do you think she’d actually say yes?”

“I don’t know” Noemi answered “the only person who can answer that is Elyse. Is everything OK with you two, does she truly accept you? I really don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

“Its fine mom, I promise” Skye smiled “she explained that she was just confused and surprised that night, but she said she’ll use my new pronouns, and she said she likes me – do you think she means she like likes me? She seemed happy during our date, and she wanted me to kiss her.”

“Well that all sounds very promising” Noemi forced a smile, still worried but determined to be supportive “why don’t you give her a call, see if she wants to join us, and then play the rest by ear? I think you’ll know when the time is right to take that next step.”

With that Skye pulled out xir phone to text Elyse about their upcoming adventure in the city with xir folks.

Skye’s storyline here was the result of an annoying in-game issue and is based on my own personal experience.

For some reason I could change the color of xir cc cast in CAS but it randomly stopped reflecting the blue color. I didn’t want to wipe the buff, and I didn’t think it made sense for xem to have surgery on the weekend, so I did this instead. I still find that it wants to randomly change colors sometimes so forgive me if its various shades of brown at different times; I decided to just live with that 😣

What I describe happening to Skye actually happened to me when I was wearing a hard cast on my arm (and I verified it can also happen with soft casts). It got uncomfortably tight after about a week and had to be replaced. OF COURSE it happened almost immediately after I’d gotten a bunch of signatures that I was too embarrassed to ask anyone to redo😭 but it had to be done!

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

#sims 4 #sims 4 challenge #sims 4 legacy #sims 4 nsb #sims4 #sims 4 not so berry #sims4nsbstraud #sims 4 let's play #sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 lets play

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cosmica-galaxy · 2 years ago

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You know, madcom self oware au is great but do you wanna know another hyperfixation id like to see develop in a similar fashion, Pizza Tower, hear me out (warning, i never played the game)

Either Peppino would be put off by the sudden feeling of warmth and airiness as he enters the tower or he would be too stressed to think on it too hard and just brush it off as a side effect of the tower. Perhaps a bit of both but eventually he gets used to it the further he gets through the tower, even calming some of his anxiety when he feels like he's about to explode. Whenever he's in a tight spot and his fight or flight response suddenly turns to freeze there's always something pushing him onward out of danger. Like it's holding his hand, guiding him.

The further he goes the more apparent it becomes to him that that warmness he's feeling isn't normal. Whenever he gets hurt a significant amount of times he swears he could hear someone swear, he later blames it on his adrenaline and moves on. It wasn't till he reached his look alike's abandoned restaurant, incoherent scribbles on the walls, he didn't pay them much heed, something he regrets but he had a mission to accomplish. Though someone did put a temporary stopper in that, him, or rather a version of him. It screeches upon seeing him, crawling and scratching the walls as it ran straight towards him at a speed that matched his own, taken by surprise Peppino coldent doge in time as it lunged at him. Though against all odds he did not feel its teeth clamp down on his exposed neck it just locked itself around him… Menacingly, slurred speech spilled from his doppelganger's mouth, one word being persistently used than others. Peppino in his tired haze tried deciphering it, and when he did a chill went down his spine. It didn't want to kill him, no, it wanted to get closer to the warmth.

It all made sense now although this thing, or whatever they were, controlling him didn't seem to have any bad intentions, it's proved itself to be trustworthy seemingly keeping his well being into account. Though the thought of there being an alternate motive was still on the table, what could you want? Eh, otherwise he sees no reason to fear it, though he is a bit embarrassed, the prospect that someone was watching him made him shrink in on himself a bit, he doesn't like being watched, especially by something that he can't see.

…

He's running, running for his life again for the hundredth time this afternoon, down the winding stairs of the tower with every of its residents trailing behind him, the structure crumbling all around them as they make their exit. The moment his feet made contact with the obnoxiously green grass he could feel the warmth fleat oway from his body. It was like having ice cold water dunked on you, the sudan change forced him to his knees.

...

He couldn't get that warmth out of his head, the longer he thought about it the more sentimental he became, something or someone out there seeking to help him made him joyfull. There aren't many that will give out their services without gaining something in return, something he's very familiar with. Part of him wishes he could feel that reassuring warmth again, but maby it was for the better. What were you, would he want to know… Although he will never cross whatever you are again he will forever know you as…

The ghost of Pizza Tower

…

Until the sequel comes out :Pizza Tower two, the search for more money:

*PUTS THIS ASK IN MY MOUTH AND SHAKES IT AROUND EVERYWHERE* YES!! YES TO ALL OF THIS!!! I can imagine how Peppino must've felt throughout the whole tower. He was primarily alone, I mean he had Gustavo and such with him throughout most of his Journey, but he was still facing up the big bads all by himself. But that warmth is constantly with him all the way through the tower. It tells him where to go, what to do, how to find something, and imagine if the Player was very good at the game. Like this wasn't their first rodeo. Peppino is so confused at how the "feelings" he gets are nearly almost always right. There WAS a secret here, there IS a topping here, ect. It gets to the point that he starts to listen to the Player's inputs almost automatically. Once they are up halfway through the tower, Peppino fully trusts what this otherworldly force is and allows it to guide him through the tower. The bosses are practically nothing to Peppino, I mean he may get hit once or twice, but the overall battle is a total breeze. Still, Peppino is wondering if the warmth has something to do with the presence of the being. His theory is confirmed when he gets to the freezer level, in which he's cold, but not freezing or frozen like Gustavo is during Pizza Time. He's literally in a t-shirt, tank top, and pants with black shoes. How is he staying so warm? It HAD to be the entity that he can't see that's following him around everywhere. Then during the final battle, his adrenaline is maxed to the fullest limit while the being is with him every step of the way during the fight. The heat surrounding him repels the rain and fuels his desire to pummel his rivals into dust. If he had to say something else, he could swear he would periodically hear a voice from somewhere cheering him on to kick their asses. To which he obliges. Once it's all said and done and the tower collapses, and Peppino suddenly finds a chill resting on his shoulders that he can't seem to shake. Hours, if not days, after the tower falls...Peppino is persistently thinking about what happened in the tower and what that entity was. Why did it help him and why was it so...warm? Why is everything now suddenly so much colder without them? Were they attached to the tower and once it collapsed they just...simply cease to be? Did they help him even though they knew it would result in their own demise? Peppino feels a feeling similar to grief or sorrow as the more he thinks about it, the more he feels horrible knowing that something out there cared enough about him to "die" to protect his way of life. Maybe he should visit the ruins of the tower sometime...maybe if he's lucky...they're still in the rubble somewhere. Then he'll get to feel that warmth again. -- This AU is inspired by the original Madcom Self Aware AU by Saltymongoose here on tumblr! Go check it out if you like madcom or self aware concepts!

#shegairownmyamo #self aware au #self aware pizza tower #pizza tower #hax speaks #haxorus imp #cosmica galaxy #ASKJDFLLHJL I WANT TO TALK MORE ABOUT SELF AWARE PIZZA TOWER

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pizza-games-and-more · 1 year ago

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Pizza Tower Headcanons: Comfort

While I have stopped accepting headcanon requests, I will still post ones I thought of on my own. So here's my headcanons for how the Pizza Tower cast comfort people they care about because I'm coping and due to illness and seasonal depression I want to imagine this, okay?

Peppino: He doesn't know what to do, but he tries anyway because he knows what it's like to be in their shoes. If it's anything severe, like a panic attack, he uses his knowledge of what to do in that situation to help them. If someone else was responsible for their anguish, he will head over and beat the shit out of the ones responsible.

Gustavo and Brick: They always comfort their loved ones together, with Gustavo acting as a shoulder to cry on and Brick snuggling up to them in an attempt to cheer them up. If anyone was responsible for their anguish, Gustavo "jokes" about killing the ones responsible for it, while Brick looks genuinely concerned about that.

Mr. Stick: He doesn't fully know how to help, but he'll hear them out. He lets them come by and vent to him even if he can't offer any advice, and if anyone was responsible for their anguish, he makes insulting remarks towards the ones responsible in an attempt to cheer them up.

Pepperman: You know him, he'll of course be hearing every word and reacting very strongly to show how much he cares. He will also give the most encouraging words to them to improve their self-esteem. If anyone was responsible, he'll repeat something his parents taught him when he was younger to explain a possible reason why while stressing that it was not the affected party's fault in any way, since it worked for him. And then he'll punch that douche in the face.

The Vigilante: The very first thing he asks is if anyone was responsible, and if they say yes, he makes it clear that person will be paying the price. After that, however, Vigi is surprisingly gentle. He gives words of reassurance, patches up their wounds if they have any, and tries to distract them from the situation with a story if they're okay with that.

The Noise: Now this one is interesting. obviously he's going to get back at whoever hurt them if someone was responsible. However, if no one was, it's more complicated. At first, he'll try to distract them with something funny, but if that doesn't work, he's completely lost on how to help them. He's surprisingly unconfident in this, so he'll just end up leaving them be in hopes they sort their feelings out on their own.

Noisette: This ray of sunshine will do everything she can to cheer them up. Doing something funny, distracting with a work story, giving them a pep talk, reassuring them, and if anyone was responsible, she will do whatever she can to make them apologise to them. She will not give up until the person she cares about is happy again, no matter how many times and methods it takes.

Fake Peppino: Talking obviously won't work coming from him, so he specialises in physical comfort. He will give his sad friend a hug and pat them affectionately. If someone was responsible, he gets very protective of the person affected and if he ever sees the person that hurt them, he will drive them off one way or another.

Pizzahead: Anyone he cares about enough to comfort should feel very lucky because it's very rare for him to care about anyone other than himself that much. He basically spoils them whenever they're upset, and if anyone was responsible, he decides to get revenge on them, ranging from harmless pranking to straight up murder depending on what he thinks is funnier at the time.

#pizza tower #headcanons #yes i wrote this to cope okay

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phantomdoofer · 1 month ago

Text

Tower Town, Chapter 33 - Burdens

Anita hissed and held her back as she stood up. At nine months now, the child felt like a ton of bricks. If this kid isn't at least ten pounds, I'll be shocked, she thought irritably.

She hadn't been sleeping much. Having a kid using your organs as a trampoline doesn't give you much time to rest. Anita smirked. Gotta give the kid one thing: they're not afraid to make themselves known. In fact, from their first kick, the baby had been almost hyperactive. Wonder how that'll translate into the outside world.

The night before, Peppino and Tony had come by to visit, and Tony, sitting beside her, had gently laid his head on her swollen belly, running his hands across it. “Bambino,” Tony had said, smiling. “Baby.”

Anita had looked up at Peppino. “God, he's learning fast.”

Peppino had nodded, smiling proudly. “He's-a still a bambino himself, yet he knows so many words! The medicos estimate that, mentally, he's-a closer to two than his-a actual age.”

Tony had lifted his head off her belly, smiling and making happy noises.

And Anita had been surprised to feel the baby respond. “Tony, are you talking to them?”

Tony had sat up and smiled. “T… talk. Talk! Baby!” He'd laid his head back down, gently caressing her skin.

It had been such a tender moment.

Anita sighed. Wish the little menace would go ahead and make their appearance, she thought ruefully. She was past her due date, and she'd been cloistered in their home for weeks now. It was my choice, but… she sighed again, it's damned boring. Having the kid here would give me something to do, at least.

For the thousandth time, she wandered down the wall. They'd only completed the renovations a month ago. It had taken them several months to expand her little cliffside home into a full house… but now it was set. We could have an entire squad of kids in this place, she thought wryly. It had been her idea.

Giuseppe had chuckled at her audacity. “You might feel a little different about a large famiglia once the child is bigger, amata moglie,” he'd said.

Anita smiled. Giuseppe had been nothing but attentive… until she'd shoo’d him away. “I'm not made of porcelain,” she'd said, a touch irritably. “Go on. I can handle myself.”

She stopped. One of the first things she'd put up was the picture of her, Giuseppe, and Gustavo, after Inferno. She gently caressed Gustavo's image… thinking of the heated falling-out that had happened between everyone and her old friend's clone. What a disaster that was.

In the heat of the moment, full of betrayal and hurt, she'd called and blessed him out so viciously she'd shocked herself. She'd hung up without another word. She'd discussed it with Giuseppe.

“I think we all got hurt by that,” Giuseppe had said.

“We all said some things we shouldn't have,” she'd grumbled. “He kind of deserved it, though.”

He'd sighed. “Credo. But… looking back on it, now…”

Anita had put her hand on his shoulder. “We can't just ignore what he did, Sepp. To Peppino, and to Tony, especially.” She'd leaned back on the couch. “If he wants forgiveness, he's gonna have to do it himself.”

Three months later, she wasn't as sure of her own words. Nobody's heard a peep from him, she'd thought.

Finally, she'd gone to her old friend Pepperman for advice.

Pepperman had lowered his glasses. “My dear, I imagine Mr. Farina is likely in the depths of depression. I saw him not long ago, in fact. He was putting on a brave face, but… the eyes. The eyes are the windows of the soul. And his were dark. Dead. I don't think he's capable of such courage as you think he is, right now.” Pepperman had sighed. “I understand your pain, I do. What he did was terrible. But I think…” he paused. “I think extending an olive branch would be quite welcome, right now.”

She blinked, coming back to the present, and she felt the baby kick irritably. They seemed to be very sensitive to her moods. “All right, all right, I copy,” she said, chuckling. She walked into the kitchen, grabbing some food. More for them than me, she thought. She'd struggled with anemia most of the pregnancy. Her doctor had suggested she eat significantly more.

Giuseppe had chuckled. “Anita, you can't eat like a bird like you normally do. You're eating for two.”

She'd grumbled, but started eating more. Thankfully, she hadn't gained much weight. Not an unexpected amount, anyway. A baby - and all the required extras - made it feel like she was wearing a weighted suit. She huffed as she sat back down. Should be any time now.

Giuseppe, as usual, was over at Peppino's. He'd been reluctant, and Peppino had even offered to bring Tony over to their own home. Anita had adamantly refused. “No offense, you two, but what I need right now is peace. And Tony is usually a little saint, I know, but…” she'd smirked at her hovering husband, “you can be a little… too attentive, Sepp.”

So she had the place to herself. More or less.

She stared into the middle distance. She didn't feel like sitting around. The baby bounced - apparently they were in the same mood. Like mother, like child, I guess, Anita thought wryly. Everything was ready.

She stood up, pacing irritably. Why am I so agitated?

The situation with Gustavo popped back into her mind. She tried to ignore it, but it floated back to the front of her mind like a persistent suitor.

Finally, she conceded to herself. Ok, fine. So what is it I want?

She turned it over in her mind, and only one response popped up: you want closure. And you're worried about him. Either reconnect, or break off entirely.

She put her hands on her hips, sighing, vexed with herself. Guess there's nothing for it.

~~~~

Anita climbed carefully out of her car. The bright facade of Gustavo's restaurant glowed brightly in late autumn sunlight. I hope I'm not making a huge mistake.

She carefully opened the door, and a young woman smiled brightly at her. “Hello, ma'am! Welcome to Peppino's! Just one, today?”

Anita smiled wanly, shaking her head. “I'm not actually here to eat, thanks. Could you pass word to Mr. Farina that he has a visitor?”

The young Pig's face fell noticeably. “I, er, I'll let the floor boss know, but, uh, Mr. Farina is… usually not too keen on visitors.”

Anita nodded. “Understood. But let's just give it a try. I think he might make an exception. Tell him Anita Morelli would like to speak to him.”

The young woman blinked, nodded, and went to speak to a distinguished-looking human, who looked surprised at the request. He looked at Anita, who waved amiably, and he disappeared into the back.

Shortly, the man came back out, looking even more surprised. “Mr. Farina asked me to bring you to his office, Signora,” he said. “Please, follow me.”

Shortly, the man was opening a dark wooden door, and she stepped in.

As the door closed behind her, she looked the gnome over. He didn't look up, at first - he was engrossed in a thick sheaf of paperwork. He looks bad. His skin was paler, and there were bags under his eyes. He looked up, and Anita felt a surge of pity well up. He looks so defeated.

“Anita,” he said, his tone leaden. “Decided to come castigate me personally this time?”

Anita felt her heart sink. “Gus…”

Gustavo held a hand up. “Before you say anything… you were right.” He sighed expressively, staring into the distance. “You were all right. I was an idiot. I deserve every bit of grief you've all given me. I had it in the palm of my hand… and I threw it away.” He sighed again, coming back to himself. “So… what did you want to tell me?”

Anita felt her anger - long cooled - transform into pity. “Gus… I'm sorry for how I treated you.”

“Why? You were right,” Gustavo said dully.

Anita growled. “Maybe. But we could have handled it… handled it better. Not - not tossed you out like a bag of trash.”

She hissed as a spike of pain shot through her. Gustavo's eyes went wide, and the first hint of real emotion appeared in them - concern. “Anita?”

She waved it off. “Been happening for days. Don't worry about it.” She leaned forward. “Gus… I know it doesn't mean much… but I've really been thinking about this. What you did… how you did it… was wrong. But… I’ve been worried about you.”

The gnome's eyes seemed to quiver for a moment. “I understand, Anita. But… I don't deserve your concern. I don't…” he paused. “I don't deserve to even be in your presence.”

Anita felt her anger starting to rise. “Gus, you can't be serious. You have a family - a son…”

“I betrayed them both, Anita,” he muttered. “I betrayed you all. If it wasn't for this place, I'd… I'd probably just…”

Anita felt her anger snap, and she slammed her hand down on the desktop. Gustavo jumped… and so did the baby. “Goddammit, Gus, cut it out with the pity party!!” she bellowed. “Yes, you made a mistake. Get the fuck over it. Own up to your mistake and correct it.”

Gustavo's eyes flared with their own anger. “COME OSI? I’ve given up everything - everything - to make amends for what I've done!”

“Bullshit,” Anita roared back. “What you've done is sit here waiting to die, instead of trying to fix it! That's what you want? To leave your son without one of his fathers? My God, Gus! Look at yourself!”

Gustavo sat back, his rage conflicting with the truth of her words. He held up his hands - he stared, truly seeing them for the first time in months. They're so papery, pale. He was pale, true, but he'd always been robust - now he looked halfway to being a walking corpse. He reached up and felt his face - his mustache was ragged and overlong, he could feel the puffy bags under his eyes.

The flame of rage had temporarily burned through the fog of depression… and let him see himself.

“Anita…” he muttered. “What… what am I…”

The woman sat back, a worrying twinge shooting through her. May have overdone it a bit. “Can you see, now, Gus?” She said. “I've been there. You're not living, you're waiting to die. I know you're lonely,” she said, much more kindly. “I lived for almost a decade… completely alone. I get it. I do. But… what you did… is even worse than my abandoning Sepp after your Original died. You can't make amends just sitting here, moldering. You have to rebuild. Be more.” She nodded. “Be a father to your son.”

Gustavo's eyes wobbled. “Do… do you think Peppino would let me be part of Tony's life? After how I hurt him?”

Anita grumbled. “It's not entirely his choice to make, Gus. Tony gets a say, too… and he misses you, Gus. Every time I see him, he's searching for you. Searching for his Little Papa.” She reached across the desk, her hand held palm-upwards. “Regardless of what happened, or happens, between you and Peppino… Tony deserves better.”

Gustavo sighed, deeply. “You're… you're right.” He leaned back, blowing out another breath. “I… don't know if Peppino will have me, though.”

Anita winced slightly as another twinge shot through her. “Won't know til you try, Gus - gah!”

She yelled as a much stronger stab of pain shot through her.

Followed by another.

Gus's eyes went wide, and he stood, quickly circling the desk. “Anita?”

She doubled over, another painful spasm making her clench her teeth. As it released, she gasped in surprise. “Ah, hell. Not now…” Then she felt the wetness between her legs. “Shit. My water’s broke.”

Gustavo's eyes went wide. He quickly flipped open his phone. At the same time, he helped her stand.

“What're you doing, Gus? I need to get to the hospITAL!” Her voice rose several octaves for a second as another painful spasm shot through her.

Gus shook his head. “An ambulance won't have time to get there before we'll have a kid on our hands. I'm driving you myself.” He hustled her through the restaurant - the maitre'd looked shocked. “Jackie, I'm taking her to the hospital! Close the doors, let the customers here finish their meals, then put up a temporarily closed sign! I don't know how long I'll be!”

The maitre'd spluttered. “But, but Signore Farina, what-”

“Baby, man, BABY!” He yelled. “Close up like normal! You can all have the rest of the night off with pay!”

That brightened everyone up. “Sì, Signore!”

As they hustled to Gustavo's car, Anita was having trouble keeping up… mainly due to the fiery spasms shooting through her constantly. “You sure.. we couldn't… have waited?”

As he sat next to her in the car, he felt her belly. “I had medical training too, remember? No. This kid's coming too fast.” He turned, threw the car in gear, and quickly left the lot. “I'm taking you to Boschetto-Verde Hospital.”

As they served through the town, she gasped. “My… doctor's… in Tower Town…”

Gus didn't turn. “If you want him there, you better call him and tell him to hustle, because this kid isn't waiting.” He was gritting his teeth. “Better call Giuseppe, too.”

The suggestion managed to punch through the pain. Yeah. Good point. She fumbled to retrieve her phone, dialed his number… and almost immediately he picked up. “Anita, what's up? It's the baby, isn't it?”

Anita grunted as another spasm made her feel like every muscle in her body was cramping. “Y-yeah. It's coming too fast. Gustavo's taking me to Boschetto-Verde Hospital.” She gasped as another wave tore through her.

“Wait, what? Gustavo?? What are you doing with Gustavo?” Giuseppe's voice was full of mixed panic and suspicion.

“It doesn't - HNGH - doesn't matter, right now, Sepp,” she growled. “If you want - ahah - to see your child born… get here… quick."

“Understood, mi amor. But… what do we do about Tony…?”

Gustavo leaned over. “Just bring him along! I can watch him!”

There was a noticeable pause before he replied. “Va bene, Gustavo. I'll be there il più velocemente possibile.”

“Hurry, Giuseppe, hurry,” Gustavo said. “The child is already turned! It'll be any moment!”

As the call was cut, Anita looked over at Gustavo. “You know there'll be a scene when Peppino gets there… and you have Tony.”

Gustavo's face was hard. “I know. But you're right. I need to face my fears, at least a little. And my… my son… needs me.”

Anita leaned back. Despite the agonizing spasms in her body, she felt pleased with herself. Maybe there's hope for him yet.

~~~~

As they wheeled Anita into the birthing room, everyone jumped as a sonic boom rattled the whole building. One of the nurses screamed, and the ER doctor cursed. “What in the hell was that??” He cried.

Gustavo smirked. “That is the father, inbound.”

The doctor laughed. “Who is he, Peppino Spaghetti?”

Anita chuckled, then hissed. “Close… it's his brother, Giuseppe.”

The whole crowd went quiet. “I forgot they all lived so close,” the doctor said quietly.

Anita hissed as another spasm hit her. “Hero worship… later, Doc. Baby now.”

The doctor shook his head, and his face cleared. “Right. Let's get you set up, Ma'am…”

Gustavo turned just as Giuseppe trotted through the doors, Tony in his arms. “Where is she?” He said frantically.

Gustavo pointed. “Just took her in. Here, let me have him. You need to be in there.”

Giuseppe gave Gustavo a searching look… and then Tony leaned forward, reaching for Gus. “Papa,” he said, getting progressively more excited. “Papa!”

Gustavo felt his heart simultaneously leap and clench. He was afraid… afraid of holding my own son. He shook his head, reaching out to take the infant and the bag Giuseppe was holding. “Go, man, go!”

Giuseppe nodded, and ducked into the birthing room.

Tony wrapped his little arms around Gustavo's neck. “Papa,” he said happily. He snuggled under Gustavo's chin.

Gustavo awkwardly patted his son's back. For the first time in ages, he felt… warm.

He set the bag down beside a chair, then sat down himself. Now, we wait.

~~~~

Giuseppe was stopped at the verge but a nurse. “Sir, I assume you're the father? You'll need to put on some scrubs.” She held out a set. “Hurry, she's already almost fully dilated.”

Giuseppe tried not to let his frustration show, but he quickly donned the flimsy outfit, fitting the mask over his bulbous nose. Always some goddamn roadblock.

He was so anxious he accidentally used his speed to enter the room - to everyone else, he simply appeared. The same nurse screamed again.

Anita, even in her pained state, scowled at the nurse. “Jumpy, aren't you?” She growled.

Giuseppe clasped her hand, chuckling. “Don't chastise them, mi amor. They're not used to this sort of thing.”

Anita winced and arched her back a bit as another wave of pain shot through her. “Maybe… tch… but they should be… on the ball with - HNGH - this part. Where's that damn epidural they mentioned?”

On cue, the doctor reappeared, needle and catheter in hand. “Sorry, sorry, the anesthesiologist got a little confused,” he said. Giuseppe helped him sit Anita up, and he deftly inserted the needle. “Somehow he thought she had your powers, Mr. Spaghetti, he was assigning the wrong dosage.”

Giuseppe nodded. “Good thing you were paying attention.”

As the doctor slipped in the catheter, he winced. “Not every day we get a modern-day hero in here. Much less two of them.”

Anita sighed in relief as the anesthesia took effect. “With another sitting in the waiting area.”

“And another on the way,” Giuseppe mumbled.

Anita turned. “Huh?”

“I called Pino just before I came up here,” he said quietly. “He said he wanted to be here for the birth, if he could.”

Anita squeezed his hand as another contraction swam through her. While the pain was gone, it was still very uncomfortable. “I warned… him that… there'd probably be a… scene when Pep… got here,” she gasped out.

“And what did he say to that?” Giuseppe mumbled.

“He said… his son needed… him. And… he needed to… face his fears.”

Giuseppe reared back, then nodded. “There's hope for him, yet.”

“That was my… thought as well,” she said, gritting her teeth. “I just hope… Pep gives him… a chance to explain.”

The doctor, having assumed his customary position, looked up and gave a thumbs-up. “Everything looks to be ready to go, Mrs. Morelli. The baby's crowned nicely, and for a first-timer, you're moving along.”

Anita smiled, but it looked strained. “Here's hoping… it stays that way.”

~~~~

Peppino skidded to a stop outside the hospital. A swirl of debris surrounded him for a moment, and he paused to let it settle.

It matched the emotions in his head.

Giuseppe had let him know that Gustavo had brought Anita to the hospital… and was taking care of Tony. A faint sense of betrayal bled through him… but it was overwhelmed with a raging storm of other emotions. Why was he with Anita? Giuseppe wouldn't hand Tony over unless he had to.

After a quick check-in at the desk (“your brother and sister-in-law both indicated you were cleared to come in”), he followed the arrows to the maternity area. He heard cries from the birthing room. Probably off-limits, right now, anyway. He turned towards the waiting area…

Gustavo sat with Tony on his lap, trying to keep the little boy occupied. Tony was laughing and batting playfully at the gnome's face, and Peppino's heart clenched. Like nothing happened.

He coughed to get the gnome's attention.

Gustavo looked up, and his eyes went wide, jumping on his feet. Tony, being the empath he was, stopped laughing and turned to his father… then back to his other father.

For long moments, they locked eyes, a flood of feelings passing between them.

Peppino held out his hands. “Give him to me, per favore.”

Gustavo held the boy out…

Tony let out the loudest shriek he'd ever managed, and turned, bawling, to Gustavo. Instinctively, Gustavo pulled the bambino to him, patting his back and shushing him. “Tony, it's OK. You need… you need to go back to your Papa, now.”

The pain in his voice made Peppino hesitate.

Tony violently shook his head. “Papa!” He yelled, hugging the gnome's neck. “Papa!”

Peppino relented, his heart breaking as he did. “If-a he wants to stay with-a you, I won't-a stop him,” he said quietly.

Gustavo shook his head. “No. I don't deserve him. You need to have him.”

Suddenly Tony leaned back, locking eyes with Gustavo. Gently, he reached out, patting the gnome's face, then turning and holding out his arms to Peppino.

Wordlessly, Gustavo handed the child over to Peppino.

Immediately Tony locked eyes with Peppino, made the same gentle head-pat, then turned and reached for Gustavo.

Bemused, he started to hand the child back to the gnome.

As their hands touched, Tony gently grabbed both their arms, holding them together. He looked from one, to the other, whimpering gently.

The two men locked eyes again. “Dalla bocca dei bambini…” Peppino muttered.

Gustavo nodded. “Peppino… I'm so… so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, to hurt the others, so badly. Things happened, and then they couldn't be taken back…”

Peppino sighed. “I know. I saw it in your eyes, the day it-a happened. But I was-a hurting too much. It… it still-a hurts.”

Gustavo looked down.

Peppino reached out, gently touching the gnome's shoulder. “But… I should-a remember… people make-a mistakes. Tell me, Gustavo…” his face was serious, drawn. “If you could do it all over again… our joining together, conceiving a child… would-a you do it again?”

Gustavo looked up, and nodded. “Sì, assolutamente. My deepest regret for the last six months has been… has been… how much I hurt you. How much I gave up. I shouldn't even have considered doing what I did. I can't take back my actions, but… I want… I want to be part of your life, again. Of Tony's life. Of everyone's lives.” Gustavo looked up, tears of regret in his eyes. “Peppino… Can you find it in your heart… to forgive me?”

Peppino gave him a long, searching look, and Gustavo quailed. In that moment, his life, his entire existence, hung on what the Italian would say next. If he says no, life won't even be worth living.

After a long silence, Peppino sighed. “I… I don't know if I can fully forgive you, Gustavo, but… I'm-a willing to give you a chance to redeem yourself.”

Gustavo felt his eyes fill. “That's all I ask, Peppino.”

Tony patted Gustavo's arm. “Papa,” he said. Turning, he did the same to Peppino. “Papa,” he repeated.

Gustavo sat back down, holding the baby close. “What would we do without you, bambino?”

Tony gently slapped Gustavo's face, laughing as only a baby could laugh.

Peppino sat beside him. “I admit, I've… missed you, Gustavo. But… I- I don't-a know.” Peppino shook his head. “It still-a hurts.”

Gustavo nodded. “Sì. It still hurts.”

The two of them sat together, a mixture of sorrow and relief on their faces.

~~~~

Anita breathed heavily, then held it and pushed, her face in a ferocious grimace as she did so. People saying it was like trying to pass… an entire watermelon… weren't kidding!

Giuseppe sat by, holding her hand, gently wiping her face, trying not to leap out of his skin at every push. What exactly do you say at a time like this? He thought. Everything seemed either pointless or trite.

So he opted to hold her hand and just be present.

She paused between pushes to look up at him. “Were you…this enormous… when you were born?” She growled.

He chuckled. “To hear Mama tell it, yes. But from what I hear, it's like that for all women. Especially their first one.”

She paused to push agoan, scowling. “GnnnnnAHH. Hah. Are you sure there isn't some Gnome in your ancestry?”

The doctor chuckled and looked up. “You're almost there, Mrs. Morelli. I think one more good push should do it.”

Anita clamped her hand down with crushing force on Giuseppe's hand, and he clasped it in both of his. “One more, amore mio.”

Anita simply nodded, and focused all her being into a final effort.

Finally, a huge change rushed through her body, like a great weight had been lifted. She panted, glancing down towards the doctor.

For several tense moments, there was silence… and both of them felt their breath catch.

Then a strident wail broke through the silence, and both parents relaxed.

“Mr. Spaghetti, Mrs. Morelli, I believe you have a little girl,” the doctor said proudly.

The doctor took the child over to a table, and several nurses helped in cleaning the child up.

Anita turned to Giuseppe, and he gently kissed her on the forehead, smiling radiantly. “You did it, amore mio.”

Anita snorted. “We did it, Sepp.”

As the nurses cleaned Anita up and sat her up in the chair, the doctor proudly carried the little one over to her, setting them in her arms.

Giuseppe leaned over, his cheek touching his wife's.

The little girl looked up at them, looking annoyed and tired. She grunted, and looked around.

Anita chuckled. “Bet she's hungry,” she said.

Giuseppe did the same. “My daughter? Definitely.”

Anita gently let the child latch on, and Giuseppe carefully ran his hand across her head. He looked over, locking eyes with Anita. “I can't believe she's finally here.”

She laughed, a more genuine laugh than he'd heard from her in a while. “She's taken her sweet time. But she's here, she's ours, and we've got a whole life together ahead of us.” She looked over, then laughed again. “We have an audience, by the way.”

Peeping around the doorway, Peppino, Gustavo, and Tony looked like a trio of curious children, instead of two grown men and their son.

Anita looked at the doctor. “Think it'll be OK if they come in?”

The doctor shrugged. “As long as they're masked and don't touch the baby, I think we'll be fine."

A nurse obligingly handed the three masks. Peppino quickly slipped his on, and fitted the small one over Tony, who squirmed but didn't fight much.

Gustavo held his in his hand. “Is… is it OK for me to come in?” He said.

Anita snorted. “I'm saying it is. Get over here, short stack.”

Gustavo looked at Giuseppe… who nodded. “Come on, rock.”

As they approached, Giuseppe waved at Peppino. “You two come to blows?”

Peppino shook his head. “No. We came to… an agreement. We still have a lot to discuss, but…”

Giuseppe nodded. “All right. Well then, since everyone's here, we have an announcement to make.”

Anita nodded. “Yep. Everyone, we would like to formally introduce to you… Sofia Giovanna Spaghetti.”

Peppino's eyes went wide, and grew misty. “Ah,” he said quietly. He wiped a tear away. “How adatto.”

Gustavo looked confused. “It's a beautiful name, but… why ‘appropriate?”

Giuseppe looked down. “Oh, I forgot, you weren't there for that… Mama told us something a couple of months ago.”

Peppino nodded. “Sì. We… we were not Mama and Papa's first child.”

Gustavo felt his heart sink. “What happened?”

Giuseppe started. “When Mama and Papa came to La Crosta, Mama was pregnant. They had nothing to their names, so both of them had to work. Mama, being the powerhouse she'd always been, took a heavy labor job. One day, there was an accident, and Mama took a hard shot… right to the gut.” He sighed. “It caused a miscarriage. She was six months along, so they found out… it would have been a little girl.”

“Mama told us she named-a the child Sofia,” Peppino said quietly. “We had an older sister… and we never knew it.”

Anita nodded. “I can only imagine how hard it was on her.” Anita gently bounced the little child in her arms. “Now, the thought of losing this little nugget… I think I'd go mad.”

“So, we agreed: if it was a girl… we'd name her Sofia… after our lost sister.”

Gustavo nodded. “Sì. Very… very appropriate.”

Tony leaned forward in Peppino's arms, reaching towards the baby. Peppino gently took the boy's hand and pulled it away. “No, no, figlio,” he said gently, “it's not safe, yet.”

Tony looked confused, then suddenly seemed to understand. He stared at the smaller child. “So… Sofie,” he said. He waved at the child. “‘lo, Sofie.”

~~~~

As Anita was moved to Recovery, Gustavo, Peppino, and Giuseppe stood together. Tony had switched back to being in Gustavo's arms. He seemed to want to share them, as much as he could.

Peppino spoke up. “Seppe… Gustavo and I have… buried-a the hatchet, somewhat. Would you be willing to do the same? I think… I think he deserves it.”

Giuseppe looked down. “You… you hurt us bad, Gus. Real bad.”

Gustavo nodded sadly. “I know. I'll never really be able to make up for it, but… as I said to Peppino… I want to be part of your lives, again. Of Tony's life.” He sighed. “If you'll have me.”

Giuseppe gave him a long, searching look… then sighed himself. “Anita told me what she was doing with you… and what you said.” He held out a hand. “Thank you… for taking care of my wife… and child. You didn't have to.”

Gustavo took his hand in both of his. “Yes I did.”

Giuseppe nodded, a faint smile crossing his face. “Because that's what friends do, right?”

Gustavo nodded. “Sì. It is.”

Giuseppe took his hand away. “It'll take time, but… I think you're serious, little boulder.” He looked over this shoulder. “I gotta go. Got a wife and child to take care of.” He smiled goofily. “My daughter.”

As he left, Tony whined, reaching for Peppino, and Gustavo passed him up. “Gus…” Peppino started.

Gustavo held up his hands. “I think… we should go slowly, Peppino. I shouldn't just… reinsert myself into everyone's lives. Someday… maybe.”

Peppino looked at Tony. “There's… there's still a place for you, at my home,” he said quietly.

“I don't think I'm anywhere close to that, yet, Pep,” Gustavo said quietly. “I still… I still have a lot to work out. In my head.” He reached up and took Tony's hand. “That wantonness… it's still in me. I need to… to be better.” He grinned. “I can come visit, though.”

Peppino nodded. “If that's what-a you want, amico,” he said quietly.

“It is.”

Peppino was silent for several moments. “I… I have missed you… amico,” he whispered.

Gustavo nodded in agreement. “I've missed you, too. I've missed you all.”

The two men stood, apart and together, simply enjoying each others' company.

#pizza tower #my stuff #pizzatower #peppino spaghetti #pt #pizza tower au #peppino #tower town au #pizza tower fanfic #tt au #original characters #fanchild #childbirth #reconciliation

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saucekkkkkkkk · 1 year ago

Note

Imm so curious would u like 2 infodump about your silly au I see content of it on twt and I'm like "huh! What the fuck is that!" But in a good way

HEHHEHEHE ID LOVE TOO

TW: Mentions of Death, violence, etc.

BACKGROUND INFO

The au is actually made by two of my friends who were doing a roleplay with their characters (kingston and pizzana)

kingston is a massive stalker and he loves pizzana to literal death!! (and yes pizzana is pizzano genderbent but my friend decides to use her because she loves pizzana)

They do their own separate roleplay/plot while me and my other friend do our own separate ones too! But that doesn’t mean they’re not in the same universe.

It’s sorta a combination of Pizzatower, sugaryspire and whatever au evil peppino is from, all the characters are in one (even the genderbent universes and anton blast) But it’s like that because for fun and more characters to have and fuck around with.

I also like to think that the au takes place like a few years later as well!

PEPPINOS

Okay!! time to info dump on my peppinos!!

Let’s start with Chopper, formally known as the original Peppino.

Chopper wears a bigger tank top and it has stains of dry blood on it. He carries around a butcher knife (hence the name Chopper) and he has two stitches on his hat. He hates everybody and I mean it. Also Chopper takes care of stray cats on the streets because he loves cats<3 He’s mute and will only speak if you’re worth talking to or if he needs to express himself badly.

His backstory is pretty much Pizzano burns down his pizzeria for funnies!! Noise tried to talk Pizzano out of it but you know how that bitch is.

The fire then caused the pizzeria to burn and eventually it hurts Gustavo really bad on the side (a bleeding wound.) Peppino is scarred on his eyes and his mouth is cut from falling objects. Gustavo takes his last breath in Peppino’s arms and Peppino starts uncontrollably crying.

That is until he realizes what he’s lost. Peppino suddenly has the urge to RUIN whoever did this or KILL if he has to.

He places Gustavo on the ground (they’re outside the burning pizzeria) and he walks INSIDE the PIZZERIA straight into the kitchen. He grabs the nearest weapon there and it happens to be a butcher knife!

Peppino also grabs his hat on the ground (which has two cuts on it) and wooo!! there we go!

EVILER PEPPINO is literally Evil Peppino but he’s more serious and stern. He has MAJOR trust issues (you’ll see why in a little) and he is brutal to literally anybody. He has a robotic eyeball (because rich and cool) and he has a sort of biker outfit on Id say but it’s just supposed to make him look badass. His pizzacutter has spikes on it now! Woo!!

Also Kingston is a RIVAL GANG to Evil Peppino, they hate each other.

Backstory is that Evil Gustavo ratted Evil Peppino out to a rival gang (he told them where evil peppino lived for money and shit) and then the rival gang jumped his house!!

Obviously Evil Peppino beat the absolute shit out of them (killed them all) but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t hurt either. He was damaged pretty good with some cuts and stuff. (explaining his X scar on his cheek)

He knew it was Evil Gustavo because he threatened one of the rival members to tell him who told them his address (and he actually didn’t let him go he killed him!!!)

Evil Peppino arrives to Evil Gustavo’s place and asks why the FUCK he would do that.

Evil Gustavo then states how he’s tired of Evil Peppino being a massive bitch and friend to literally everybody and how he tried to reason with him MANY times.

Evil Peppino doesn’t take this bullshit and then OH MY GOOODD they start fighting to death because they’re angry at one another. (Evil Peppino threw hands first)

Evil Gustavo stabs Evil Peppino’s eye with some object, causing Evil Peppino to lose an eyeball.

Evil Peppino wins!!… But all for what?

Evil Gustavo is dead. Gone. And all because Evil Peppino wasn’t a good friend. It’s a conflicted situation but Evil Peppino stills actually feels bad that he killed Gustavo.

With all of that, Evil Peppino gets a new badass look and everything he’s currently wearing. He lives in big ass trust issues and is scared to make close friends again because of what happened with Evil Gustavo. His bitch anger issues haven’t left him either.

His only close friend is Evil Anton!…. only close friend…

PIZZANO known as Dealzano in this au, wears a long blue massive trench coat with a fedora sorta hat and he carries a pipe everywhere with him for coping. Also he has a robotic arm!! He’s still cocky, loud and obnoxious like the original Pizzano but that’s only because he’s holding up a facade. Dealzano is a massive addict to fucking money like he’ll do anything for a fat stack of cash (EW stop if you’re thinking about that you’re gross!!!!) Dealzano is sorta a right hand man to Eviler Peppino since they work together in the business. Dealzano deals out weapons that he stole, bribed or have, etc. He’s a sneaky guy who loves to mess around. He has lots of cash from doing business but that doesn’t mean he’s the happiest either..

Dealzano’s backstory takes place a couple weeks later after Chopper’s pizzeria incident.

Dealzano was still Pizzano at this time so he was upholding a special event or concert for PTV. And you know Chopper wanted revenge badly.

Chopper got help from Eviler Peppino as Eviler Peppino supplied Chopper with bombs and such to destroy and ruin a concert, Chopper also knows where Pizzano’s lair is. So he’ll ruin that too. (Also Eviler Peppino didn’t know what Chopper was gonna use the bombs for^^)

Right when Pizzano’s on stage a massive explosion happens.. underneath him. BOOM!! There goes his arm.

Everybody’s screaming, shouting, yelling, crying and anything you can think of.

Pizzano’s practically having war flashbacks and he’s clenching his arm painfully, he’s scared. Chopper doesn’t stop there. He keeps wanting more to explode and ruin Pizzano, just like he did to him. Pizzano sits there, holding his arm which is now only his shoulder, it’s bleeding heavily. And he hears somebody from behind him.

It’s Pizzelle. She gasps and pulls Pizzano away from the explosions and fires now happening. She tells him that they need to get out of here.

Pizzano has no words but he just complies anyway. Pizzelle then brings him to her candy shop and patches him up.

Stinky happened to be there too and he also stated that he could make Pizzano have a new arm.

By this time you think he’s good right? New arm and everything?

No. The world turned on Pizzano.

It was on the news, people saying how this was planned and saying how Pizzano is a villain and etc after he got his new arm.

And then.. everybody leaves Pizzano because they believed that HE WOULD do such a thing. It was an immature and stupid move of them, but the one who stayed was Pizzelle.

Pizzano can’t go out in public like this anymore. But he loves PTV. So he starts his job of being a dealer to get money and rebuild PTV. And he knew just the guy.. (EVILER PEPPINO)

He still has hope to rebuild PTV and become famous because he wants that same love and attention again.

Everything was going great!!… Until Pizzelle got her debt into Eviler Peppino.

Pizzano had to choose between his literal boss and Pizzelle. He could’ve helped Pizzelle pay for her debt, he was loaded with cash!!.. But PTV.. PTV right?..

Eviler Peppino was furious when Pizzelle didn’t meet her deadline, in result he sliced her chest and spared her, but added another 2,000 to her debt just to make it worst. She accidentally burnt the money because she’s clumsy.

Pizzano had to watch. Pizzelle wanted him to do something but he didn’t. And that only stirred up more tension between their friendship.

OUR ROLEPLAY PLOT:

While my other two friends do their plot stuff with Kingston and Pizzana, me and my friend Nubbykins do ours!!

This is my friend’s oc!! Her name is Reddaria and she works for Eviler Peppino as well.

She and Dealzano go on missions to get debtors or clients that haven’t paid their debts or just for meetings. (Dealzano goes because he’s bored or Eviler Peppino tells him to because he knows everybody.)

something funny that she made^^^

GEHEHHEHE AND THATS PRACTICALLY IT!!!

thanks for letting me rant :33 i’m obviously gonna be posting more!! if you read this all ily<3

also since my asks are open, feel free to include the my evil au peppinos too!!

👁

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squishybellies · 2 years ago

Text

Stuffed Crust

P//iz/zah/ead notices a strange restaurant in his tower and decides to investigate.

(Story contains stuffing and light forcefeeding, trigger warning for small mentions of emento and unwilling fatal vore)

The door rattles as Pizzahead steps into the decrepit, old building. It’s not the worst establishment he’s been in, mind you- being in the business for as long as he had been you got used to seeing your fair share of absolutely horrid work environments- the ironic thing being that most establishments with horrible conditions seemed to have the best food, maybe they put all the effort into cooking instead of basic housekeeping, at least in terms of small businesses, corporations seemed to be horrible at both- his own included. The interior has quaint tiling, purple and blue laid out across rotting floorboards. The walls aren’t fairing much better, either- the wallpaper tearing with hints of rot near their corners. The few tables scattered around the place are covered in leftover pizza boxes, and there are tipped trash cans and trash bags scattered throughout the floor. “The owner of this place better be glad I’m not a health inspector,” Pizzahead thinks to himself. No, no, what he wants to know is why the establishment of his archenemy has found itself inside his tower.

The humanoid walks up to the counter, ringing a dingy bell resting on its surface a myriad of times before growing bored when no reaction results from the commotion. He hunches over, beginning to head back toward the door in defeat with a sour expression before hearing strange, wet sounds behind him. They sound uncanny, like if blended meat had gained consciousness and was able to move, loose, moist pieces of meat rubbing and pressing together into an approximation of a person. Pizzahead shudders in response, such sounds greatly disturbing his hearing before he turns around- yelping as his eyes make contact with something resembling his nemesis- Peppino, though something is clearly wrong.

“W-Wuh what are you!?” Pizzahead shouts in response, quickly grabbing a nearby broom and pointing the tip towards the perceived threat. The creature does little in response except pluck the broom out of his hands, tossing it to the side as it inches closer to Pizzahead, one eye drooping far away from its socket. Despite the creature being nearly five feet shorter than Pizzahead, he is still frightened, backing away slowly with his arms up as the strange mimic corners him wordlessly.

His breath is hitched as the mimic leans closer, anticipating the worst, but is surprised when it just stands there, watching as if anticipating something. Their doughy body presses against his smaller build, making him squirm slightly in response.

“Piiiiizzzzaaaa?”

The creature’s voice is low and gurgly, sounding close to what Pizzahead images someone would sound like if they were drowning. He furrows his brow in confusion at the question: what exactly are they asking? Is he a pizza? Does he want pizza? There are a lot of ways to interpret just a single word without any other context…although Pizzahead can’t imagine that this creature would actually know how to cook, let alone run a business, so he assumes the former.

“U-um… yes?”

He winces as he assumes the worst, despite the noodly arms the creature possesses, they are quite strong, easily holding Pizzahead in place with their body weight alone. He can’t help but anticipate them leaning forward to devour him whole, all while he struggles and pleads for help before being reduced to nothing but nutritious sludge, much like the pizza he serves to his customers daily, though this time objectively more horrifying.

“Please don’t hurt me-” he whimpers uncharacteristically, ready to cry his eyes out if it means he’ll get out of this place. “I-I won’t ever come back I promise just please let me go! I won’t tell anyone about this place!” The mimic leans closer as Pizzahead continues to beg and plead, before…giving him a hug and running off? The hug didn’t feel bad- mind you, quite the opposite really, it was warm and gooey- and the mimic’s grip felt tight but safe and assuring. Pizzahead is still terrified though, and bolts towards the door as soon as the crude mockery of Peppino lets him out of their sight. Yet almost as soon as he begins to step he is quickly dragged to a table by the arm as the creature grabs him, using its free hand to knock the garbage that was on top onto the floor. How classy.

A simple cheese pizza is placed in front of Pizzahead, piping hot with visible steam rising from the metal plate it rests on. It seems he had misinterpreted their earlier question, and seriously underestimated them to boot. He shakes his head and pushes the plate away, “Hey now, this is all a big misunderstanding I don’t want-” Before Pizzahead can finish speaking a slice of cheese pizza is stuffed firmly between his lips by the creature, followed by a drink straw as soon as he finished swallowing. It seems the strange creature really wants him to eat their food.

“E-eaaatttt….” The creature manages to groan out, startling Pizzahead once more as the straw is removed from his mouth with a wet pop, the creature managing to get him to down the whole cup in one go. He doesn’t want to anger them, so he supposes it would be best to do what they say, and the food is surprisingly good…as much as he hates to admit it. Still, he doesn’t want to stay here any longer than he needs to, so he tries once more to speak.

“Hey buddy, I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here but I didn’t come here to eat, understand? I would like to have a word or two with you concerning business.” The creature doesn’t seem to want to hurt him at least, so he reasons that maybe he can manage to intimidate them into leaving after all.

The creature doesn't seem interested in all this talk though, merely tilting its head to the side like a confused puppy before awkwardly pressing another slice of pizza up to Pizzahead’s lips. He sputters a bit and flails as he tries to talk more, only to be shut up as the tip of the slice presses against the back of his throat the second he opens his mouth. After gulping the second slice down, his stomach growls slightly, appetite stimulated from the feeding, much to Pizzahead’s own dismay. “Now great look what you’ve done,” he says indignantly, grabbing the third slice on his own both to sate his hunger and to keep the mimic from feeding him themself.

The cheese on the pizza is flavorful but awfully greasy, grease dribbling down Pizzahead’s chin as he eats, and staining his gloves off-white. “Mmmmh….” the cheesy humanoid moans, licking his fingers clean as he finishes a third and fourth slice, all the while keeping a close eye on the mimic- who appears to just be watching him eat silently.

Four slices was usually where he would stop on his own time, though Pizzahead had the growing suspicion that the mimic wasn’t going to let him leave unless he finished the whole thing. Still, he tested the waters, not particularly wanting to eat until he felt sick. “A-as I was saying…you gotta go, I can’t have a Peppino Pizza inside my tower, you understand? Look, I know you aren’t Peppino, you can’t fool me, but whatever this sick joke is- I’ve had more than enough!” The mimic lets out a sad gurgle at this, seemingly understanding, nodding their head.

Before shoving another slice of pizza into Pizzahead’s unexpecting mug.

“Pizza here no good…Feppino help!” The mimic explains happily, gurgly chirps permeating throughout their throat like a birdsong. “You far too skinny to be cook,” the mimic states bluntly, poking a finger against Pizzahead’s flat middle before poking the same finger into theirs, as if to accentuate the difference in their builds. “Excuse me!?” Pizzahead hisses, staring at the fake Peppino with disbelief. How dare they insult him like that, and right in his own tower too. This whole scenario is absolutely humiliating to the poor guy, and try as he may he really doesn’t seem to have power over the mimic. Sheepishly, he hides his face, unsure of what to do in the situation at this point, and not wanting to admit that despite everything going on…he kind of liked it? It felt nice to let someone else be in charge for once, even if that wasn’t exactly what he had planned. A nervous chuckle escapes his lips as he comes to terms with such feelings, maybe he should go ahead and chase the high…it's not like anyone else in the tower knows about this place.

“So that’s what all this is about…you want to make me a better cook?” Pizzahead asks, “Why don’t you just teach me? I fail to see how eating more would help…” This statement seems to cause Feppino to shake their head, making a “tsk, tsk, tsk,” sound as they point towards a sign in the establishment, depicting a cartoony Peppino remarking “Nothing compares!” Pizzahead tilts his head in confusion, not understanding what the mimic means. The mimic then takes the remaining slices of pizza and stacks them on top of each other, pinching at Pizzahead’s pudgy cheeks to get him to open his mouth once more, stuffing the rest of the pizza inside.

“Is about image….pizza fine, but pizza head no look like cook, cook supposed to be plump! Pizza head so small…”

“I don’t feel small…” Pizzahead hiccups, leaning back in his seat. There was some truth to what the fake Peppino was saying, he didn’t like to eat much, he felt the opposite- that it made him less appealing to customers. His cheeks flush as he nervously places a hand against his stomach, a slight bulge being visible underneath his overalls, his shirt feeling somewhat tight against his full gut. A small belch escapes his lips as he rubs over the surface, fidgeting as he tries not to look the mimic in the eyes, unable to believe that he actually let it feed him like that.

So you can imagine his surprise when the mimic runs a finger down the curve of his middle. Pizzahead’s eyes lid slightly as they do this, sighing in overfull bliss before coming back to his senses. “W-wait-”

“You like?” The mimic asks curiously, “Feppino take care of you!” they giggle happily. Pizzahead’s cheeks light up more as he looks at the gooey humanoid, feeling…a vague sense of affection?

“So can keep restaurant?” Feppino asks.

Pizzahead nods, “Well…I suppose it wouldn’t hurt…I-I mean I guess I could use an extra cook?” At this, the fake Peppino picks Pizzahead up, making cheerful chirps as they spin him around, much to his dismay. As Pizzahead is placed back down, he dry heaves a bit, feeling dizzy and a little sick. “W-well…this was all very nice but I really should get going…” Pizzahead says, face still a bit green as he sits up, round belly becoming much more apparent as he stands, jutting out a few inches from his lanky body awkwardly.

“Wait…” the mimic says, gently grabbing Pizzahead’s hand in its own before letting go as he continues to make his way towards the door. “Come back tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Pizzahead says, smiling softly as he leaves, “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

#my stories #stuffing #forcefeeding

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cow3survivor · 4 years ago

Text

Episode 1 Pt. 2: “Playing a Game With A Fresh Slate” - Jessica

SAM

https://youtu.be/gmZlNel3IZM

JESSICA

We did it! We won immunity! Shout out to Sammy for making the flag that won us the advantage and Pete for doing so well in luck! Also in 6 hours or however long it has been since my last confessional, I have decided I do like Sam and we will align. So I guess I want to align with everyone except Madison... hopefully if we lose she is out first!

JABARI

So our tribe is heading to tribal and I'm very nervous because anyone can go atp. I need to make sure that isn't me.

JENNET

we flopped that :(( and i think i may be one of the reasons :( trying my best to not let anybody know im upset but as tribal council looms closer im getting worried

(a little later)

im trying not to throw anybody under the bus but i think that im voting out nash :(( they havent been super active and they havent texted me back since i texted them so it just makes sense to boot them :((

(after eating some rice)

voting out another black woman weighing heavy on me :( i hate that its coming to this

PETE

our tribe had a celebratory discord call which only consisted of like 4 or 5 people but i joined later after everyone left anyways i had a long nice chat with Sam in which i found out he hosts an in person survivor with his friends at home and hes nice ANYWAYS he apparently, like me, is cursed to forever be a premerger. So from here on out i solemnly swear to never vote for Sam during the premerge phase fuck yeah

JAKE

https://youtu.be/aVQKOOrapj0

remind me tomorrow to chill out and take a back seat on the vote lmaooo

PENNINO

Going to tribal i feel like i'm pretty much safe. I feel like that 4 minutes was a good time for the easy jigsaw, but Ethan getting 1.5 minutes is almost impossible. Assessment on my tribemates Jabari: Seems like a nice person, has talked more and has been much more active, I think she has gotten herself off of the chopping block. Jake: Still a nice person, but has lost some activity during yesterday. Possible Ally still Jennet: Nice, active enough, not a target Jones: Not very active. A bit of a target. I will most probably to vote her to be say. Lindsay: Very active, we talk to each other a lot, nice person, possible ally Mikey: Nice person, nothing much, not a target Nash: ˆˆˆ Nicole: ˆˆˆ, but not as active Silver: Active, nice person, but he doesn't respond to my dm's that much, but, still, a possible ally. I feel pretty good about this tribal honestly

JONES

https://youtu.be/2UtH-dnv0i4

SAM

https://youtu.be/lzZOK2CxsA4

MIKEY

WELL HELLO LADIES. SO SO SO SO SO! Instead of rambling Ill just get on with it. Starting off, Me and Nash REALLY freaking connected. Like they’re so fun to talk to!! BUT. They’ve been inactive. and so Pennino is now going around spreading their name, and basically everyone is saying sure why not. This SUCKS because Me and Jabari wanted to make an alliance with them and jake, but now we are faced with a problem. We both have basically decided that instead of Nash we are gonna drag in Peppino. I brought that idea up because me and him are both the youngest people in the game, and I really wanna go far with Peppino. My goal this season is to beat a bunch of adults and make them feel angry that a 15 year old outsmarted them. Its so funny! Anyways besides that, Im feeling good about that 4. I wish it wasn't Nash going home, considering the only other name out was Jones, and I woulda much rather did her, but you know that's how the cards fall I guess. A bad bitch is done with tonights confessional. A bad bitch is now gonna press submit. A bad bitch says GOODBYE ASF!

SILVER

https://youtu.be/JLwZRNesRHI

LINDSAY

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YF3mYJfYIq_2Qco8EQYq3JowyMSbin8M/view?usp=sharing

NASH

im crying i have no idea whats going on!!! HKDHEJDHW all i know is talk to mikey and play 8 ball with nicole

(a little later)

ETHAN

Charan's Hot Confessional Questions

<a:dance:777952213808447519> 1. Give us a Trust Rankings of your tribemates! Who are you bonding with the most? Who are you bonding with the least? I trust Shane the most, and right now that’s because he is the only person that is actively strategizing. Besides that, I feel the most amicable with Jessica, lovealis, and Daisy who are wonderful people. Unfortunately both Cloud and Madison have made 0 effort with me and are generally inactive with me. <a:dance:777952213808447519> 2. Have any alliances formed on your tribe? If so, how loyal are you to these alliances? If not, do you think there are alliances out there that don't include you? There are no alliances that I’m in that have been formed, but I suspect there are some out there. Alliances without me are ok, I just need to know about them, and if there are any right now, I don’t know about them, and that’s concerning. <a:dance:777952213808447519> 3. How did your first Safari experience/run go! Did you get any closer to finding an idol? I WILL NEVER FIND ANYTHING IN A LUCK BASED SYSTEM <a:dance:777952213808447519> 4. Explain why Ryan and Charan are hotter than you A fact of life... these two slay.

LOVELIS

So things are going okay on the tribe so far! The first immunity win was rather nice & I like being able to have a bit more time to read people until were thrown into the pressure of a tribal. So far I’m definitely clicking the most with Shane and then probably Jessica but the time zones are getting in the way a little - just glad I have more time to really click with people and try and cement a place for me in this tribe. I think my contributions to the challenges have definitely helped my standing but not everybody is being super social with me so that’s a little bit of a worry - just gonna have to go ham at bothering people in private messages until they respond I suppose! 🤪

MADISON

Hi beautiful humans!!! I wish I had tea for y'all but we've won 2 challenges in a row and I really don't see the grind stopping in the foreseeable future so the tribe is kinda just vibing which gives me a little bit more time to build relationships which is a blessing and a half. I always get extremely paranoid the first week in games so the fact that I know for certain I won't be first boot is amazing!!! Tribe bonding is scheduled for tonight so hopefully by next round I'll have an alliance or 2 (maybe even the idol if I'm feeling really lucky)

JENNET

Last night really lit up a light in me. it sounds like everybody wants to work with me which is good so im now newly excited to play the game

SAMMY

okay okay okay so I would do a full out cast assessment but I literally just can not do that rn...so let's talk about who I vibe with most and who I have made like strong connections with so far! Initially, both Daisy and Jess have declared I am someone they really want to work with which is perfect for me because I want to work with them as well. I know daisy is going to be such a great competitor and I want to be on her side 100% but same with jess...im such a loyal bitch okay!! Me and Kiki really bonded over that logic puzzle so she went up in my rankings (as if she was ever low to begin with) I am not sure how well me/Pete/Nicole(opposite tribe) are gonna mesh...like I really hope me and Nicole can come together this game but I know we are just gonna end up being paranoid of each other but I love her so much. I REALLY WANTED TO BE ON A TRIBE WITH NASH AND JENNET I luv their vibes so much. okay back to my tribe tho, we won reward #mwah! I put so much effort into that because I just knew if we were to go to tribal that's an easy thing under my belt I could use as a "omg u need me for challenges". I noticed I was coming on a little too strong and presenting myself as a leader which I don't think really hurt me I think it made more people realize they should talk to me KHFBHIS. Umm okay so I love lovelis even tho he is not very active but I just know we will have each others backs for a bit. I connected well with Shane and Ethan very early and they just seem so sweet. I think if we would have went to tribal sam/lovelis/Pete could have been in danger. I would have preferred sam cause he isn't that active but he did help out some with the flag work. ANYWAYS this was not my best confessional but I do want to point out I FOUND A VOTE BLOCK SO HOLLLLLLAAAAAA! we are using this as a way to gain peoples trust so I told daisy and jess to strengthen those relationships mhmm

NASH

me pretending to be surprised that ppl wanted to vote me out first because i was kinda inactive.... i thought survivor would be different 💔

JENNET

not me being targeted for being a pretty black girl with a juicy fat ass *sad face emojis*

(a little later)

its tribal council and im shaking and im nervous, this could go horribly wrong or this could go super right

TRIBAL COUNCIL

youtube

SILVER EXIT INTERVIEW

youtube

#cowsurvivor #confessionals

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idreamofasriel-blog · 8 years ago

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I’ll be fine, I promise (Metal Slug Short Story)

“Marco, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I hurt you.” Poor Fio was a mess. Tears were streaming down her face after her long-struggling battle against the once alien brainwashed Marco. Marco softly smiled at Fio and took her into his arms to help the young maiden to calm down. He gently took her cap off and stroke the back of her head and whispered to her in a gentle voice, “It's all right, Fio. You didn't hurt me badly and you did a good job stopping them from controlling me. I'll be fine, I promise. Now go help the others to finish this fight. I'll catch up with you later.” Fio couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed, hugging her stuffed bear, Peppino in her arms and stared at the ceiling of her darken bedroom. She can't shake off the images digging its gnarling claws into her brain. The fight, Marco's injuries, and that hideous Controller, flying around and controlling Marco against his will like a puppet. After defeating the Invader Queen with the help of the Rebels and the Martians, they headed back to Head Quarters to rest and Marco was sent to get a medical check over and have any lacerations cleaned up and bandaged. As for Fio, she headed straight to her bedroom to wash up and change into a pair of fresh clothes. She sat down on her bed and grabbed her childhood friend, Peppino and hugged the bear tight in her arms, fighting back the tears, “They forced me to fight Marco, Peppino. I can't forgive myself if I killed him or worst.” She sniffed and wiped the tears away from her eyes and hugged the bear again. She wants to be left alone for now and hopes that her thoughts will clear up by the time her friends comes looking for her. Fio snapped herself back to the present. She tossed the covers to the side and set Peppino on her bed. “I'm going to check on Marco, Peppino. I'll be right back.” She put on her glasses and slipped her feet into a pair of cute fox slippers she always keeps by her bed and quietly closes the door behind her. The hallway's light was dimmed down this late at night to save energy and Fio can see pretty well to make her route to Marco's computer lab. She punched in the security code and the light changed from red to green. Curious, she opened the door and stepped in. Marco wasn't in his computer lab and Fio wondered if he went to bed already. She could go back to her room or she could knock on his bedroom door to see if he's awake. She silently crept toward his door and knocked. “Just a minute. I have the door locked.” Footsteps grew louder and a lock clicked follow by the door hinges creaking. Marco stood in the doorway, shirtless and wearing only a pair lounge pants. Fio can see the wrapped bandages around his abdomen, his right arm, and a gauze secured over the spot where the Controller latched its cord on his neck. He even got a small strip of band aid over the bridge of his nose and one on his jaw and another on his chin. “Fio. What can I do for you at this hour?” Marco asked and stepped to the side to let her in. “I couldn't sleep so I came here to check on you.” Fio said quietly and sat down on his bed. Marco frowned a bit and sat down next to her. They were quiet for awhile till Marco spoke up. “That fight is still bothering you, isn't?” he asked almost in a whisper. He can see his answer in her tears that trickled down her cheeks and he gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks. Marco always asked himself, “Why put a sweet innocent girl with a childish nature in a cruel world of war? She doesn't belong there, she belongs at home where she's safe with her family and away from the merciless killing, the chaos, and heartless people who won't hesitate to snuff out one's life.” Fio sniffed and Marco offered her a tissue to blow on rather than on the sleeve of her adorable teddy bear pajamas. “Fio,” She turned to look at Marco and he reached out to hold her hand. He caressed his fingers over her hand, they were soft to the touch and no traces of doubt came across his mind that Fio took great care of herself off the battlefield. She took better care of herself than he would with himself even though he shaves and baths on a daily basis. Not sure he could say the same with Tarma smelling like engine grease and sweat once in awhile. Marco sighed, “Fio...We went through a lot ever since we first met and I remember you as a young lady who was scared and confuse after your paper works got mixed up and I knew from the beginning that I am willing to make sure to get you back home safe and sound after the war and live out the life you wanted before the war broke out.” Marco stopped for a minute to clear his throat and continued. “But you showed me that you can keep your innocence and be optimistic during the time of sorrow, chaos, and when all things looked bleak. I know you want to stop worrying about me, but yet you're scared that one day, you're going to wake up and this is going to be the last time that you'll be seeing me or our friends and I'm scared too that one day I'm going to wake up and this will be the last time I'll see any of you alive with my or any you with our untimely death.” Marco teared up a bit and smiled at Fio, “Don't be afraid to cry or be worry. It's what makes us human in this broken world, Fio. It's okay to cry once in awhile, to know that we're still alive and human.” Fio smiled and Marco was right. Even though they live out their lives like as if it's their last day on this planet, she still has the rights to shed some tears once in awhile and worry about their health or what missions they took and be gone for days. But in the end, they care for each other and willing to help each other come home alive and safe. He put his arms around her and pull her into a hug. He stroked her long hair and whispered to her, “I'll be fine, I promise. Even if I'm scared of losing you all.” Fio closed her eyes and smiled. She hugged Marco back, careful not to mess up his bandages. “Thank you, Marco. I feel much better now.” She let out a small yawn, she can feel the sleepiness overcoming her and it was way passed her bed time. She let go of the hug to rub her eyes and stretched her arms out. “It's quite a walk from here to your room. Why don't you crash here for the night?” Marco suggested. Fio was surprised by this and thinks it over. “If I do, where would you sleep?” she asked, concern for Marco and where he'll be sleeping for the night. “Don't worry about it. I'll share my bed with you. It's big enough for the both of us” Marco smiled. Now, this is a big step for Fio with Marco. Even if they have gone out on a few dates in the past and she was blushing at this whole idea of them sharing a bed. Marco chuckled. He finds Fio blushing to be one of the cutest things from her. That and how he would kiss her on the nose to she the once angry Italian girl run off blushing while covering her nose. “Okay, I'll spend the night here then.” She looked at him, shyly smiling at him and he smiled back at her. He moved covers to the side and got in first so Fio can be closer to the nightstand to put her glasses there and Fio removed her fox slippers set them down on the floor. He tucked her in and cuddled up next to her to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Good night, Fio. I love you.” Fio closed her eyes and smiled, “Good night, Marco. I love you.”

#Metal Slug #fanfic

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silver-soliloquy · 8 years ago

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So I actually do have very late notes from last week’s reading! Uh, oops, I’m really slow at translating notes into semi-coherent form apparently

XXXVI

o Carnival time!

o Dumas seems to be going for a ~demonic debauchery~ angle here, but tbh costumes and confetti and flowers and parades seem like a pretty good time? okay

o Why won’t Edmond get down from his fancy window? I want someone to throw an egg at him

o Albert finally gets some flirting in! Well done Albert! Franz’s fond teasing is both hilarious and adorable

o Franz apparently really wants us to know that Albert’s peasant costume is really hot? OKAY THEN FRANZ

o I’m kind of curious about how much regional variation in dress there was that you can specifically do costumes of peasants from specific areas and expect them to be recognized?

o “I AM IN LOVE” Albert declares after like 3 days of chucking flowers back and forth with a girl, what a nerd

o Franz is also “a true Byronic hero” apparently? I am a little skeptical of this, he’s not extra enough

o Admittedly it’s been a while since I read any Byron, I should maybe brush up since they keep referencing him ALL THE TIME

o If anyone knows of any articles and suchlike on the relationship between the French and English Romantics I would really love to read that

o I love that Robin Buss keeps calling out Dumas’s timeline inconsistencies in the footnotes, it’s both hilarious and informative!

o “he himself would prefer not to be in Paris when the count was there” thus proving that Franz is the smartest person in this novel

o The whole scene with the moccoletti is absolutely gorgeous, and I love that the carnival ends with as sudden a mood shift as it began—from horror at the execution into revelry and then into darkness and melancholy just like that

XXXVII (the roman numerals are getting kind of ridiculous)

o FRANZ WHY DID YOU LET HIM GO BY HIMSELF, YOU KNOW HE’S THE MOST TROUBLE-PRONE PERSON IN EXISTENCE OF COURSE HE WALKED RIGHT INTO A TRAP

o Okay so I’m assuming Edmond arranged for the kidnapping, but was his plan actually just to loan Franz the money or was he actually counting on Franz knowing that he knew the bandits so he could go play the savior without having to suggest it himself? Your chessmastering gives me a headache, Edmond

o The thing where he pretends to be surprised that Peppino remembers him saving his life a whole WEEK ago seems…significant

o I’m glad Teresa is still having fun at parties, although I have a lot of questions about how her life is going as the mistress of the bandit king

o I feel like Edmond definitely meant for Albert to have to sit and ponder his fate all night, given his penchant for absolute-last-minute saves

o IS VAMPA IN ON THIS WHOLE BIT OF THEATRE??? EXPLAIN YOURSELF EDMOND

o Albert is entirely too chill about this whole affair and I can’t stop laughing

o Franz asking the head bandit for book recs before he goes: EVEN MORE HILARIOUS

o Okay so by Edmond’s messed-up theories about a person’s reaction to imminent death revealing their True Character, I think Albert did pretty darn well there? Obviously he didn’t have to wait till the exact moment of death before being saved like poor Morrel (what the hell Edmond), but if this was intended as a test of Albert’s character as well as a way to get him in the count’s debt he should’ve passed with flying colors! And yet Edmond still can barely deal with shaking his hand :(

o PLEASE DON’T HURT THIS NICE KID, EDMOND

XXXVIII

o “I wanted to demonstrate something to those bandits, namely that while people fight one another in every country in the world, only the Frenchman jests as he fights” okay this was hilarious until I thought about “the besieged were running out of cartridges but not out of witticisms; in this whirlwind of the sepulcher in which they found themselves, they laughed” and now I might be crying a little bit

o Franz is finally realizing that leaving Albert alone with the count is a bad idea! Well done, Franz! One near-death experience per vacation is plenty

o NOW PLEASE GO BACK TO PARIS WITH ALBERT AND KEEP AN EYE ON HIM, THE COUNT’S ~PLANS~ ARE CLEARLY NOTHING GOOD

o “Worried about the rendez-vous! I never! Are you mad, my dear Franz?” ALBERT THE LAST RENDEZVOUS HE LET YOU GO ON ENDED IN YOU GETTING KIDNAPPED AND ALMOST MURDERED. THAT WAS LITERALLY LAST NIGHT. DUDE.

o Nooooo Franz don’t leave :((((

XXXIX

o Yay Paris!!

o YAY MORE FRIENDS!!

o I…still do not really understand what Debray’s job is, but he’s sure entertaining

o *lowkey ships Debray/Beauchamp*

o WHY DID CHATEU-RENAUD AND FRANZ FIGHT A DUEL THOUGH, I NEED MORE OF THIS BACKSTORY

o How does Franz still think of himself as The Reasonable One when he apparently gets into duels with his close friends for flimsy enough reasons that no one can remember what that was even about later oh my god

o I love how Albert solemnly swore not to tell anyone about Franz’s hash adventures at Monte Cristo and then turns around and tells literally everyone he knows at the first available opportunity

o I don’t actually have that much to say about this chapter except that I love all the banter and teasing SO MUCH, these kids are all so delightful and I hope we see much more of them

o Okay so Edmond is still clearly very fond of Maximilien in his weird creepy way, and he seems surprised to see him but he doesn’t really react to fact that his friend’s kid is friends with his enemy’s kid? I’m interested that that didn’t get more of a spotlight, since that seems like it’s going to be an Issue with Maximilien later in the book?

o Edmond does surprisingly well with being thrown into the Baby Dandy Bffs crowd first thing in the morning, that seems like kind of a weird way to introduce someone to ~society~ but our Count is unruffleable as ever!

o “how do you go without food and sleep for that long????” “oh, drugs” EDMOND THAT IS NOT HEALTHY WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS

o Wait so that was Haydee whose freedom Edmond bought with the giant ridiculous emerald, right?

o Edmond quit trolling poor Maximilien

o “They did not know whether Monte Cristo was play-acting, but everything that this man said, despite his eccentricity, was delivered in such a simple tone that it was impossible to suspect him of anything” OH BOY

o Edmond sure is Weird about Haydee

XLI

o Albert has Notre Dame de Paris fanart on his walls oh my gosh what a cutie

o Hi Delacroix!! This is about the time he was bopping around Morocco fueling everyone’s interest in Orientalism, right? (thanks a lot, Delacroix)

o Dauzat’s Orientalism travel art isn’t actually that bad, he seems more interested in intricate architecture and really big rocks than creepily exoticizecd people. And he did Sinbad fanart! (although not till the 1860s I think)

o On the other hand, probably I’m just relieved that he’s not Jean-Leon Gerome levels of terrible, I really hate that guy

o ANYWAYS ART HISTORY NERD TANGENT OVER

o Wait no it’s not, the class-as-costume thing from carnival getting lampshaded in the portrait of Mercedes is super interesting—also that Albert apparently either doesn’t recognize the style or doesn’t know his parents’ history? Either way there’s so much disguise in this book I just want to take note of Mercedes’ original identity represented through her poor Catalan clothes being taken for another disguise

o Also it’s just really cute that Albert keeps a portrait of his mom in his room

o …Antoine-Jean Gros is the same one as Grantaire’s ex-teacher, yes? Is there room for crossovers here because I would like Grantaire and Albert to be friends please

o Okay so the thing with Albert’s family’s coat of arms and his nobility on his father’s side—did I miss something about Ferdinand or did he just totally make all this up after he got rich and titled??

o Mercedes is still the best!!!

o THIS GUY IS SKETCHY, literally everyone screams at Albert as he cheerfully ignores them

o Nothing to add to the last chapters except that Edmond apparently thinks it’s really entertaining to torment his servants, nice

#comc17 #book blogging

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phantomdoofer · 1 year ago

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Chapter 6: Ad essere onesti

Giuseppe walked slowly through the small town that had popped up around Peppino's pizzeria and the NTV tower since Pizzahead's fall. His agents were spread out, discreetly keeping an eye on the few people he was worried about. So far, they'd not reported anything unusual - other than the biggest Peppino clone chasing the Noise into NTV. The residents didn't seem to know how to respond to Giuseppe - some greeted him cautiously, others eyed him suspiciously. A few seemed like they wanted to take a swing at him, but thought better of it.

He looked around, surprised at what he saw. This is actually pretty nice - populated, but quiet. I think I'll like living here. He'd thought about seeing if he could track down Anita, but she'd made it very clear the last time they spoke she wanted to be alone. The thought stabbed him in the heart, as it always did. After Gustavo died, her heart broke. So did mine. She'd left the force not long after, and disappeared into the wild like she'd said she wanted to.

Giuseppe hoped she was still alive.

Suddenly someone slapped him in the back of the head. Che diavolo-?

"Hey, fat man, you out for a walk?" a sneering voice spoke behind him. "Finally decided to-"

Noise squeaked like a rubber ducky as Giuseppe wrapped a hand around his neck and lifted him off the ground. "Eeep," he managed to work through the iron grip.

Giuseppe gave him his most malicious grin. "You must be that one Peppino mentioned. The Noise."

"Ygs," Noise gargled. Oh crap, this guy's not Peppino! This guy's gonna use me for a chew toy!

"You seem to be mistaken. I'm his brother, Giuseppe. I'll be moving here soon. We may look alike, but I'm not my brother. I suggest you remember that. I may not play so...nice."

Noise squeaked again. Peppino didn't play nice with him at all. It cost him a lot of money to keep getting his teeth replaced.

About that time, an official-looking Cheeseslime oozed up. "There a problem here, sir?

Giuseppe looked down at the Cheeseslime. This one wore boots, gloves, a badge, and a cowboy hat, and had a hard look in his eyes. In fact, one of his eyes was focused on him, with a cross-hair design that looked very familiar. He smiled. "No, sir, no problem. Just a little case of mistaken identity." He released the Noise, who gasped. "Isn't that right, sir?"

Noise nodded vigorously. "Oh yeah, definitely. I was just saying sorry. Later, Vigi!" he called over his shoulder as he ran off.

Vigi looked up at Giuseppe. "You do look mighty like Peppino." He left the sentence hanging, and Giuseppe let it hang. Finally, Vigi huffed, then grinned. "You look like you could fold 'im up like a pretzel, 'stead of just knocking his teeth in. The Noise can be a problem, I apologize. But try not to hurt 'im too much, eh?"

Giuseppe smiled back. He understood perfectly. "Absolutely, officer, sorry it came to that. He took me by surprise, that's all. No harm intended."

Vigi nodded. "Good, good. Heard you say you were movin' here? We got lots of places bein' built. Glad to have you here, long as you don't cause trouble." He handed him a pamphlet. "Here's some suggestions if you don't already know."

"Thank you, Sheriff. I already have some prospects, but I'll keep this in mind." Giuseppe saluted by reflex.

Vigi saluted back. "Another war vet, eh? I was too young, but my pappy was in it. He didn't come back." He shook his head. "You lookin' for work? I could use skilled people like you. We don't have many trained yet."

"Thank you, but no, I'm looking to retire," Giuseppe said, "perhaps I could give your men some pointers."

"All right," Vigi said. "You change yer mind, you let me know." He saluted again and walked off.

Giuseppe saluted back and smiled. Not a bad guy. He looked at the brochure. It looked basic, but had a surprising amount of info - housing, restaurants, the works. Everything a new resident would need. That Noise character may own a lot of this, but somebody else who really loves this place made this.

He pocketed the brochure and kept walking. Have to make sure to get back to Peppino's tonight, don't want to miss this...

~~~~

Peppino plopped the mop into the bucket and wiped the sweat from the top of his head with a towel. Done. Drying time, then I can head home. He sat down. On Saturdays he closed the shop and did a thorough cleaning and inventory - cleaned the oven, the windows, the freezer, the surfaces. We do that during the week, too, but... Peppino didn't want to admit that he really didn't have much to do outside of work. He'd never had time, or money. His pizzeria was his life. Now he actually had free time occasionally. But for what? He worked with his best friend. His love life had been dead since before he was in the Army. He didn't have any hobbies other than trying out new recipes, and he was in a bit of a rut on that front lately. He patted his belly and snorted. I'd start running, but there's not enough road around here for me to get up to a speed that would be meaningful. And I'd probably break a treadmill. That's the problem with having special abilities - sometimes they get in the way!

He glanced down - the floor was dry already. He hopped down and carried the mop and bucket to the back to dump before he left. Maybe Gustavo's up to something interesting. He glanced out the window - Noisette's Cafe, newly built across the street, was open. Since Peppino's was closed, it was bustling. Maybe I should try the food there. Then he remembered Vigilante telling him about some of Noisette's more interesting "ideas," and thought better of it.

As he turned to go to the back, someone knocked on the door. "Sorry, we're-a closed! We'll open at eleven tomorrow," he called loudly over his shoulder.

They knocked again. Oh per l'amor del cielo. "I'm SORRY but we're CLOSED!"

Knock knock knock

"FIGLIO DI PUTTANA!" Peppino roared, "can't you-a read the-!"

He turned around. Giuseppe was standing outside, holding a plastic bag, making a key-turning motion, and grinning hugely.

Peppino slammed his mouth shut, unlocked the door, and let his brother in, locking the door back behind him.

Giuseppe set the bag down. "Haven't heard that one since Anita left the force," he said with a grin. "I found a place over on the other side of town that makes a respectable Chicken Tikka Marsala. Thought you might like to share."

Peppino was surprised. He was planning on eating at home, but... "Well, if you're offering."

They ate for several minutes in companionable silence, the spicy sauce gently burning on the tongue. Their bellies full, Giuseppe sat back. "Took a walk around this little town today. I think I like it."

Peppino quirked an eyebrow. "I would've-a thought your people would've told you everything you need to know."

Giuseppe chuckled. "My 'people' are mostly kids, fresh out of training. Good people, smart, but most of them are green. They're too busy looking for threats, so they miss small stuff. And I like to look myself." He spun his finger in a circle. "Most of the experienced ones are out looking for Pizzahead right now. In fact, that's part of why I'm here. They're making an announcement about it today - in a few minutes, in fact. And the big one about the clones, too."

Peppino's stomach clenched a bit. Should I really be worried? The people around here already know about me and Fake. But... "I hope they're-a prepared for what happens after."

Giuseppe sighed. "They've made plans, but it'll never be enough. I think it'll mainly be a few firebrands that cause trouble though, and most of them were already being observed. Riots, maybe, protests definitely. All the clones are under protective watch until things calm down." He looked outside, and rubbed the side of his leg, where Peppino realized a wicked-looking pistol was hostered. "I wanted to be here with you... just in case."

Peppino's eyes bulged a bit. "You don't mean to...?"

Giuseppe looked down and laughed. "Oh, no. This is a little something R&D cooked up. Knock out anything from a Cheeseslime to a pissed-off Ogre in three seconds if you know how to use it." He patted it. "We try to keep it non-lethal when we can."

Peppino relaxed. I still have a lot to learn about him. And how much is he allowed to tell? "You said it would-a be on soon? Which channel?" He moved to turn the TV on.

"National News should have the clearest coverage," Giuseppe said. "But they'll all be there. This is a big one."

Just as Peppino turned the power on, he heard "-tional News special report." Good timing. He sat back down, both watching intently.

An elderly general walked to a podium. Giuseppe grinned. "Old General Grey," he said, "I thought he retired. He was in charge of our program back during the war. Guess he insisted on being the one to break it." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "I don't like him much, but he'll tell it straight."

The old general cleared his throat. "Good afternoon. A few months ago, many of you may have heard of the incident known as the Pizza Tower. While this incident was resolved by a group of private citizens, we have had it, and it's owner, under investigation for several years." He cleared his throat again. "Many of you have now heard allegations that one of these citizens encountered several individuals in the Tower that appeared to be clones. While the process involved in the creation of these beings was flawed, we have decided to reveal that cloning is an actual, usable technology."

The room started to erupt in questions, but the General held up a hand. "Please hold all questions until I have concluded."

They quieted down.

"Thank you. Cloning technology is a form of Old Technology that is quite rare. Thirty years ago, the decision was made to use this technology in conjunction with military training to create a special forces program for this nation. The details are as follows..."

Peppino listened raptly as the General outlined the whole sordid thing: kidnappings, cloning, espionage, and military operations, especially their involvement in the War. The number of clones measured in the hundreds, with more suspected elsewhere.

"...we would like to emphasize that these cloned individuals are considered citizens of this nation, with all the rights and restrictions of a natural-born individual. All the cloned individuals in question have already been briefed on their origins and nature. While we will not be releasing their names for privacy reasons, we leave it to them whether they will reveal their origins. The program in question was disbanded after the last war, and no clones have been produced by our government since. We deeply regret this violation of rights and trust, and will continue to work to make amends for what was deemed, at the time, a necessary evil."

Giuseppe growled. "No offense General, but you can't give us our lives back. Or bring back the ones we lost." He twisted the leather bracelet on his wrist.

The General flipped the sheaf of papers in front of him. "Now, the owner of the Tower, a Ninda individual named Pizzahead, is wanted for questioning on several disappearances. He has also been documented performing various acts considered crimes against sapiency, and as such has formally been declared a terrorist and war criminal. A search for this individual is ongoing by elements of both police forces and our Special Operations branch. We are offering rewards for any information on this individual, and will be glad for any report of his appearance anyone may have." He stood straighter. "Make no mistake. This is a highly unstable individual. He is considered armed and extremely dangerous. If seen, report to either your local police, or a local military branch if possible. We will provide more information when the situation has developed. I will now take any questions you may have."

As the press room exploded with voices, Peppino turned to Giuseppe. "Just like that, the secret's out," Giuseppe said. He looked out the windows - Noisette's Cafe was well lit, and obviously busy. "You want to step across the way and see how people are taking it?"

Peppino hesitated, but nodded. Between the two of us, we should be able to handle any problems. He stood up, turned off the TV, locked up the shop, and together they crossed the street to the Cafe.

"After you," Giuseppe gestured.

Peppino opened the door, and the smell of coffee and new paint struck him. The cafe was full, mostly with Tower residents. In fact, he saw both Vigilante and Pepperman there. Wonder when he got back. Everyone was staring raptly at the TVs on the wall. Noisette saw Peppino, and rushed from behind the counter.

"Oh, Peppino! Did you hear? They made an announcment about the Tower being investigated! And Pizzahead's wanted! I hope they find him! It sounds so scary! I didn't know about any of that! And all that talk about clones, do you think -" she stopped as Giuseppe stepped in. Her mouth formed a perfect "O" of surprise. "Oh, Peppino, I guess you already knew. First the ones in the Tower, and now this! You have another clone!"

Oh Mio Dio, I guess we're doing this now. Peppino scratched his head and smiled nervously. "A-actually Noisette...I'm-a the clone. This is the original me, Giuseppe."

The cafe went quiet. Vigi jumped down and walked over. He looked up at Giuseppe. "I thought you two looked mighty alike. Thought maybe Peppino had a brother he didn't mention."

Giuseppe cleared his throat. "Really, I consider Peppino my brother. Most of us do. I couldn't mention it til after the announcement." He held out a hand. "Nice to actually meet you."

The Cheeseslime shook his hand. He looked thoughtful.

Pepperman rushed over to the two, making both jump a bit. A giant bell pepper rushing at you could unnerve anyone. "Peppino! This business is so... unsettling! Clones everywhere! You're a clone!" He gasped. "They said Pizzahead did a great deal of cloning, more than even we knew. What if he cloned...us?"

Many of the patrons whispered in agreement. Rather than his own clone status, they seemed more worried about Pizzahead and his shenanigans. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. These guys have seen a lot of weird shit already, just having lived in the tower.

Giuseppe stepped forward and raised his hands. "Just want to remind you there's a major investigation going on. Be sure to report to your local officers. It's very important you provide any information you can, no matter how unimportant it might seem. Pizzahead is dangerous. If any of you notice anything unusually suspicious, report it immediately."

Giuseppe sat down at a vacant table, and Peppino joined him. "Nice-a speech. Did you plan that?"

"No. Just had too much practice. Glad they're reacting well. I bet it's not so quiet elsewhere."

Peppino nodded, as patrons approached them with questions and reports.

Pizzahead has the government on him now. It's only a matter of time.

~~~~

Elsewhere, in a dark room, a crumpled figure watched the report condemning Pizzahead. They reached out with a remote, and flicked off the screen.

"Guess it's a good thing we hid, isn't it?" Strange, grotesque figures huddled around them. One of them made a questioning sound.

"No, not yet. We don't want to ruin the surprise."

#peppino pizza tower #peppino spaghetti #peppino #pizza tower fanfic #pizza tower au #pizzatower #pizza tower #pizzahead #noisette #pepperman #giuseppe spaghetti #the vigilante #tower town au

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phantomdoofer · 1 year ago

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Chapter 3: Rivelazione, Seconda Parte

"So," Peppino began, "Why?" One word with so much meaning.

Giuseppe sighed. "Ok, first of all, after they made you, I changed my name to Giuseppe to avoid confusion."

Peppino snorted. "Short walk for that one, wasn't it?"

Giuseppe snorted the exact same way. "Easy to remember. And in case you're wondering, Ma doesn't know. They took my DNA to make you when I was fifteen, flashed my memory the night they took me, and copied it into you. You remember when you were in the hospital a few days, unconscious, with a bad fever?" Peppino nodded. "That was when. That way there was a believable break, and could explain the muddled memories. They did it using old, old cloning tech, from before the Old War."

The Old War. Peppino remembered that from history class. Way back, maybe a couple thousand years ago, the world got blasted to hell. Took everyone centuries to catch back up. Rumor has it diggers would occasionally find old tech from those days, way past what people could do now. "Guess Pizzahead didn't invent that trick, huh?"

Giuseppe snorted again. "That sadistic dumbass came across a big cache of old tech. We'd been tracking him for years. Then that tower of his started teleporting. And it could hide from anyone who he didn't want to find it. Damned if we know how it worked. Then you did the job for us." He smiled. "Nice work, fratellino."

Peppino's head spun. "But... why? Why us?"

Giuseppe laughed. "For the same reason they picked you for football! We're tough, fast, and damn near impossible to stop when we're pissed! Beyond most people! They wanted me and my powers for a special ops unit, top secret. They wanted it extra quiet. I didn't get a choice in the matter." His face twisted into a frown. "What happened in the tower hasn't stayed quiet. Word's gotten out about the clones." Giuseppe pinched his nose. "And now the government bigwigs have decided to come clean about the whole thing. Clones, secret kidnappings, everything. People that are directly involved... people like you, it was decided we could tell before the official announcement. They did it as a favor to us. The ones they stole."

Peppino's eyes went wide. "But that's-a crazy! Everyone will be paranoid! It'll be a witch hunt!"

Giuseppe frowned. "We know. I said the same thing. But this bunch wants a clean conscience. So they're going to release the records. Everyone will know. And there's more people like you than I think even they realize. The world's still hurting pretty bad after the last war."

Good point. It was a lot of why his pizzeria struggled for so long, and why he had so few customers until just recently. "This... this will turn the world upside-a-down." Peppino couldn't believe they could be that naive. He felt bad for even thinking about how it might hurt his business.

Giuseppe nodded. "Part of why we're just one unit going around telling people that are clones what's happening. Get the shock out the way, so they don't get blindsided by their own neighbors, or hear it on TV."

Peppino sat quietly for several minutes, rubbing Mushroom's back. Giuseppe did the same for Sausage. His mind whirled, but it was the whirl of a pot of water being stirred, not the chaos of a firefight. How do I know this guy's telling the truth? Ma didn't know. He knows things only I know. I didn't know.

Peppino laughed at Giuseppe's suddenly panicked expression, which the other man quickly squashed. "Sì, that conversation is gonna be a lot harder than this one."

He looked at Giuseppe. "Mama's going to kill you."

That convinced him. Even if he's not telling the whole truth, only our Mama could probably make this guy react like that.

Peppino looked down at the Toppin in his lap. "Is there anyone else around here? Anyone I know?"

Giuseppe nodded. "Sì. Gustavo."

Peppino's heart stopped. Gustavo was a clone, too? What were the odds on that? To cover for his shock, Peppino responded flippantly. "So, what's-a Gustavo the First doing? Out toppling some government somewhere?"

Peppino regretted his words when Giuseppe's face went hard, and he started fooling with a small leather bracelet on his wrist. "He - he didn't make it. He died in the same fight I got this." He pointed at the horrible wound on his neck. "Some backwater nowhere, fighting some crazy Talpa cultists. One of the little bastardos went ballistic and cut my throat with one of those stupid helmet spikes of theirs. Then it turned Gustavo into a shishkabob."

Peppino nodded. He'd fought some Talpa in the war, himself, and they were exactly as crazy as he'd described. Always hated seeing the little mole bastardos show up.

Peppino noticed Giuseppe was shivering. His own heart was barely beating. Even if it wasn't the Gustavo he knew, his old friend, the thought of him dying so horribly almost brought him to tears. Judging by Giuseppe's demeanor, he was barely holding together himself.

Then Peppino realized what he was seeing. The expression, the shaking. The man was about to start spiraling.

Sausage looked up at Giuseppe and grumbled. Mushroom jumped off Peppino's lap and started rubbing against Giuseppe's leg, making that weird little warble it made when it was worried. Peppino stood up, feeling strange about trying to comfort... basically himself. Nonetheless, he walked over to Giuseppe and grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, hey, amico, it's OK. It's OK."

Suddenly the man broke. Tears started pouring down his face. The gravelly voice was choked with grief. "He died... died trying to... protect me. He died... reaching for me. My friend... my..." the man folded up on himself, while Peppino rubbed his back.

Guess this is what it's like for Gustavo when I start up, Peppino thought bemusedly.

He continued patting him on the back, until the wracking sobs quieted. Finally, still choked, Guiseppe spoke. "When I saw Gustavo... your Gustavo leaving earlier, I started remembering... but it wasn't him. Not really." He looked up. "Just like you're not me. You understand that, right?"

Peppino stood up. "That's why-a you called me fratellino. Little Brother. It's been, what, thirty years? Different lives."

Giuseppe sniffed. "Sì. Different paths."

Peppino hugged him. He smiled weakly. "Fratello. Haven't called anyone that since-a the war. They all died... too. Just... me and-a Gustavo were left. Did I tell you I almost-a died?"

Giuseppe wiped away tears. "I was told. They kept us informed about you guys. I wanted to come, but I couldn't."

"It was some god-a-forsaken hellhole, of course. Just before the big-a last battle. I was so tired, and wasn't paying attention. Then the shooting started..."

The two men, so alike and so different, sat for hours, telling each other about their lives after they diverged. All their near misses, Peppino's problems during the war, stories about both Gustavos, problems with the pizzeria, the tower. Most of Giuseppe's stories had to be vague, since most of them were still classified, but his anecdotes of his time with his squad were tall tales indeed.

They reminded Peppino of his time with his unit. He felt a warmth growing he hadn't felt since he'd lost his friends.

~~~~

Later, Peppino made them a pizza to share. The soldier hovered, watching Peppino work. "Ah, that brings back memories. I never had time to learn to get the shape and texture right. Where did you learn that?"

Peppino smiled. "After the war, after I-a pulled out of my depression, I studied under a pizzaiolo who knew Papa."

"Ah." Giuseppe said. "He still around?"

"Ah, no," Peppino sighed, "he passed away just a few years ago."

Giuseppe sighed as well. "A shame. I would have liked to have met him, if only to ask him about Papa."

The timer dinged. Both men jumped, then laughed nervously at each other's reaction. "Old habits die hard, I guess." Giuseppe said.

"Sì!" Peppino agreed. He carefully extracted the pizza, and set it to cool. After several minutes, he sliced it and offered a piece to Giuseppe.

Giuseppe ate it with a look of bliss. "Ah, just like Papa made. Better, even. Mio Dio, people just can't seem to get the sauce right!"

Peppino smiled. "I've-a still got Papa's recipe book."

Giuseppe smiled back, still in gustatory heaven. "Whatever you changed, I like it. You should spread the word more!"

Peppino looked down. It was nice to hear some compliments. "I never gave up Papa's dream. It's been hard. But I'm doing it."

Guiseppe gripped his shoulder. "I know. I've watched you for a long time, fratellino. I wanted to help. But you know why I couldn't. Governments and their secrets!" Finally, Giuseppe stood up. "Well, I have to leave for now. Tomorrow Ma will try to kill me, but hopefully not."

Peppino stood up. "Will I ever see you again?"

Giuseppe smiled. "Oh, I forgot to mention - I'm retiring soon. I planned to move here and settle down. If that's OK with you?"

Peppino stopped, momentarily stunned. "O- of course! We have a lot of catching up to do!"

Giuseppe suddenly frowned. "One thing: don't tell Gustavo yet. He's on the list, too. Better to let us tell him, so he doesn't get jumped. And keep everything I've told you secret for now. I probably shouldn't have told you all I did... but it's nice to have someone to open up to, you know?" He turned and walked up the stairs; Peppino followed and unlocked the door. As he walked away, he turned back. "I'll see you soon, fratellino."

As the shadows closed over his brother, Peppino said, "Presto, fratello. Presto."

Peppino sat and watched the sun rise.

This is going to be very interesting.

~~~~

As Giuseppe walked off with his squad, one of his subordinates walked up and asked, "You really plan on retiring to this place? It's kind of a dump."

Giuseppe clucked his tongue at her. Mio Dio, I miss the old squad. These kids are too much. "Young woman, that man just served me the best pizza I've had since my Papa passed away. Even if he wasn't family, I'd move here just for that. Now, did you find anything at the Tower ruins?"

She shook her head. "Looks like that Pizzahead character came back and took everything he could. That lab underground is a wreck. Even the Cheeseslimes said they couldn't find anything."

"Al diavolo tutto. Well, nothing for it. Make sure someone keeps an eye on my brother, and Gustavo, too." He choked up just a little, and touched the bracelet on his wrist. I miss you, mio amico. "And the others - the pepper, the slime, the weirdo and his lady, the pillar men, and the clones. I guarantee you, he's not done yet. I refuse to let him hurt my brother again."

<<Previous/Next>>

Side Stories>>

#pizzatower #pizza tower #pizza tower fanfic #my stuff #peppino spaghetti #peppino #giuseppe spaghetti #pizza tower au #tower town au

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pizza-games-and-more · 2 years ago

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Pizza Tower: The Series Episode Concept

Title: "The Red Orb (Parts 1-3)"

Season: 3

Summary: Clove calls Noisette and her friends aside from Peppino to the forest. What dies he want with everyone, and why is Peppino excluded? And more importantly, what's going to happen with Peppino?

Notes: The Season Finale Arc is here, and to put it this way: "emotional rollercoaster" is an understatement. You will feel so much heartwarming joy being quickly overtaken by terror and sadness multiple times. Enjoy!

Fair warning: This one's description is LONG.

After the setup, the group make their way up to the forest. While the others trust Noisette to know what she's doing, Maria can't help but think about this Clove character. Noisette told her that he's a "really nice friend". But... is he really?

As The Vigilante tries to ease her concerns, the group end up making it to the forest entrance, where Clove is waiting with a serious look on his face.

Meanwhile, as Peppino does his job as usual, he gets a phone call from someone clearly using a voice changer, much to his annoyance. However, said person just wants a pizza delivered to them, so he complies. He wonders who would want a pizza in the back of the forest, though...

Back to Clove and the others, he explains to the others about the time in which he'd spied on them all while invisible, and later found that Noisette had the same social circle as Peppino. He explains how confused he was about all this, but slowly came to understand after having a talk with his boss.

Clove: That's why I'm going to imprison you all so you'll all be out of his way.

Hearing those words, everyone was confused, before Clove's magic pulled them all into a tight space.

As Clove coldly confirmed that he was going to trap them all right there and then with his magic, while everyone else was angry, Noisette was destroyed by the betrayal of someone she thought was her friend.

And then a magical dome formed around the group, imprisoning them as Clove sighed and made his way further into the forest.

Clove: Pizzahead... It's done.

Pizzahead was waiting impatiently at the back of the forest for Peppino to arrive, holding in his hands a mysterious red orb. He gets a call from Peppino explaining the pizza might be a little late, since there's a lot of demand right now. Using his voice changer, he replies understandingly and hangs up.

He then immediately changes his tone to that of a temper tantrum, before calming down and looking forward to what he'd do to Peppino, grinning at the red orb in his hands.

The others try in vain to break free from their dome prison, while Maria angrily pulls an "I told you so!" to everyone, before she hears Noisette sobbing and turns around to find The Noise and The Vigilante both trying to comfort her.

The poor girl was so badly hurt by the betrayal that all she could do was sit in the corner and cry. After it was made clear that nothing they could do would bring her out of it, The Noise and Vigi make their way to bust out of there with all they've got. No way was that wizard getting away with hurting Noisette like that.

Using all their force, they manage to shatter the magical dome and escape. Noisette remains inside, still sitting in the corner. The Noise glances at her sadly before promising her they'd be back for her.

---

Part 2 begins, and it starts off with a bang. Literally. The Vigilante finds Clove and begins shooting, fury written all over his face. Clove uses his magic purely defensively as the others begin attacking him as well.

Realizing that he's not going to counterattack, Vigi decides to forget defense and go all out. He ends up breaking through Clove's magical barrier, knocking his staff away and pinning him to the ground.

With a gun pointed directly at him, Clove starts trying to speak but stuttering too much to be understood.

Maria realizes that he has something to say and convinces Vigi to back off for a bit while he does. Meanwhile, Fake Peppino restrains The Noise from ripping into him.

After calming down, Clove then explains the reason he decided to imprison everyone.

It turns out, he did it to save everyone. Pizzahead had gotten him to find an artifact in the forest beforehand. That artifact was the red orb he was holding.

That red orb is an easy-to-access but limited-range spell that can petrify any target with a beam shot from it.

Pizzahead wanted to use that to petrify Peppino. Especially once he learned that petrification means that the target's entire body would be turned to stone, and all living sensations would be gone. Killing him would be kinder.

Once Clove met Noisette, however, he felt attached to her to the point he wanted to spare her from potentially meeting the same fate, and the same desire applied to her friends after observing them and determining them to be good enough. So he planned to keep them out of harm's way once and for all.

The Vigilante decided to spare him on two conditions. The first being that he take them to where Pizzahead was going to petrify Peppino. The second? Apologize to Noisette at once.

Clove was confused until Vigi and the others took him back to the dome, where he saw how badly his actions hurt Noisette.

Clove headed straight in there, no longer caring that Vigi clearly had his gun out in case of further betrayal.

Sitting next to Noisette and talking to her at least got her talking again, but even apologizing wouldn't get her to budge, until he mentioned one detail.

Clove: I wanted to protect you because... you're my friend.

That was what she needed to hear, and after tearfully hugging Clove, she was back to her usual cheerful self.

The Vigilante put his gun away, happy that Noisette was back. But The Noise hadn't forgiven Clove just yet and was still struggling in Fake's arms.

Then the group remembered. Peppino was in danger!

As they headed over to the other side of the forest, Peppino had finally arrived with the pizza. Confused to see that no one was there, he stepped into the forest only to find himself face to face with Pizzahead.

After the two fought until exhausted, Peppino thought he had won...

Until Pizzahead used the red orb and fired the petrification beam at him.

The others arrived just in time to see it. Gustavo burst into tears seeing what just happened to his best friend, while everyone else was furious.

As most of the cast began chasing Pizzahead, Gustavo, Brick and Mr. Stick stayed behind with Peppino, staring in horror at what Pizzahead had done to him.

---

At the start of the final part, Gustavo's still in tears over Peppino's petrification, with Brick and even Mr. Stick comforting him as best as they can.

Then, they hear a voice coming from behind them. They turn around. It was Gerome! Gerome then asks the two if he can come over to the petrified Peppino...

And then it cuts to the fight the others are having with Pizzahead. Much to their annoyance, he's very good at avoiding their attacks.

Once The Vigilante has him backed into a corner, the two start fighting properly, only for Pizzahead to end up grabbing hold of the Cheeseslime and holding him literally inches above the river.

As Pizzahead threatens to drop the cheeseslime, who is now paralyzed with fear, Maria arrives just in time to pull Pizzahead back and save him. As Pizzahead seemingly runs away, Maria sees the state Vigi is in and pulls him into a hug to calm him down.

And then the petrification beam fires from the red orb Pizzahead is holding, turning both of them to stone.

Noisette, horrified at what she just saw, just sits there for a while, all the while Clove protects her from further attacks.

Back at the area where Peppino is, Gerome gently touches the petrified Italian, having a telepathic conversation with him to explain what's going on (that's why I posted that headcanon). He then returns to the others and explains there is a way to restore Peppino to normal.

As it turns out, there is a blue orb that can reverse the effects of the red orb's petrification. Gerome had found it while searching for anything that could save his brother back during the tower incident, but left it somewhere in the forest due to it not being useful.

As thanks for saving his brother back there, Gerome decided to head into the forest to grab the blue orb and save Peppino.

Gustavo and Brick followed, while Mr. Stick kept watch in case anything happened to Peppino.

Back at the fight, Noisette snapped out of the horrified state she was in when she heard The Noise, Pepperman and Fake Peppino fighting Pizzahead behind her.

As The Noise was losing badly, Pizzahead was ready to petrify him to get him out of the way.

Noisette would not stand for that, so she got up, ran over... and took the beam for him.

While Pepperman and Fake Peppino backed off, believing The Noise would go berserk... instead, he cried.

Clove then headed over and defended The Noise with his magic, now done with being Pizzahead's henchman. That was what The Noise needed to forgive him.

So, with the help of Pepperman and Fake Peppino restraining Pizzahead and taking the orb from him, Clove and The Noise delivered a powerful combo attack, blasting the pizza man into the air, out of their way for now.

As Gerome and Gustavo found the blue orb, they rushed back and freed Peppino, restoring him to normal. The remaining others returned just in time to see this and quickly informed Gerome of the others that have been petrified.

Gerome then frees the others. Noisette runs over to The Noise to hug him. Maria is still holding Vigi, who's still shaken by what Pizzahead had almost done to him.

Clove apologizes once more for getting everyone into this situation, but they all forgive him, knowing he helped them get out and relieved that his friendship with Noisette was genuine after all.

Then they all make it back to town as a group, as Gerome takes both of the orbs back home.

Pizzahead then crashes into his wife's lab, looking very annoyed. Pizzawife then assures him not to worry, as her latest creation is almost complete...

#pizza tower #concept: pizza tower the series #character: too many to list #oc: clove #oc: maria nara #oc: pizzawife

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phantomdoofer · 1 year ago

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Chapter 12: Little Boulder

Gustavo whistled as he worked. He smiled at the joke of it. Business was steady. The cooling weather was bringing people inside, and having Noisette's across the street brought attention to the pizzeria, and vice versa. You scratch our back, we scratch yours. His new friends had settled into the gnome village like they belonged there. Peppino was happier than he'd ever seen him. Having his brother around helps. Gus had been Peppino's friend for a long time, but having someone so much like you gave you an outlet few had.

He reached over and scratched Brick's head. She was asleep in her corner, snoring gently. Then Peppino called from the front. "Ay, Gus, could you come up here a minute?"

"Sure, Pep," he called back. Wonder what's up. He wiped his hands dry, and stepped through the doors.

Peppino was standing at the counter, looking oddly solemn, across from-

"Oh, Giuseppe," Gustavo said in greeting. Normally he tried to quietly avoid Peppino's original; he knew the death of his own original still hurt the old soldier keenly. Normally Giuseppe could barely stand to look at him. But now he was looking at him intently.

"Thanks, Pino. Gus, is there somewhere we can talk? Privately? There's something I need to ask you." Giuseppe looked uncomfortable but determined.

"Uh, sure. Mind if we use the break room, Pep?"

Peppino nodded. "Sure, Gustavo, take as-a long as you need. I'll cover-a the customers."

The two went into the break room and sat at the small table. Both men looked uncomfortable. Gus coughed. "So, uh-"

"I'm sorry," Giuseppe broke in. "I know this awkward, but I've got to ask you something." He paused, waiting.

"What?" Gus said. The other man looked pained.

"Did... Did you know Gustavo is buried nearby? Outside La Crosta?"

Gustavo sat back. "No, I didn't. Where?"

"The same cemetery as your parents. He-he's buried under a pseudonym. Right next to them, in fact." He sighed. "We d-didn't want to upset you like that." He looked at Gustavo. "I'm sorry. I s-should have told you before, but..."

Gustavo sat for a while, thinking. How many times did I stand next to my own grave? No. His grave. He was still coming to terms with his dual nature. I don't know how Pep adapted so quickly. "I... guess it would be hard for you to talk about."

Giuseppe nodded. He started and stopped a few times, then his words came out all on a rush. "I'msorrybut theanniversaryofGustavo'sdeathissoon andIwantedtogovisitbutIalsowantedtosee ifyouwantedtogowithme wouldyouliketogo!" Giuseppe gasped a bit. "S-sorry. I should have told you as soon as I could, but..." he looked down, "I-I just... I'm sorry, I remember him when I see you."

Gustavo chuckled. Sometimes he really is like Pep. "I get it, Giuseppe. To be honest I've been avoiding you because I know I upset you. Thanks for telling me." He leaned back and thought. "Actually, yeah, I'd like to go, pay my respects. We're closed Saturday. Would that be all right?

Giuseppe seemed to deflate. "That's fine." He shook himself. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being uncomfortable around you."

Gustavo leaned forward. "I get it, really. I can't say seeing another Peppino in here wasn't a bit of a shock, but then, we had Fake around already."

Giuseppe stood up. "All right, then. I'll pick you up, say, 9 AM?"

"All right." Gustavo held his hand out, and Giuseppe shook it. "You'll have to drive though. Not sure Brick could handle both of us."

Giuseppe nodded. "Deal."

~~~~

Giuseppe had picked up Gustavo right on the dot. The drive was quiet, and more than a little tense. Can't blame him, though. This is doubly rough for the big guy. Giuseppe stared straight ahead, his jaw clenching visibly. Finally, he spoke. "Gustavo was more than my friend, he was my brother. He, Anita and I were grouped right after we were taken. We studied together, ate together, bunked together. We were tighter than family." He sighed. "Gus was our heart, really. When he died, it broke both of us. And seeing each other just reminded us of him." He pulled into the cemetery, and stopped. "I was still in the hospital when Anita left. I couldn't even talk yet. She left me a note, telling me what and why." His hands clenched on the steering wheel. "She didn't even tell me to my face."

"I guess it was too painful for her," Gus replied. "Sort of like how you act when you see me."

Giuseppe nodded. "Yeah. But it still hurt. Still does, really. I don't know where she is. I never tried to find her. She didn't want to be found. She always said she wanted to run off into the wild, just be away. I hope she got her wish." He looked off into the small forest of stones. "Sometimes when I've come here, I've found a single flower on his grave. I'm sure it's her - we're really the only people who knew he was here, besides a few higher-ups in the organization. But I haven't seen it for a while." He sighed. "I hope she's all right."

Gus reached up and patted his shoulder. "I hope so too. Now that you're out, maybe you could look for her?"

Giuseppe looked at him. "Maybe." He unbuckled and opened the door. "Ok, it's time."

Gus unbuckled and stepped out. He knew the path to his parents' graves. And he said it's right next to that, so... The two men slowly picked their way over to the spot, trying to avoid the other graves out of respect. Soon, they reached the spot, under a young oak tree. Gus had planted it himself, right after their deaths. It was still thin, but appeared healthy. Hi Mama, hi Papa, Gus thought quietly. It had been so many years, but it still pained him. Of course, it always would.

"Over here," Giuseppe called.

Gus walked over, around the tree, and found Giuseppe standing over a single grave. Gus didn't recognize the name, of course, but that didn't matter. There lies another me. A me who never got to have a life like me.

The bigger man had his hands clasped in front of him. He looked ready to cry. He unconsciously twirled the bracelet his friend had given him so many years ago.

Gus stood in a similar pose. It felt... strange, looking at the spot, thinking about what had happened. Then Giuseppe spoke, obviously in his own world.

"Hey, Gustavo. How've you been? I finally did it, I got out. And everyone knows what happened to us." He grimaced. "Of course, they're oh so sorry. Like that'll bring our lives back. Like it'll bring you back." His eyes welled up. "I remember every day." He shook his head. "But I got to meet your brother, Gus. He's a good guy, a lot like you, naturally. I wish you were here to hear some of the bullshit he's had to go through - as rough as some of the things we did! And he made it through. He's tough, like you were, you little boulder." He wiped his eyes.

Gus said nothing. While he was glad to finally know where the grave was, he knew little about the man. So instead he said a silent prayer. I hope your rest is peaceful. Hope you got to see Mama and Papa again. He walked up and laid a hand on the stone. Wish I'd had a chance to get to know you.

Behind them, a branch quietly snapped. Both men whipped around - there had been no noise before, and the ground was littered with dry leaves. One of us should have heard! Behind them was a person - short, wearing a black outfit, black hair laced with white framing a thin face. She held a single flower, a lily. On one arm was a bracelet just like Giuseppe's. She looked shocked.

Giuseppe gasped. "A...Anita?"

The woman turned and started to run.

Both men shouted. "WAIT!"

She stopped.

Giuseppe held out a hand. "Please. Anita, don't go." The desperation and loneliness in his voice broke Gus's heart. It reminded him of Peppino when he was deep in a fugue state, pleading with their old squadmates for forgiveness.

The woman stood with her back to them. Several tense moments passed. Finally she spoke without turning. "Sepp. I..."

Giuseppe didn't move. "Please. I just want to talk. Please."

Slowly, she turned. As Gus got a good look at her face, he saw deep lines there, deeper than there should be for a human in their 40s. She's grieved this whole time.

"I... I don't know, Sepp. It takes everything I've got to come here. And with... other Gustavo here..." She looked everywhere but at him. "I told you I didn't want to be found."

"I know. I respected that wish, too. I had no idea you'd be here, especially today," Giuseppe replied.

She snorted. "What, you didn't set your people on me?"

Giuseppe bristled. "First of all, no, I never set "my people" on you. Second, I'm retired now, so I couldn't do that even if I wanted to." He crossed his arms. "Do you trust me so little now?"

She took the same belligerent stance. "I don't know. You stayed with those bastards who got Gus killed. SHOULD I trust you?"

Giuseppe's faced turned red. Gus recognized that face - his temper was about to blow. "How dare you, you-"

"STOP IT!" Gus yelled. Both people looked at him in shock. "You two haven't seen each other in years and this is how you behave? At his grave? You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Both of them looked down, contrite. Then Anita spoke. "Really does sound like Gus, doesn't he?"

Giuseppe chuckled. "A bit wiser, but yeah. It makes sense, after all." He looked at her. "I'm sorry."

She looked back. "I'm sorry too, Sepp. Guess being alone didn't do my social skills any favors." She looked at them. "I... should have contacted you, Sepp. But it hurt too much."

"I just wanted to respect your wishes, Anita," Giuseppe replied. "I still worried about you. I'm glad you're OK." He turned to Gus. "Come on, we'll leave you alone-"

"Wait," she said softly. "No. I'm..." she sighed. "I'm tired of always being alone." She walked over to the grave, kneeled, and place the single lily on it. She crouched silently for several seconds, then stood. "Is there somewhere we can go and talk?"

Giuseppe nodded. "My apartment is over in Tower Town, a few miles away. Would that be all right?"

She nodded. "I'll follow you."

Gus wrung his hands. "If you want to drop me at my place, Giuseppe, I-"

Anita looked down. "No, Gus, I want you to come, too." She sighed again. "I need to face my fears, not run away from them. Come on."

Gustavo nodded. "All right, if that's what you want."

~~~~

Gustavo leaned on the table. He hadn't contributed much - most of the talking had been done by Giuseppe and Anita. They'd had a lot to discuss. Twenty years is a long time to have to catch up on. But he'd enjoyed the conversation anyway. The two had slowly warmed up until they were reminiscing like the old war buddies they actually were. They'd eventually started regaling him with stories of his other self - a person subtly but distinctly different than him. That puzzled him a bit. Finally, he asked about it. "Hang on. I know he grew up in a different environment, but why was he so different from me? What happened?"

Giuseppe looked a bit uncomfortable. "Gustavo wasn't just like you, really. He was put through an experimental process that enhanced his mental processing. It made him smarter, quicker-thinking. But it changed his personality a bit, too. He was the only success - everyone else it either didn't work on or they went insane."

Anita crossed her arms and frowned. "I hated them after I found out about that. What they did to us was bad enough. But that was horrific. It's a lot of why I left. I bet they didn't mention that in their little reveal, did they?"

Giuseppe shook his head. "Nope. And I pushed really hard for them to do so. Things like that are why I stayed - I tried to keep anything like that from happening again." He sighed. "I just... couldn't do it alone."

Anita touched his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sepp. Maybe if I'd stayed, I..."

Giuseppe smiled weakly. "No, Anita, I think you did the right thing. Once those bastardos decided they wanted to do something, that was that. Took me twenty years to finally admit it." He looked down. "I like to think I slowed them down a bit."

"You did what you could," Gustavo chipped in. "Just remember that."

Anita tapped her finger on the tabletop. "He's got a point. Even before I left you argued against stuff like that any chance you got. Only reason I stayed as long as I did. I'm amazed they promoted you as far as they did."

Giuseppe grinned. "Longevity, and that little stunt I pulled in Inferno, had a lot to do with that."

Gustavo looked confused. "Wait, Inferno? That thing that got destroyed at the end of the war? How were you involved with that?"

Giuseppe waved a hand. "Very long story, Gus, not one for right now. I'll tell you about it another time."

Anita leaned forward. "Point is, they sacrificed us for their own gains. Once Gus was gone, I couldn't take it anymore." She leaned back. "I'm sorry for how I did it. Really."

Giuseppe stared at her. "It really hurt me, you just disappearing like that. But I understood. I... was really angry with you. For a long time. But then I wished I'd had you there. To balance me out. Especially when those youngsters started getting uppity." He smiled at her.

She threw her hands up. "What? And be a glorified babysitter? No thanks!"

All three laughed. Then Giuseppe grew serious. "So, Anita. Are you going to just disappear into the wild again? Can I at least have a way to contact you?"

Anita looked down. "Like I said, I'm tired of being totally alone. But I also don't think I could stand living in a city, or even this village. Maybe I could build a place out on the edge."

Gustavo spoke up. "Pepperman's studio is way out on the cliffside, you could probably get a spot close to there, no problem." He smiled. "He's a strange guy, but I doubt he'd bother you... once you got through his thick skull you wanted solitude, anyway."

Anita laughed. "I like how you think, Gus. Maybe. I'll look into it." She held her hand out to Giuseppe. "Give me your phone and I'll put a number you can reach me at. If I do decide to build here, I'll let you know."

Giuseppe handed it over. "You sure you know how to work one of these?" He grinned smugly.

Anita rolled her eyes. "I haven't been that isolated." She quickly put in a number, saved it, and handed the phone back. "There. Just, don't write it down or give it out, please. I don't want to hear from anyone but you."

Giuseppe pocketed the phone. "I promise." He stood. "It's been... really good seeing you again. Even if you don't come here, stay in touch, eh?"

She smiled. "I intend to." She stood. "Oh, one more thing, Sepp. Since I've been gone I've got connections in... less than legal circles. Something's up, and I think it has to do with this place. Been hearing about this town and its people a lot. And stuff's been disappearing. Old tech stuff."

Giuseppe stood as well. "Nothing concrete, though."

She shook her head. "Nothing yet. If I get anything else, I'll let you know. Just... keep your eyes open, huh?"

He nodded. "Always. Thanks, Anita."

She opened the door. "I've got your back, Sepp, even if I'm not here. Remember that."

As she closed the door, Giuseppe slumped back down. "Few people I'd rather have at my back, Anita."

Gustavo sighed. "Is she always that... intense?"

"Worse. She used to curse a lot more." Giuseppe stood back up. "If she's not, she's distracted. Which means it's bad." He grabbed his keys. "You ready to head home?"

Gus nodded.

~~~~

Gustavo sat on his couch, scratching Brick's head. She hadn't left his side since he got back. She'd been intensely curious, sniffing him over. Maybe she's smelling Anita?

He thought about what he'd learned - his other's life, how alike yet different they were, and found he was more at peace than he had been. It's not such a mystery anymore.

He stood and moved to his bedroom. I can't just let it lie like that. I should do more. He made up his mind, nodded, and laid down. Next week.

~~~~

The next Saturday, Gustavo and Brick made their way through the graveyard. Gustavo showed Brick the path, and she nodded. She may not speak, but she understands. When they arrived, Gustavo made to put the flower arrangement he'd made on the graves, and realized something was on Gustavo's: a small package laid beside the lily Anita had placed. Gustavo looked at it and realized it had a note: for the living one. Curious, he put down the flowers, picked it up, and opened it.

Inside was a small circle of leather, and a note.

Gustavo, I hope you find this. This is all that was left of our Gustavo's bracelet after he was killed. I kept it all this time to remember him by. Having met you, I think it's right for you to have it. You may not be him, but I consider you a friend now, too. I'll be seeing you, little boulder. ~A

Gus clasped the little bracelet to his chest. It had been a long time since he felt like connecting with anyone besides Peppino and Brick. He smiled.

Brick patted his back as they stood over the peaceful grave.

#my stuff #pizza tower #pizzatower #pizza tower au #pizza tower fanfic #gustavo #brick the rat #giuseppe spaghetti #tower town au #TT AU

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