#giovanni vinci imagine

[dempseyregal]

Unexpected Surprise Part 1

A/N: This has been in my drafts for a while and I couldn't even finish it so enjoy the first part of this hot mess while I try to finish the other part

“Fabian, are you alright?” Marcel waved his hand in front of his face, but Fabian didn’t as much as blinked in response. “You’re leaving? But why Y/N? I though you loved it here!” His voice cracked with rage and hurt, but I couldn’t handle to tell him the truth.

I was pregnant, with Fabian’s baby, and couldn’t stay to wrestle until after the birth. I decided to go to Scotland and stay with my brothers’ wife until after the baby was born, I wanted to lay low. But all I told Imperium was that I quit because of personal problems within the family.

“Joe and Mark aren’t quitting?! Wolfgang is still creeping around, why don’t they quit too?!” “Because it doesn’t involve my brothers. Wolfgang isn’t even remotely related to me in anyway. My sister-in-law is expecting and there are complications with her health. I am leaving to take care of her.” I replied as I took my stuff and walked out of the dressing room while the three of them started debating and arguing with one another.

*8 and a half months later*

I was in the crowd at Takeover New York, flew in with Abigail to see the guys wrestle. They didn’t say who they were facing, just that my sister-in-law and I had to come watch them live. She was 5 months pregnant, and my little boy was fast asleep in my lap. It was the first time I stepped foot on WWE property since leaving.

Gallus made they way down to the ring and suddenly the lights went out and Imperium’s music hit. My heart dropped when I saw the three of them standing on the ramp, sadistic expressions on their faces. I looked at Fabian, his beard had grown, and his body had exploded to twice the size as when I saw him last. Marco started waking up in my arms and I panicked. “What if he sees him? He doesn’t know Marco’s his.” I whispered over to Abigail, and she looked over at my brothers, who also must have sensed my panic state as they went to work on distracting Imperium from walking around the ring.

The match was brutal to say the least.  Just when Wolfgang thought he had them pinned, Alexander Wolfe came from nowhere and caused a distraction, having Fabian pin him, winning the match for Imperium. I was frantically observing the ringside area for Joe and Mark when Abigail grabbed my arm. “He’s coming, let’s go!” She grabbed Marco’s bag but before I could follow pursuit, Fabian was at the barricade, grabbing onto my arm. “Y/N?! What are you doing here? I thought your sister in law had a baby alre-“He froze when he caught sight of Marco now fully awake, his big blue eyes staring back at Fabian with a toothless grin.

“I have to go.” I practically ran after Abigail to the backstage area, hoping and praying that their locker room was open so I could sneak in and hide there. TO my luck, it was and Abigail pushed me inside, closing the door behind her. I heard a commotion outside the door, German shouting and banging on the door. Joe and Mark burst through, pushing me into the bathroom. “Keep the lad in here until I tell you its safe to get out. These idiots want to see the baby.” I nodded and locked the door when he ran out, Abigail looking at Mark with wild eyes before he pursued our brother.

After a while, there came silence and a small knock from the door. “Y/N, come on out.” Mark’s voice sounded from the other side of the door. I opened it and saw the anger on his face. They were all seated in the locker room. All four members of Imperium and Wolfgang, Joe and Abigail were sitting around the table, Mark placing his huge hand on the small of my back.

Fabian jumped up but Wolfgang shot up to block his way. “Remember the deal Aichner. You get to see him but not too close.” I panicked once again and held Marco tighter to my chest. “You had a baby and didn’t tell us, Y/N? Why would you disappear like that?” Marcel spoke up while everyone just stared at the baby in my arms, smiling at all of them. “He looks just like you.” Walter pointed out to Fabian, who was focused on the giggling little human.

“He’s mine? Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve been there to help you during the pregnancy, I missed his birth! I missed the visits to the doctor!” I felt like bursting into tears. “I- I thought that you would want to take him away from me. I didn’t want you to know because I was scared.” I whispered and all eyes were on me in an instant. “Why would he do something like that Y/N?” Wolfe asked and Joe stood up, taking Marco from me and carefully putting him on the table in front of them to see.

I took a seat with them as Mark followed suit, sitting next to me, positioning himself in between me and his wife. “Our father tried to take us away from our mother when we were kids. So my mother tried to keep us a secret from the rest of the family afterwards scared that my father would come back for us.” Joe said as Fabian leaned froward, Marko grabbing his fingers and giggling as he pulled him close.

“I kept all of the ultra sounds and had videos made of my doctor’s appointments and the birth… SO when Y/N was ready, she could give them to you.” My sister-in-law spoke, Fabian looking over at her then at Marko. Marko had Fabian’s finger in his mouth, drool all over his hand. “Can I see it?” He asked and I obediently walked over to the little black case that I carried around with me. I handed it to him, and Marcel opened it, taking out the contents and handing them over to Fabian. Inside, photos of my scans, when Marko was born, Marko wearing an Italian supporter’s outfit that Mark bought him, a photo of Marko next to the Imperium flag I was gifted.

“I want the two of you to move in with me.” Fabian said while rocking Marko to sleep. I sucked in a breathe as I saw Joe tense up. “Its alright Joseph. He’s Marko dad, he has the right to have him around.” Wolfgang tried to calm him down while I held onto Joe’s hand. “You knew this was going to happen sooner or later Joe. We have to move.”

[howtotrainabraincell]

Imagine: Revelations Ezio falling in love with a young scholar and apprentice of Leonardo Da Vinci - Part 1

She had moved from England to Florence be with her mother’s side of the family, seeing as the Italian city was more open to women pursuing her interests.

Before that she had been in France and there, she met Leonardo Da Vinci. She began working with him and they got along wonderfully, when Leo heard about her plans to move to Florence, he entrusted the care of several of his artworks to her so they could be transported back to his hometown. To his original studio where she’ll run it for him and take in fellow artists.

They write back and forth for several years before the events of Revelations and the young woman convinces Da Vinci to share his work with all those he can. By opening up studios in well to do cities besides Florence and Paris. Such as Constantinople and Rome.

Da Vinci is impressed by her commitment, so he agrees to it. She goes to Constantinople and one of her trusted fellow artists takes over the one in Florence.

When she arrives in Constantinople, she’s nervous because she does not speak the language, but excited to get started. She gets lost on her way to the studio and while she doesn’t mind bc the city is beautiful; she realizes that she needs help.

Before she can ask for help a certain well known and beloved Turkish assassin sees her and offers his help. You guessed it! Yusuf Tazim. He escorts her to the studio, and they chat about pretty much anything and everything bc she was far off, and they instantly get along.

A note to the lovely readers: She already knows about the assassin’s bc she’s seen devices that Leo was working on for Ezio. Not to mention that when she was younger her father spoke of a man who saved his life in Florence. Giovanni Auditore. As a rich English nobleman her father & Ezio’s father met, when he was attacked by Templars hoping to scare/threaten him into financially supporting them. It didn’t work and the two became good friends. Her father was even there when Giovanni married Maria. Ever since, her father has always spoken highly of the Auditore family, even years later after returning to England.

Also note: She is a late baby born to her parents in her father’s early 50’s & her mother’s early 40’s. She was born in 1490 making her 21 (almost 22 - she hasn’t had her birthday yet) and Ezio 53.

Ezio sees her for the first time at the docks when he arrives in the Turkish city. She’s standing beside Yusuf coaching him on his Italian bc this man told her about his “Ezio de lalala” joke and she’s terrified it’ll get him sliced and diced LOL. Ezio immediately wonders who she is, drawn to her wit and the fact that she tried to encourage Yusuf to be respectful during their first interaction, not to mention her reaction when Yusuf got nervous and winged it...which means he accidentally reverted back to "Ezio de lalala" lol.

The woman shook her head as she face palmed, before patting the man on the shoulder and backing away from him. "Requiescat In Pace Yusuf."

The Turkish assassin laughed nervously before his head swiveled to watch her back up from him. "(name) where are you going?"

She held her hands up "I'm not trying to see you die Mr. De Lalala!"

"I got nervous!"

"Well, you certainly have reason to be now look at his hand!"

Ezio froze as the pair turned their eyes to him, before realizing that his fingers were meeting his thumb in a gesture all too familiar to him. He slowly raised his hand and sighed taking a step forward, "Da Firenze."

"Ah. Apologies Mentor."

She smiled as Ezio chuckled. "See! Easy." then her smile dropped. "Now I'm going to run before he slices you."

Yusuf laughed as his friend retreated from himself and the Mentor, "(name) he took the joke!"

She called out over her shoulder, not stopping in pursuit of distancing herself from them. "And in another minute, he'll take your young life!"

Needless to say, Ezio is very amused by her humor and also how adorably she ran away. After speaking with Yusuf, he finds out that she'll be around often because she also helps the doctor for the assassin's - working on the side as his apprentice.

He won't deny that he also finds her very beautiful - even more so with the few flecks of paint he noticed on her hands (the man's fond of artists hello to his best friend? Also not following cannon that Leo passed away in 1519 @ 67, he's still alive). Knowing that he'll have another chance to see her again fills him with excitement and also nerves, as it's been a little bit since he's been around such an interesting and beautiful woman.

Ezio certainly looks forward to his next encounter with her....

[teecupangel]

this is pretty hard to put into words but just hear me out. Imagine Desmond as a baker. Like a literally pastry/bread maker.

So the idea is that he'd have time traveled, by the apple or isu bullshit it's up to you, and basically gets adopted into this nice old family who own a bakery. They teach him everything and he settles down a bit. But it turns out he's travelled to before the executions of Ezio's family, where he has a chance to save them, but was warned against it by Minerva (or whoever) because it would mean the end of the world. So he has this moral dilemma the entire time. But also, he wants nothing to do with the Brotherhood. He's done with the Assassin's and Templars for a lifetime.

Then Leonardo comes along, because there's a nice family bakery down the road and he was craving something sweet, and sees Desmond (who is completely freaking out) and Leonardo assumes something... That he's Giovanni's bastard son. Which leads to a large moment of misunderstandings in which Leonardo is trying to tell the family that Desmond exists without sounding like he's accusing Giovanni of cheating but also trying to say something quick. Because if he saw the connection, so would other people.

But Maria, ignoring all the failed attempts of poor Leonardo, goes and orders a large amount of baked pastries to be delivered to the villa in celebration of someone's birthday. Lo and behold, Desmond appears to deliver the goods (and then to disappear into oblivion, because he just couldn't help himself to not see the family again)

Everyone stops when they see Desmond and Leonardo almost passes out from the pure amout of stress he had taken on. Then there's this whole scandal and poor little Desmond is smack dab in the middle of it.

Desmond could find baking as relaxing in the sense that baking requires precision and any deviation in the recipe (that is not like sugar content) could easily destroy it which, for someone like Desmond, might mean that the baker has complete control of what’s going to happen.

At least, if Desmond can’t have full control over his life, he could have full control over the pastries he makes.

Also, if we set it up so that Desmond wouldn’t know much about baking before he got adopted BUT he does know what pastries and cakes should look like and the ‘usual stuff’ that should be in them, hell, he could accidentally invent pastries that shouldn’t exist during that time period.

He would be known as someone not afraid to experiment and try new ingredients and people assume he’s a mad genius but Desmond is just trying to find possible alternatives he could use for the pastries he knows about but doesn’t exactly know how to make.

So Leonardo would be interested in the products themselves but also because of the rumor of this pastry/bread madman and both of them just stared at one another with wide eyes because Leonardo is thinking “Oh no, Giovanni cheated on Maria!” and Desmond is thinking “Oh fuck, what the hell is Leonardo doing here? Okay, stay cool, stay cool, stay freaking cool, Desmond”

And Leonardo becomes a regular because goddamn those pastries are to die for and Leonardo enjoys being Desmond’s taster (or, as Desmond like to call him, his guinea pig) all the while trying to drop hints that he knows who Desmond’s real father is.

Desmond misunderstands this hints as Leonardo knowing that he’s connected to the Auditores and he thinks if anyone could think “Ah! Of course! Time traveling bullshit!” as a reason for Desmond’s existence, it would be freaking Leonardo Da Vinci.

And, just to make everything more complicated, Desmond tries his damnest not to get near the Auditores but it wasn’t like they could reject Maria Auditore’s orders because that was a lot of money and also it would be social suicide to be known as the bakers who said no to the wife of Lorenzo’s unofficial second-in-command.

Instead of Desmond being the one to deliver it though, Ezio gets roped into getting the orders and Desmond freaks out because “oh shit, Ezio! Ohshitohshitohshitohshit!” so Desmond does want any normal person freaking out and out of option would do at that situation, pretend everything is fine and smile and be polite on the outside while just going “AAaaaaaaahhh *deep breath* aaaAAAAAAAAAHHHH” on the inside and Ezio is just staring at him and being uncharacteristically absentminded which Desmond assumed meant he must have just seen Cristina or something.

Instead, Ezio goes to Leonardo after delivering the pastries and go “I THINK MY FATHER CHEATED ON MY MOTHER AND HAS A SECRET CHILD!”

And Leonardo just goes “YYYYYEEESSSS!!!!”

Cue Leonardo and Ezio trying to drop hints to Maria about Desmond’s ‘real’ parentage (which Maria mistakes as Leonardo and Ezio really liking the pastries) and dropping hints to Desmond about his ‘connection’ to the Auditores (which Desmond mistakes as both Leonardo and Ezio coming close to finding out he’s a freaking descendant of the Auditores that time traveled) while Leonardo and Ezio suffer through both of their ‘obliviousness’.

(By the way, all this pastry talk made me remember Tasting History with Max Miller on youtube and, if you’re curious what food was like in the past, check his videos out. He even has a playlist for Medieval and Renaissance food)

[aboutzatanna]

You know, I would be down for another 'magic is dying' or 'universe is in danger because of magic' if we can get more exploration of Zatanna's great grandfather Luigi Zatara and Leonardo Da Vinci. Most of the time she is stuck fighting her Dad's villains (and Sindella is lucky to even get mentioned) but her other family members deserve exploration.

For instance if Da Vinci backwards writing was a form of magic then what he was weaving spells for? Did he face any occult magical threats during? If so, what kind? Imagine if those threats were coming back. What about his rivals; Michelangelo or Raphael? Did they have magical powers too? If so, what kind? And are there characters who are descendants of them like Zatanna is a descendant of Da Vinci?

I'm saying we need Johnathan Hickman to write a book on Zatanna's Family tree akin to his 2010 S.H.I.E.L.D mini series.

There is also Luigi Zatara who introduced John Zatara to magic:

First in DC Special Blue Ribbon #5

and then in Secret Origins Vol 2 #27:

Did Luigi have magical abilities as well? What happened to him? Did he lose his powers?

And looking closely, you can interpret this as him intentionally leading John Zatara to the path of being a sorcerer.

There is also this scene from Madame Xanadu #9 which somewhat contradicts what was previously established:

I think you could fudge canon to say the Giovanni had aptitude for magic at a young age, discovered stage magic later and then rediscovered Da Vinci's book as an adult.

[miss-kuki-nz]

Imagine if Gunther did lose the belt and he went to Smackdown 🤔. Giovanni Vinci would finally get his payback on Gunther 👏

[fanboykyle]

Fanboy Wrestling : WWE Night of Champions 2023

WWE Intercontinental Title Match : Mustafa Ali vs GUNTHER (c)

GUNTHER expects (demands?) that this match will be over in only one minute. However, the positive Mustafa Ali likes those odds and surpass them beyond anything GUNTHER can imagine. Folks, this one is going to shockingly go 25 minutes. Mustafa Ali may be literally bleeding from the chest by the time the match is over, but he makes GUNTHER wait for that victory as long as possible. Does Ali get a lot of offense? No. But he survives. By the time GUNTHER finally pins Ali, he’s even tired. As GUNTHER heads to the back with his title, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci both give Ali a pat on the back on their way out. Ali continues to put on good matches on television while GUNTHER and Imperium settle into a feud with the New Day which sees GUNTHER defend against Xavier Woods at SummerSlam… and lose.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

I started following you long ago for the lotr works and your work about renaissance Venice that are all greats and already complimented you so sorry If I pop up totaly random again, but I'm amazed by your Marsilio Ficino posts, because I've been into 15th century Lureantian Florence for ages and although at some point I started to read everything else, now I'm returned to my old habits and is so so nice to see anyone interested on Ficino and his boyband the Neoplatonic Academy!

On an exclusive pairing term I'm interested in all thes possible relationships between anyone who lived in 15th century Florence, having been an arts management/culture economics major I'm more into painters/artists/sort off, in particular Sandro Botticelli and his relationship with the Medicis, with Poliziano, Leonardo, but I'm also a Lorenzo/Poliziano/Pico truther, etc. I have to say that with time my appreciation for the Medicis decresed and now I'm more interested in other rich families, patron dynasties and drama annexes including the Pazzi ofc, and with them anything else that went wrong with the 1478 conspiracy.

And Giovanni Cavalcanti/Marsilio Ficino, so many memories from uni years! (I'm Italian so this is our standard study program eheh). I just remember how MF was down so bad for his platonic bro :')

I wanted to write to you a better paragraphs but my brain at the moment is all "yay Pazzi ooooh murder wooo so much philosophy, now I'm going to read a 1919 essay on Jstor about a sodomy process occurred in 1501 of an obscure venetian totally random poet".

Have a nice week and good Ficinanti lectures! <3 (and with all your amazing, wondersful, show stopping lotr fic!) ;D

Ficino and his Boyband is a) a great band name in and of itself and b) accurate because he was forever haranguing them to play music with him since we all know beautiful music, alongside staring at hot men, is a prime way to help get closer to God and the Truth etc.

He even has Luigi Pulci for his Dastardly Band Rival

Lorenzo: can I like both of you?

Ficino: absolutely not. you have to choose. and it should be me.

Lorenzo: mmmmm no.

but yeah! I love when people pop up who are also into all things Ficinian! My brief past life in academia was all social history of early modern Europe - and while I did meddle with things like translation and state and social identity in colonial New Spain (what is now Mexico) and political/state identity in reformation England, my real love was always the Italian city states. Each and every one of them a fun and exciting hot mess. (And particularly queerness and the state in 15th and 16th c...there might be a thematic trend here)

I had an ex describe Florence from 1430-1510 as "a bunch of toddlers piled on a tricycle going downhill at top speed with no breaks" and I think that's accurate.

-

in particular Sandro Botticelli and his relationship with the Medicis, with Poliziano, Leonardo

I just have this image of Botticelli in the background yelling commentary at people who are like "that's nice Sandro". For some reason that's how my brain imagines both him and Poliziano.

Foreground: Ficino & Lorenzo arguing about church taxes or something, or Ficino & Pico arguing about Platonic Concepts of Love or whatever

Background: Poliziano and Botticelli sharing a pack of cigarettes making scathing soto vocce commentary on what is happening.

In the wings: Giovanni trying to convince his boyfriend not to do anything too stupid, or at the very least Don't Write It Down & Have It Printed, while Luigi Pulci is like "this is Marsilio we're talking about here. He loves writing things down and having them printed then becoming very annoyed when the Church arrives to knock-knock-knock on his parish door."

-

So I'm working on a Ficino book and I have this mental image in my head of him and Giovanni on a rooftop. It's like 2am. They're trying to get Ficino's father Who Is Now A Demon/Revenant For Reasons into a bag. They look over and see Leonardo da Vinci on the roof with them in a strange contraption.

They all stare at each other.

Giovanni: hey Leo.

Leonardo: hey Giovanni. Nice night for it Marsilio.

Marsilio: . . ...

Leonardo: is that...is that your father with glowing red eyes?

Marsilio: my father is dead, Leo. You know this.

Leonardo:

Leonardo: ok.

Leonardo:

Leonardo: have you told him that? he doesn't look dead.

Marsilio: go away, Leo.

Giovanni: are those.

Giovanni:

Giovanni: are those wings? like....are those wooden wings? are you....are you going to try and fly?

Leonardo: um. yes?

Giovanni:

Giovanni: ok.

Leonardo: this is a uh...this is a moment where we all pretend we didn't see each other isn't it? This is one of those moments, right?

Marsilio: yes. yes it is. Bye Leonardo.

On the street 9 year old Machiavelli escorting his drunk dad home from the tavern: NICE UNDEAD FATHER YOU HAVE THERE FICINO.

Marsilio: oh my god shut the fuck up

Anyway - please enjoy this scene that has been rotting in my head for a fortnight now.

-

I'm also a Lorenzo/Poliziano/Pico truther

always and forever I am with you as a Lorenzo/Poliziano/Pico truther. You don't bury two men in the same grave* unless there are Reasons!

(*you do, in fact, sometimes do that. But I'm ignoring this)

I remember when I was doing grad work at uni Pico and Poliziano were The Hot Thing to gossip about in the staff room. Like I had profs, after a bottle or two of wine, being like "well, Piero poisoned them because of politics, sure, but also mostly because they were probably shacked up with his father at some point and he felt weird about it"

As always, there is the Formal Historian Opinion and the I've Had Two Bottles of Wine and/or My Writer's Hat Is On Opinion. Two, sometimes radically different, things.

Anyway - I'm here for Poliziano/Lorenzo/Pico. At the very least it was Ploziano/Lorenzo then later Poliziano/Pico and maybe there was one really messy Carnival week when it was Pico/Lorenzo. Also maybe Pico/Marsilio but they never, ever talked about it ever again. Marsilio would have felt so ashamed and guilty and Pico would be like "it's kind of like fucking an older brother/uncle and I don't want to think about it" and Giovanni is like "Excuse Me I am your Soul Husband, Marsilio" and Marsilio is like "you have four daughters with your mistress - we have Complications in our relationship ok?"

god everyone was a WRECK

-

I just remember how MF was down so bad for his platonic bro :')

They were married! In their souls! I don't subscribe to it being a one-sided thing. I know some historians and writers have argued that it was one-sided with Ficino being desperate for Giovanni who didn't return the same level of feelings. But I don't really subscribe to that for various reasons.

Now, how their relationship manifested between them, in terms of physical and non-physical love, who knows.

Ficino entered the priesthood in his forties and I believe it was a natural progression for him in terms of his own philosophical journey. It was also a bit of a God Found Me moment. Like a real calling, versus "third son and I need an occupation" which was the case for obviously 95% of the clergy. We know Ficino took his role as priest very seriously and undertook all his duties with diligence and dedication. He kept accounts, did all the smaller administrative tasks that a lot of priests would shove off onto the shoulders of someone else. Nothing was too small or humble for Ficino's attention.

Given that aspect of who he was, and his seriousness with which he undertook his own philosophical teachings and practices, I presume he took all of his vows earnestly and seriously, not least the vow of celibacy. Or he would have tried very, very hard.

Obviously, celibacy in the Catholic Church has a long, complicated history and even in Ficino's lifetime there were still some mutterings about it. Though he was absolutely not one of the people going "hm, maybe priests should be able to have a wife or something."

Ficino's relationship with sex and physical desire was clearly complicated. Made worse, likely, by the fact that the object(s) of his desire were fellow men and we all know what that means in the year of our lord 1470-something.

That said, physical desire was very much intertwined with God, Beauty and Truth in his ladder of love/salvation. It's something he struggled to reconcile - the fact that he firmly believed perception and engagement with Beauty by the Mind, Soul and Spirit of a person is how we are to become closer to God and a person comes to find and know true Beauty through desire. It's one of the foundations over which he and Pico quarreled as it relates to the Platonic understanding of the ladder of love.

Pico felt Ficino's insistence that physical desire be part of salvation was too risky and would lead to sodomy/sinful things while Ficino couldn't perceive a world in which Beauty was understood or discovered through means that were entirely non-corporeal.

It's all a little pear shaped.

The mind tries to reach God through beauty, which is determined by desire.

For a man who was so very cerebral and spiritual - who bled into the mystic and ecstatic traditions of Catholic spirituality - he was at the same time incredibly earthy and corporeal. I suspect his being quite aware of his own body and its urges is what drove a lot of this push/pull that we see in his writing.

There are plenty of letters where he writes Giovanni in a manner that suggests they have certainly partaken of physical displays of love with one another. There's that one where he writes about how he and Giovanni don't need tongues and hands to show love to one another implying, of course, that they have done such things.

He wrote to Bernardo Bembo that Bernardo must have the eyes of a lynx for he perceived that Giovanni and Marsilio were soul-married (or whatever) long before they themselves were aware of it. Which makes me laugh because of what a perfect fucking fanfic set-up that is. Like what? Next you're telling me, Marsilio, that you and Giovanni were travelling once and Oh No There Was Only Bed**.

Bernardo: GET A ROOM.

Marsilio: ?????

Giovanni: ?????

Bernardo: I swear to God and the good mother Mary you two are gagging for each other and need to just fuck about it or something.

Poliziano, in the background: I've been saying that for yeeeaaaars.

(**never mind that everyone shared beds back then so it would have been very normal and they just would have been like "why would there be more than one bed?? you can fit so many people in one bed and we all have minimal furniture. It's 1473.")

-

now I'm going to read a 1919 essay on Jstor about a sodomy process occurred in 1501 of an obscure venetian totally random poet

oh my god, Venetian sodomy stories break my heart because Venice went so hard on punishment in a way Florence just...didn't.

This is what happens when you put a city on a lagoon! It makes everyone paranoid that if they offend God he will sink them under the waves.

Granted, it was quite something in the 17th century when the Ten ordered a review of the Venetian merchant fleet, have heard that there was Much Sodomy & Other Vile Things Occurring and found that yeah, everyone has been fucking each other on boats for centuries now.

And the Ten were like: :O whaaaat and God didn't strike us down??????

Pokemon meme: The Ten Hurt Themselves in Their Confusion.

-

I remember reading one account of a man (I want to say he was a cittadini merchant) who began an affair with his rower. It was a long term thing, the rower even married a (probably illegitimate) niece or something of the merchant. They were very much clearly Lifers.

Anyway - got found out and the two were rounded up and the cittadini guy told his rower, 'Look, just say I forced you. Say it was unwilling on your part and I was making you do it' etc. because he figured as a member of the cittadini class he had a better chance of getting off the hook than his lover who was as a no one.

His lover was reluctant to do that but agreed to the rouse - however, the Ten were on a serious crackdown that year and hauled him in for torture anyway. Despite his being a "victim" and therefore, traditionally, not seen as being as much to "blame" for the sinful acts etc.

During the torture, the rower ended up confirming that no, it was not forced. Yes, he was very much into it. The big kicker was that one of them ended up admitting that they switched "roles" so both topped and both bottomed, which was obviously a big deal in terms of perception of masculinity and culpability in these cases.

Sadly, they both ended up on the pyre and were burned to death between the pillars of the Lion of San Marco and Poseidon in the palazzo di San Marco.

(nb: the details are sketched out loosely here, it's been a while since I read that case so I could be misremembering exactly how things played out)

-

Every time I see pics of tourists between those pillars I'm like, "Do you know how many men were burned to death for sodomy right where you're standing? And how many members of government were hanged for treason (or "treason") and their bodies left so their colleagues got to walk by them on their way into work? I bet there's a ghost in your picture."

It's a bit of a mood killer for tourists, apparently.

annnnyway. Venice and sodomy laws! Heartbreaking!

-

Despite that, the city did have a thriving sodomy scene which is hilarious. Though, as the famous saying went, It takes only seven days for the sun to set on a Venetian law and they must recreate it.

Love that bit in Sanudo's diary where he's like: The Ten, in their wisdom, issued another promulgation reminding everyone that sodomy is illegal and it was read aloud in the Rialto and everyone in the market laughed.

--

ok, my turn to apologize for making this WAY too long. I just - I have the worms they are in my brain and they are going !!!!!!!! about all things relating to Ficino and also 15th and 16th century Venice.

<3 <3 <3 <3

[itjazzbicch]

Need For Speed

Pairing: Giovanni Vinci x Fem Reader 

Summary: Having to go back to the arena later in the day, the reader has some fun when she gets the opportunity to race her sports car against a Ferrari, surprisingly ending up in the same location, beating the driver, she learns that it is someone she has some heat within NXT, Giovanni…

Warnings: SMUT! (18+ ONLY!) 

First time writing for Giovanni, so I hope that I did well!

Word Count: 2.2k 

Tag List: @demonqueen29 @peachy-satan00 @new-zealand-chic  @crowleysqueenofhell @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin @thatpanpal @damnnhausen@irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @linziland13 @xxx-jazz-xxx @writtingrose @cuzimacomedian @april-jeanette-wagner @starwithaheart @seeingstarks @rubyred1980 

I DO NOT OWN THIS GIF:   

The sunset was beautiful with the day almost over. Unfortunately, not escaping some time at work as there were things I needed, but with some good music, the air conditioner helping with the heat of the day, and a straight road in front of me.

One little trip to the arena wasn't going to hurt, but something else was on my mind when I came to a stop light, a red Ferrari with blacked-out windows next to me.

It was a sexy car, but not like my Porsche 911. I paid it no mind, focusing on the light taking forever till the car revved its engine at me.

Looking over quickly, I revved back just for that driver to do the same. There was no traffic around us and a straight shot down the highway. That Ferrari sure could make some noise, but so could my Porsche and when that light turned green, we were off!

Whoever was driving was good and the car was faster than I thought, but I was always the kind of person with a card up my sleeve, in this case, turbo.

I let him think he had the advantage, then hit the turbo and blasted off, engine roaring from it and laughing while watching the car disappear in my rearview mirror.

Races always pumped me up, shaking from the rush while having to slow down and enter the arena. Shaking off the small adrenaline jitters that I had, I grabbed my phone and keys and when I got out of the car, there was that red Ferrari next to me.

Giovanni Vinci. How did I not realize that it was him?! This was too good now. That Ferrari was like his child or something and I beat him in a race? Even with sunglasses on, I could feel the beam in his eyes like he had laser vision.

"You know," I just had to tease him about losing, showing off my Porsche, "I got this straight from Germany. Flat six-cylinder engine and-"

"Twin Turbo," He finished, taking his sunglasses off to really beam his glare.

"And my oh my does it go!" I laughed, looking at his Ferrari and digging, "It doesn't have turbo?"

His silence only made me laugh more, fixing my own sunglasses and shaking my head:

"What a shame. But, not the first time I one-upped you in something. It's why I have a bigger contract."

Giovanni and I were like oil and water. We just didn't mix. When he learned that my debut got more attention than his, having the highest point in views on television, he envied me for some reason. Not saying that himself, his actions said it all.

I had my fun poking at him and after finishing up things in the office, the night sky was full of stars and while unlocking my car, I hopped in ignoring my surroundings, till Giovanni's window rolled down.

He was still here? Rolling mine down, I listened to what he had to say:

"I can beat you."

"You sure? Because you couldn't earlier," I laughed, sticking my tongue at him a bit, starting my car and he did the same:

"Oh, I'm sure."

"You know what?" My engine was so silent you couldn't tell my car was even running sometimes, I was down for another race, but I wasn't letting him off easy, "We're not too far from the beach. You know where-"

"The finishing lot?"

He has definitely raced around here. That's where a lot of racers used their finish lines practically.

"Ohhhh, you've raced around here before?" I smiled, my hand low enough and so quiet that I shifted gears without him knowing, "Have fun trying to beat me there!"

Unlike him, I had a clear shot out of the parking lot and I took off, blasting some music always made it more fun, getting such a good head start, till I saw lights right behind me.

My jaw dropped at how fast he caught up, even passing me! We had some distance and no cars? He was in for it, shifting gears and really pushing it by going on the other side of the road to pass: 

"Oh, no you don't!"

No one has ever had to make me actually try like this. Some traffic heading toward the beach slowed the both of us down and I wasn't afraid to go around it then I learned that Giovanni felt the same, following me through a massive drift past a red light.

I was praying no cops were around but determined to win, so close to the parking lot and when I drifted in and hit the brake to stop, Giovanni was right next to me, stopping right next to me. We tied?!

Unable to accept that, I quickly hopped out and claimed:

"Again, a loser!"

"Ah, ah! I got here first!" He hopped out too, the two of us meeting between our cars and I gave him some props:

"I'll admit, that Ferrari is better than I thought. But I won."

"But you didn't," He smirked, leaning in my face a little, "The only thing that's fast is that mouth of yours that you like to run."

"And you like it," I flipped around, causing a stir and teasing, "Because every time I talk, I almost always leave you speechless."

Laughing at me, I took another chance to stir, flipping the collar of his shirt and smirking, "Don't deny it, Gio. I leave a lot of people speechless so you're not alone. And much like our cars and wrestling, I steal all the spotlight."

"I'd watch it if I were you," He glanced at my hand then stared into my eyes, "You never know when someone might leave you speechless for a change."

"Oh my dear, Giovanni. Stop," I laughed, gripping his collar to establish some seriousness, "Like that'll ever happen."

I didn't expect him to take a handful of my shirt, bringing me so that our noses were almost touching. Something was different, his whisper showing that bit of change:

"It will happen, because of me."

His behavior towards me always lead me to believe that we were rivals and now, with him kissing me? I was speechless. Lips so good that I had naturally kissed back, smiling because of how I gave in so quickly, but something else was there, especially when I got a little bit of tongue and it sent a tremble through me.

"See?" He snickered, kissing softly, "Speechless."

"Did-" I had to register this, nearly glitching, "Did you just kiss me?"

"Was one not good enough for you?" He kept laughing at me and while thinking about us, his behavior, and how he handled things with me, I was the one smiling. Putting the pieces together, his laughter stopped, and mine began:

"I understand now."

"Understand what?" Leaning against his car, he tried to act all tough. Little did he know, I was so good at making people crack, and after that kiss? Doubts were out the window, getting right against him, raising my thigh between his, stroking the roof of his car, and smiling:

"Finally found a girl that can get your engine to go? And I'm not talking about the Ferrari. Is there any other reason why you would kiss me?"

"It's a good way to get a woman like you-"

"Spare me the nonsense," I took the chance to kiss him this time, this one progressing much more than the first, raising my leg more and feeling a slight hard-on, rubbing my thigh to harden it, giggling at him, "More like a good way to turn you on."

Holding my tight, he squeezed it hard, trying to deny, "I just drive women crazy. It's a good way to throw them off."

"You're not throwing anything off of me," I smirked, annoyed with his denial, "Just admit it. You did because you like me, not the whole player mentality."

"You never stop talking, do you?"

Kissing me again and hoping it would leave me shocked like before, only drove me further. Gladly returning his kiss, I made sure to move my thigh again and it triggered him to start moving his hands around me, whispering a suggestive off to see if this was serious:

"If you want to keep moving fast, we should probably get in the cars, hm?"

"The only time you'll be in my car," He stood up and flung the door open, sitting in and dragging me in with him.

I didn't care to even pay attention to his car, only wanting more thrills because there was no denying all of the lust that he built up in me, and not afraid to acknowledge how handsome and sexy he was in every aspect.

"You weren't wrong in a way," Stradling him and rising on my knees, I was ready for what was about to happen, fixing my skirt and panties, having him watch with a bigger smile, tongue swiping those pearly whites:

"About?"

It was hard to confess due to my ego, but I let him have his moment to be right:

"You do drive me crazy."

"Should've known that I wasn't lying," He kept smiling, throwing his hips up to shoot me upward a bit, really throwing me a curveball, putting me in the passenger side, putting the seat back as far as it could go, climbing over and finding his way with my legs up wide, fixing himself to take me, "Don't try to make a mess when you lose yourself."

"Lose myself?" He made it so hard to keep up my smart, sarcastic ways, humming at the feeling of the tip of his cock entering me, realizing myself how wet I was, holding his shirt with two hands, "Can't make any promises."

That was more truthful than a joke, chest filled with trapped air that made me a bit lightheaded because I didn't let it out, not wanting to praise him so early because he was giving me every inch, wanting to see me under him and submitting to him.

"You're already messing up my shirt," He kissed clenched fist, warning but also giving rapid thrusts, "You better not mess up my car."

"Can't you hear yourself?" I couldn't take it anymore, gasping for air and all of the moans pour out of me, "You expect me to stay proper when you're going like that?"

"Want to be more specific?" He knew exactly what he was doing to me, adding to the stimulation with a finger going at my clit.

I was trying so hard to keep myself together that I ripped his shirt open, feeling all over to take my mind off of how steaming hot my body was becoming, the friction with his cock pounding and making my seams split bit by bit, quicker and quicker.

"You've never had it as good as me," He smiled and leaned to whisper in my ear, "Never been this loud, never so close to such a good thing so quickly. Is that why you can't stay 'proper'?"

"Giovanni! If you don't shut up and keep going!" I was nearly in tears from the burn, trying to hold back just for my hips to keep bucking, holding the back of the seat and raising my legs higher at my spasming walls.

"Why don't you tell me first?" Of course, he would slow down, keeping the same strength so I didn't die down too quickly, "Can't know what you want if you don't use words."

He just loved laughing at me, how I became so tongue-tied, giving up on words for a comeback and biting my lip so hard that I whined at it, one speedful thrust making it pop free along with my defeat:

"I'm so close to cuming, Gio! Now, just keep going, please!"

"That wasn't hard, now was it?" He brought all of that intense speed back, getting me right back into a crazed state, losing all sense and arching off of the seat, holding his shoulders for dear life and crying out:

"G-Gi, I'm cuming, Giovanni-!"

Even he had to watch for himself, all of the slick between my thighs surely messing up my skirt, still taking his cock through it all, the friction having me ache some, taking me out and having me drop into the seat barely able to breathe, hearing under his breath:

"I'll let you get away with that just this one time."

"You like that?" It was so nice to breathe, even better to get back my own little confidence, winking at him when I opened my eyes, noticing as well, "And just this 'one' time? You wanting more?"

Knowing what I meant, he rolled his eyes and didn't shut me down completely, winking back with his smart lip, "Maybe if you can actually beat me next time." 

[braindead-virtually-tv]

I want Giovanni fics purely for the reason that I know his trope would become, "Getting up to no good in the Ferrari" if you catch me 😂😂💀

[void-detective]

Impending Doom

((GIF NOT MINE!! Dividers made by cafekitsune))

Authors note: There's no fics for this man so I took it upon myself to do a service. This is my first reader x story 😭 I'm sorry if it's a little awkward!

Warnings: teasing, slightly suggestive(?, and simping

Word count: 1,229

Edited 4/23/24: Part two here!

Summary: With your soft spot for dominant heels in the industry, it only seemed inevitable that he would eventually get to you. Although nervous at first your friend helps encourage you to approach the Intercontinental champion, hopefully it goes well.

Day 639 of Gunther's Intercontinental Championship run

You always had a soft spot for heel wrestlers, whether it be Miz or someone like Pete Dunne. You always enjoyed loving the bad guys over the good guys when I came to wrestling. So you really shouldn't have been surprised when you ended up liking Gunther, right? No one matched the pure strength and dominance of the when it came to being a force to be wreckin with.

You were seated with Rollins backstage to watch a match between Jey Uso and Gunther for his Intercontinental Championship. You had a hunch on who was probably going to win even if you knew everyone adored the Main Event, Jey Uso. You leaned back in the seat watching Jey finish up his entrance and peered over at Seth who was leaned back holding his own championship close on his lap while watching.

As soon as the lights went out in the area and you heard the first few notes of Symphony No. 9, you were inching closer to the edge of your chair. You ignored the look Seth gave you as you watched Gunther walk out in front of the titantron, lifting his head at the cue of music as the Imperium graphics lit up the screen. With his hands folded behind his back and the gold secured around his waist, Gunther walked down towards the ring.

He stepped up the stairs and made his way to the apron where he wiped his feet back and forth before going under the ropes. Once in the ring, Gunther raised the championship before looking at Jey across the ring with a smirk. He walked across the ring holding the title towards his face and turned to hand it off to the referee with a bit of a scowl.

Each chop delivered across Jey’s chest sent an echo through the arena and you found yourself sitting at the edge of your seat as Gunther picked him up. With a slam into the middle of the ring, Jey was sent down from the powerbomb before the champion went in and pinned him.

The three count ended as Gunther retained and released a breath you didn't realize you were holding as you relaxed your shoulders. You heard Seth chuckle and looked over your shoulder at him as you raised a brow.

“I never seen you so tense over a match Y/N.” Rollins chuckled in amusement as he leaned forward and raised a brow at you in question. “So it's Gunther now? I guess I'm not surprised.” The architect snorted when you scowled at him and waved at you in a dismissive way.

“Have you ever spoken to the guy?” You leaned back in your seat to look more directly at Seth as you tilted your head curiously. You knew he had previously spoken to Gunther in a promo while injured but that was as much as you saw.

“Outside the ring? Nah, but I heard he's a pretty chill guy behind the scenes though. I'd still be careful though, the rest of the Imperium followed him everywhere.” The champion added with a frown as he propped his leg over the other with the hurt one on top. His face showed mostly amusement and curiosity as he watched you stand up.

“Thanks Seth, I'll be careful.” You nodded in agreement as you patted your friend's shoulder as you moved further backstage. You moved past other superstars as you glanced at the people standing around the hallway.

You kept searching till you recognized the black ring attire of the two main Imperium members, along with the large figure of Gunther. You bit your lip feeling your nerves wrecking up all the sudden as you took a deep breath and approached the stable slowly, trying to appear as friendly as possible.

Ludwig immediately took notice of you and raised a judgemental brow as he moved in front of Gunther along with Giovanni stepping to his side with a stiff looking glare. “Can we..help you lass?” Kaiser questioned with a suspicious tone as he folded his arms behind his back.

“Uh, yeah I was wondering if I could talk to Gunther?” You whispered trying to not sound intimidated considering most of them were a lot taller than you. Your brows furrowed in betrayal of your attempt to appear collected as you curled your fingers in your jacket out of habit. You felt like your heart might as well beat out your chest and you might die on the spot but you tried to retain a calm and confident look.

The pair exchanged a look as Kaiser raised an eyebrow before peering over their shoulder at the leader of Imperium. Gunther was removing the tape from his wrist and only gave you half a glance over his shoulder before simply nodding. The other two members moved aside, giving you accusing looks as you slowed inched past towards the Intercontinental champion.

You swallowed hard and stopped just a few feet from him looking up at him as you smiled folding your hands in front of yourself. Please don't let me look like a nervous wreck. You thought to yourself as the Ring General turned to look at you with an unreadable expression crossing his features.

“How can I help you Y/N?” Gunther frowned as he rubbed his face with a towel so he wasn't sweating as much as he looked back at you, not giving much of an expression like the other two had.

“Oh uh, I just wanted to say I thought you were an amazing heel and that you really deserve to be the longest reigning champ. I really admire your work and I uh..I've been watching a lot of your matches as of late.” You chuckled before feeling your cheeks heat up noticing you basically gushed and rambled to him and looked down at the floor as you fidgeted with the jacket.

God damnit.

Gunther only chuckled in an amused way as he smirked and raised a brow seemingly getting a boost in his ego and both prided being praised so openly. His arms now folded over his chest as he seemed to almost size you up only making you feel smaller.

“Really? I'm not used to getting compliments from female superstars but I appreciate the admiration.” He couldn't hide the pure amusement in his tone as he furrowed his brow leaning down slightly to your height. Maybe he could take advantage of the opportunity just to mess with you, your reactions only fueled his amusement anyway.

“But I'd be careful.” His austrian accent became more noticeable in his low, almost dangerous tone. His eyes glimmering in a condescending and mocking way as he stared you down even at this height now. “Running around getting involved with me might just get you..in trouble.” Gunther muttered and let out a small chuckle at the way your cheeks burned brighter.

Giovanni and Kaiser came into view at either side of Gunther while the General watched you like a predator about to take down prey. The other two men smirked too as they exchanged a knowing glance then looked back at the leader of the stable. The last words of the bigger male wrestler left a shiver up your spine when he spoke again in a low tone.

“I would hate to break something so fragile.”

[dempseyregal]

Unexpected Surprise Part 2

A/N: Part 2 is here!! Enjoy my ramblings

Surely enough, we moved back to Orlando. Joe and Mark moved their flat to one just down the street that if I needed them, they would come running. It was awkward, I couldn’t move around the flat without Fabian running to see what was happening. “You need something? I put the milk you pump for Marko in the fridge and I had your lunch ordered 5 minutes ago, its on its way.” I thanked him and went to the lounge to sit down and check up on Marko, who was almost 9 months old. He was crawling along on his play mat, a few teeth visible now when he smiled.

Fabian came in a few moments later, package in his hands. He put it on the table and disappeared to grab plates, dishing up for us while I grabbed Marko and made him comfortable on the couch. We ate in silence apart for Marko occasionally giggling when Fabian fed him a French fry, some odd warm feeling starting to creep in. I was hoping that one day we could be a family, but I was scared.

“You need to eat Y/N. You haven’t touched your food.” He spoke while cleaning the front of Marko’s shirt up. “I was wandering, I got a call from Shawn Michaels, asking if I was willing to come back, that if I could get a nanny to watch Marko while we worked. You wrestle on the main roster now so he can’t travel as much with you.” Fabian smiled and nodded. “We’ll check in with Walter’s sister. She came to live with him and she watches kids. We could ask her if you wanted.” “Yeah, that would work.”

As weeks moved on, I went back to training while Walter’s sister watched Marko, sending updates regularly when he was asleep or when he needed something. I was on my way home when I got a call from Fabian. “You almost home?” “Yeah, why?” “Marko started walking so you need to see this.” After Fabian dropped the call he sent a video of Marko pulling himself up against the couch and balancing down the side as he wobbled. Marcel was on the other side of the couch and Walter was nearby cheering him on.

I got to the house soon after, Joe and Mark also appearing out of thin air. “Fabian said the lad started walkin’! Oh I can’t believe the bugger grew up so quickly.” I led them into the house, everyone soon gathered in the lounge to see Marko repeating his trick once again. I felt Fabian throw his arm around my shoulder and pulling me into a hug while everyone was focused on Marko. “Thank you for staying here. I missed you.” “I missed you too, Fabian.” 

“Hey guys, look the little one is doing it without holding on!” Marcel shouted as Marko temporarily let go of the couch and made a few steps before coming to land on his butt, all laughing and giggling at his uncles who were cheering him on. “This is our family now huh?” Mark came over when Fabian went to get everyone something to drink, while I changed Marko in the bathroom. “Yep, its our family now.” I said as I dressed Marko. “You still love Fabian?” I looked at my brother but didn’t answer. “Yeah. I guess I do still love him.” I replied and we walked to the lounge where everyone were cheering and laughing about Marko’s waddle.

“He got pretty strong legs for his age.” Walter commented when we sat down. “Yeah, must be the Scottish blood coming through there. Got it from his uncles that.” Joe laughed as Fabian butted in. He’s my kid. He got those legs from me.” They went on back and forth about who was bigger and in the end Fabian won by disqualification because Marcel chose to interfere. “Yeah, but Joe’s got more injuries than Fabian.” “OK that’s enough. We should be getting back, Abigail would be arriving home soon and then we need to get ready for the little one’s birth tomorrow.” Mark and Joe left and Walter followed Marcel’s lead a little while after.

I hopped to get the place cleaned up while Marko was put to bed. Fabian caught me in the kitchen as I was packing away the last of the cups. “You need help with anything?” “Nope, all done.” “Listen, uhm… I heard what Mark said to you earlier, I just wanted to let you know that I still love you too.” Everything grew quiet, Fabian froze in the door. I started laughing hysterically at Fabian’s confused expression. “You’re too sweet, love. Now, let’s get to bed before that little monster of yours wakes up.” He wrapped his huge arms around my thin waist and hoisted me into the air and ran off to the bedroom.

As he put me down onto the bed, he started kissing my face all over, going to my jawline and my neck. Before anything could happen, Marko started crying. “Seriously, Marko?” Fabian mumbled something under his breath before getting up to get Marko. He came back a few moments later with Marko in his arms, rubbing his eyes before snuggling into Fabian’s chest.

We curled in under the covers, Marko’s little body wedged in between us, already asleep. I fell asleep as Fabian started rubbing circles on the back of my hand, placing soft kisses to the tips of my fingers. “I love you Y/N.” “love you too Fabian.”

[freshstartfromscratch]

So here's 1920s Ezio and Cristina who doesn't really look like Cristina but that's mostly on hair.

It's from my alcohol influenced series of AC characters in different decades of the 20th century.

I copied and pasted the story I came up with for this AU

Florence, 1923. Kingdom of Italy went through numerous tribulations between the unification and WWI, the liberal state failed its citizens, and in October 1922 National Fascist Party (PNF) took over the country. The king appointed Mussolini as the prime minister of Italy. Many people support the new leader and hope that he will lead the barely unified country to a glorious future. During those troublesome times, a young Liceo Classico student, Ezio Auditore, tries to navigate his journey towards adulthood. It is a difficult task due to his family situation. His father Giovanni died fighting in WWI. The same conflict left his older brother Federico disabled. Because of the war, Federico never had a chance to finish school, and now he's unable to work. Auditores barely survive thanks to Maria's hard work and the help of Giovanni's old friend - Lorenzo. The whole family is very proud of Ezio for getting to Liceo Classico. This kind of school is the only secondary school from which one could attend any kind of Italian university courses. Ezio's mother and siblings believe that after he graduates and gets a degree, he'll be able to care for whole family, just like Giovanni did.

Ezio is fully aware of the whole situation, but he cannot help but yearn for some freedom from his responsibilities. He's so busy studying that he barely even notices what's going around him. It's not only studying that's on his mind. He's also crushing on his beautiful classmate - Cristina Vespucci. However, he's not the only one desiring Cristina's attention, so is Vieri de Pazzi a huge supporter of Mussolini, a classmate, and a member of Camicie Nere.

Ezio doesn't like Vieri, but he's doesn't have much of an oppinin about PNF and their supporters. After all, his sister is dating Duccio de Luca, one of the Blackshirts. He trusts his sister's judgment.

One day after a semi-successful attempt to get Cristina's attention, Ezio's best friend Leonardo informs him that he and Cristina belong to the same book club that meets after school and, if Ezio wants to get closer to Cristina, then he should drop by. That's precisely what he does.

It turns out that the 'Book Club' is way more sinister than Ezio anticipated. Peiple there meet to read and discuss books forbidden by the new government. There are not only socialists there, but also communists, republicans, Catholics - the whole shebang!

Ezio starts exploring philosophies and ideas he hadn't thought about and starts questioning everything he was taught at school so far. During their studies, he and Cristina fall in love. Cristina rejects Vieri, and she and Ezio become a couple.

Meanwhile, the persecution in Italy is increasing. Camicie Nere is getting more and more violent and the list of forbidden ideas and ideologies is getting longer than ever. Claudia and Duccio fight a lot. He's getting violent and his ideas more radical than ever. Claudia doesn't like how her love changed.

Ezio gets more engrossed in the Book Club, and it afftects his grades and relationships with his family. One day when Ezio's at school, Federico (against his better judgment) decides to discover what is keeping his brother away from his studies, so he goes through his belongings. He discovers the stack of forbidden books. After Ezio arrivés back from school, Federico confronts him about the discovery. Ezio is disappointed but tells his brother about the Book Club, what he has learned, and about Cristina. Federico is understanding but furious with his younger brother. Ezio's Book Club can jeopardize the future of the whole family. If Ezio gets caught he'd be expelled from school or worse.

Ezio gets angry and the next day in school he's unfocused. Leonardo passes him a note with the next Book Club meeting location. Leonardo can't attend this meeting and bring Ezio to the location so he wrote it down for him. Unfortunately due to nerves, Ezio accidentally loses it. Vieri finds the note and get's suspicious. There are stories about a secret association in school but it's pretty impossible to catch the participants red-handed because they're meeting irregularly in different places. The note is proof of a meeting but Vieri can't be sure that it's the club meeting.

Meanwhile, Duccio is leaving the Auditore household after Claudia broke up with him. While leaving he takes notice of the books in Ezio's room and gets suspicious. He goes to the Blackshirts meeting. At the meeting he and Vieri bond over the hatred toward the Auditore family. Vieri says that he has heard about a secret association in school that indulges in illegal activity and he suspects that Ezio is a part of it but he lacks the evidence. Duccio then tells him about the books he saw in the Auditore household. They both decide to report this to the authorities.

Auditore's house gets raided by the police while Ezio's on a date with Cristina, Claudia is visiting a friend, and Maria's at work. The only people at home are Federico and Petruccio. Police find the books and asks questions, Federico knows that he cannot deny anymore that they're innocent so he takes the blame to protect Ezio and ensure that his younger brother will finish liceo and provide their family with a better future. Federico is arrested and Petruccio runs to inform Ezio what happened.

Meanwhile, Ezio and Cristina had a romantic and passionate picnic. After wrapping everything up and walking down the river they notice running towards them Petruccio who informs them about Federico's arrest. The date ends right then and there as Ezio runs to the police station. Petruccio stays with Cristina since Ezio wanted to keep them as far from the police as possible for safety reasons.

At the police station, Ezio tries to learn what happened with his brother, a war hero. He underlines that his brother is a veteran with weak health and cannot stay in arrest for too long. Nobody cares. Ezio spends the rest of the day and an entire night at the police station but gets no information about Federico's fate.

Meanwhile, Cristina takes Petruccio with her to the Book Club meeting since Maria is still at work. Everything is alright until it's interrupted by the attack of the Blackshirt's group. Vieri heard that Federico took the blame and decided to catch Ezio red-handed during the meeting and ensure that he'd get expelled and the Auditore family ends up in poverty.

Ezio's not there and Vieri is even more enraged after noticing Cristina. A massacre takes place, many attendees are beaten up pretty badly multiple are injured and some end up dead. Furious Vieri attacks Cristina and throws her onto a bookcase. The bookcase falls on her and Petruccio and injures a few other attendees.

Vieri is shocked but explains to himself that she deserved it for sleeping with Ezio and engaging in illegal literature. She broke the law! She was a socialist! A traitor!

Meanwhile, Ezio's still at the police station trying to learn what happened with Federico when he gets interrupted by policemen leaving. The entire station gets more lively there's been a fight, Camicie Nere busted an illegal group and there are a few dead. Ezio gets kicked out of the station.

Meanwhile, Maria and Claudia are back home, worried. They've found the police's note about Federico's arrest and they can't find Petruccio.

Around 10 PM they hear knocking on the door. Maria opens, hoping to see Petruccio but it's Cristina's father. She didn't come back home and he suspected that she'd be with Ezio. Ezio's surprised but slowly he pales. It all comes back. The meeting, the police station, the attack, the illegal group - they've been busted!

Auditore and Vespucci's families arrive at the police station. They declared that Cristina and Petruccio got missing and that maybe they were injured during the recent attack.

The police check descriptions. They're dead.

Everyone's crushed by the news. Maria is on a brink of a nervous collapse.

A few days late Auditores get a note from the police about Federico. He died from injuries during the interrogation.

Police wanted to know where he got the books from and if he was a member of a recently busted illegal group. Federico refused to tell them anything.

Maria is left speechless. Her two sons died in such a short time.

Ezio's world just collapsed. The regime took away his lover, brothers, and his life as he knew it.

He'll hunt down everyone responsible.

He'll bring the Fascists down.

Even if it'll take 20 years.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

ASSASSINS CREED MATCH UP

Hi there! May I have an Assassin’s Creed Matchup? I’m a girl who’s  5’6.5 with an hourglass figure with some curves. I have Short, thick curly black hair, I tend to wear flowers in my hair, and my fashion sense is very colorful and kinda quirky. I have brown eyes, and I wear glasses. I have a medium skin tone. I’m straight, and I have a awkward, but silly personality. I’m sweet and gentle but tend to be slightly impulsive. I’m an artist and writer, also I am a bookworm. I appear shy when I first meet someone, but that’s only because I struggle with social cues and I take everything literally. (Although, I do understand a few jokes and some sarcasm) Once I get to know somebody, however, I turn into a chatterbox with plenty of goofiness to spare, even though I know when to get serious. I enjoy helping people, and (mostly) don’t take no for an answer when it comes to helping others. However, I am somewhat innocent and have been taken advantage of. I also tend to sometimes be scared of being alone. (Scarred from a past experience)

I match you with...Shay Cormac!

First of all, I think he’d silently be very impressed to see you wearing colourful clothes and flowers in your hair, as he sees you as his little ray of hope in this dark, dull life, so for him, you’re Spring.

I believe you shy and awkward personality would make him chuckle from time to time, since you’d appear cute to him, but when your impulsiveness shows, you’ll be sure to shock (and even impress) him.

He’d feel incredibly honoured if you were to show him your work, no matter in which art area, and he’d keep everything that you give him, no matter how insignificant it would appear.

He’s a man of honour and trust, so he’d never take advantage of you or use loopholes in anything. He’d cherish you with every fiber of his being and would make sure nobody ever upsets you (or they’d die).

He has always faught for justice, so he’d teach you how to defend yourself, just in case he isn’t around you some time to defend you, be it physically or verbally, since people can be real jerks and wound you emotionally.

Overall, he’s pretty cool and nice, low-maintenance boyfriend who’d take care of you and your needs, even if he appears cold and busy at all times.

[miss-kuki-nz]

Imagine if Gunther came out to attack Randy then Giovanni Vinci comes out to attack both Kaiser and Gunther.

UPDATE-Gunther is here lol

[robotslenderman]

Ask Character Meme: Roger de Camden

First impression

Meh

Impression now

POOR PROBABLY-TRAUMATISED BABY. IN LOVE WITH HIS BOYFRIEND!!!! Smartest dumb person alive, in that he's portrayed as some kind of Leonardo da Vinci but also got staked by people less than half his age like three seconds after they found out he existed damn that must be embarrassing

Favorite moment

There's a moment in Fall of London where if you kidnap Roger and threaten him in front of Mithras, Mithras pretty much drops everything and will do literally anything you ask to keep him safe. asdfsad. Altho that's more of a Mithras moment so... I think it's the part in BJD that mentions that he's put his support behind Monty Coven. Because it's telling us he's finally been reunited with Mithras since WWII, and his support is as unshakeable as ever.

Idea for a story

Well, there's Mithfic! Spoilery, so skip if you intend to read it when I'm done, but: It's an AU where Mithras ate Monty instead, only to get his ass kicked by werewolves again and fall into torpor again. It's been over eighty years at that point since Roger last saw Mithras, and he's beginning to lose hope that he can find him and bring him back. So he makes one last ditch attempt -- he spends a few decades compiling Mithras's family tree to find the perfect descendant to manipulate, and finds it in Olivia, a fledgling traitor who's cooperating with the SI and has no ties whatsoever to get in the way. So he arranges for her to come to London in hopes that the blood that ties her to Mithras will allow Mithras to trigger a Beckoning... and when she shows up in the London SI's lab, that's exactly what happens. She leads him straight to Mithras. It all goes off without a hitch... ... up to the point where she eats Mithras. All Roger knows about these events is that he's felt his blood bond with Mithras break and he... does not take it well. It's kind of a turning point in Mithras's relationship with Olivia where he realises that Roger is alive and in danger (both from himself and his enemies, because Roger is passively suicidal at that point and consumed with self blame and loathing for what happened), and realises that his best chance of getting Roger to survive is to actually ask Olivia for her help and cooperate with her instead of trying to fight her.

Unpopular opinion

I don't think there are any unpopular opinions about Roger, but I do have an opinion that I haven't noticed anyone else ever bring up, but it's basically this: Dude watched his whole clan die. He had many childer by the time he faked his own death, and he would have had to watch them all disappear from his radar, one by one. He has spent the last few centuries in hiding. There is no way he's not traumatised as hell by all that. I headcanon that he wants to completely destroy the Giovanni in revenge, innocent and guilty alike, until there isn't a single member of that family left. He has been making an elaborate plan for this for centuries and is almost ready to put it into action.

Favorite relationship

Mithras. Goes without saying. They're in love they're in love they're in love. Mithras would sacrifice everything he has to protect Roger, and has been working to keep him safe for centuries. Mithras campaigned within the Ventrue to admit the Cappadocians into the Camarilla (and I can't imagine how he feels about the fact that he failed). Mithras freely gives up London in FoL for Roger's sake under the right conditions. On a headcanon level -- I also love Roger's relationship with Rose. Much like Roger, Rose is one of the last of her clan. She's without a sire, and Roger misses his childer. He loves to teach, and she needs to be guided. She understands what it's like to live in hiding (she from the Tremere, him from the Giovanni), and to be completely alone. More than the Hecata, her ability to relate to that loss and isolation brings him the closest he feels he'll ever get to speaking to another Cappadocian again; she is the only person in the world that understands what he's going through, more than even Mithras, even though she didn't watch the destruction of her clan herself. So in my headcanon, while he never tells Rose who he really is and what he's lost... he takes her under his wing and is deeply protective and nurturing of her. It also brings a lot of his grief to the surface, but he wouldn't change it for anything. It helps him process it, if anything. Rose never finds out who he really was until Queen Anne reveals to the court that Roger de Camden was found to be Thomas Beckett, and has been destroyed. His destruction hits her hard.

Favorite headcanon

So I kind of answered this above but I have a couple I want to share: 1. Roger gets deeply attached to his ghouls, and whenever one passes away for whatever reason, he keeps their skull so he can chat to their ghosts. 2. His persona as "Thomas Beckett" is Malkavian. He gets the ghosts of his ghouls to mess with him and talk in his ear and tell him things while he's talking to other Kindred in order to reinforce the lie. Everyone else thinks he hears voices and talks to himself and it's so convincing that people are genuinely shocked to find out he's not Malkavian, but also "oh wow, he's Cappadocian and can speak to the dead, that explains a lot" when he's found out.

[opera-ghosts]

Faustina Bordoni (30 March 1697 – 4 November 1781) was an Italian mezzo-sopranoMade her operatic debut at Venice in 1716 in Carlo Francesco Pollarolo's Ariodante, singing in her home city until 1725 in operas by Albinoni, the Gasparini brothers, Giacomelli, Leonardo Leo, Giuseppe Maria Orlandini, the Pollarolos, father and son, and Leonardo Vinci, amongst others. In 1718 and 1719 in Venice she sang alongside Francesca Cuzzoni, later to become her great rival. During this period she also performed several times at Reggio nell'Emilia, Naples and Parma, and at least once in Milan, Modena and Florence. After her German début in 1723, singing in  Pietro Torri's Griselda at Munich, she was a great favourite north of the Alps during the 1720s, also enjoying great success in Vienna (1725–26). Her nickname was the "new siren", and she was commonly known simply as "Faustina". Her London début, as Rossane in Handel's Alessandro, took place on 5 May 1726, alongside Senesino and Cuzzoni. During the next two seasons she created four more Handel roles: Alceste in Admeto and Pulcheria in Riccardo Primo (both 1727), and Emira in Siroe and Elisa in Tolomeo (1728). She also sang in a revival of Radamisto, and in operas by Ariosti and Giovanni Bononcini. In a performance of the latter's Astianatte on 6 June 1727, a riot broke out in the audience between her followers and those of her 'rival' Cuzzoni in the King's Theatre, Haymarket,  in front of Caroline, Princess of Wales. This furore seized the public imagination and a great deal of journalistic exaggeration  – the pamphleteer John Arbuthnot published "The DEVIL to pay at St. JAMES's: Or A full and true ACCOUNT of a most horrid and bloody BATTLE between Madam FAUSTINA and Madam CUZZONI", in which he lambasted the two ladies: "TWO of a Trade seldom or ever agree … But who would have thought the Infection should reach the Hay-market and inspire Two Singing Ladies to pull each other's Coiffs, to the no small Disquiet of the Directors, who (God help them) have enough to do to keep Peace and Quietness between them. … I shall not determine who is the Aggressor, but take the surer Side, and wisely pronounce them both in Fault; for it is certainly an apparent Shame that two such well bred Ladies should call Bitch and Whore, should scold and fight like any Billingsgates." Recent research has shown, however, that it was the singers' supporters who were behaving badly, rather than the singers themselves, who had worked together before in Italy and continued to work together for the Royal Academy until the directors were forced to dissolve it in 1728 owing to mounting debts.The composer Quantz gave a description of Bordoni's qualities, as given to Charles Burney: Faustina had a mezzo-soprano voice, that was less clear than penetrating. Her compass now was only from B flat to G in alt; but after this time she extended its limits downward. She possessed what the Italians call un cantar granito; her execution was articulate and brilliant. She had a fluent tongue for pronouncing words rapidly and distinctly, and a flexible throat for divisions, with so beautiful a shake that she put it in motion upon short notice, just when she would. The passages might be smooth, or by leaps, or consisting of iterations of the same note; their execution was equally easy to her as to any instrument whatever. She was, doubtless, the first who introduced with success a swift repetition of the same note. She sang adagios with great passion and expression, but was not equally successful if such deep sorrow were to be impressed on the hearer as might require dragging, sliding, or notes of syncopation and tempo rubato. She had a very happy memory in arbitrary changes and embellishments, and a clear and quick judgment in giving to words their full value and expression. In her action she was very happy; and as her performance possessed that flexibility of muscles and face-play which constitute expression, she succeeded equally well in furious, tender, and amorous parts. In short, she was born for singing and acting.Burney himself remarked on the strength of the note E (E5) in her voice, and it is worth noting that half of the arias written for her by Handel are in E or A (minor or major), keys which could give this note particular prominence.