#salieri... how disappointing

[e1dritchqueer]

It's really funny how the last two movies have such great toxic gay relationship subtext to them

Andy and Miranda's manipulation filled relationship but Andy eventually seeing the humanity in Miranda. Miranda secretly appreciating Andy despite using her whenever she sees fit. "She said you were 'my greatest disappointment' and I'd be an idiot not to hire you."

Mozart and Salieri's unbalanced relationship of like... dependence, love admiration, and hate. Salieri seeing Mozart as god, admiring him, worshiping him, then scorning him. Seeking to destroy the god he worships, yet is in love with him at the same time. All while Motzart, unknowing of Salieri's manipulations yet victim to it all the same looks up to him, when all doors were closed on him, he could still turn to Saleri. How that manipulation destroys both of them in the end ugh

[mdemn]

just saw your post and…. what are the thoughts !!!!!!! I MUST HEAR THE THOUGHTS

you simply do not understand the box you’re trying to open by asking me this!!!

i will start very simply by saying this: paulie and sarah are close!! they’re friends!!!!!! we can see this in a few ways:

1) paulie has been with salieri for ~10 years, and sarah has been working at the bar “since she could see over the counter”. they grew up together !!!!!!!!!!!!!! your honor!!!!!!!! they’re friends !!!!!!!!!!

2) the way when tommy is walking with sarah, he mentions how paulie would be disappointed that sarah is giving away the leftovers from that day. which implies paulie stays late or comes early to eat sarah’s food !!!! with her as company !!!!! often !!!!!!!!! and her boyfriend is okay with this !! which means ! paulie ! is ! her ! long-time ! friend !

3) the way paulie jokes about sarah with tommy, he jokes about things that would imply that he talks a lot with her! they’re personal! the only thing sam says about sarah is basically “shes hot” and joking about when tommy is gonna marry her. paulie makes the jokes about tommy hanging out with her, spending nights there, “protecting her virginity one day, takin it the next” (😭). this implies sarah TELLS paulie about her dates with tommy. that they talk ! they’re friends !

4) the way sarah jokes that paulie is tommy’s boyfriend not once but TWICE! which implies she’s comfortable enough with paulie to know his behaviors and make personal jokes like that about him as well !!! it’s not just paulie’s jovial personality, but sarah’s own cheekiness as well.

nothing in the world could convince me that they are not friends, that they did not grow up together, around each other, with each other.

[hanakihan]

Little EdSali AU brainrot

So anyway modern AU where Edmond is a really wealthy and successful CEO of French trading company. Jalter is his niece that also works as his personal secretary (or more accurately looking after her dumbass uncle and making sure idiot doesn’t die from forgetting to eat)

Edmond needs to spread his connections further in Europe and in need of that he goes along with one of his business partners to attend a music concert in Vienna where it’s rumored that Joseph II and his sister Marie Antoinette will attend, and it’s a win for Dantes since both of them are big names in trading and fashion industries, with Joseph high key being main trader in Austria’s inner market while Marie leads one of the main fashion houses in not only French but also Europe and gaining such connections will be really good.

So he does end up attending concert while having zero interest in music and not understanding the art of it. Joseph and Marie aren’t seen here, which disappointed Dantes, but leaving would be rude and damaging for reputation so he needs to sit through concert.

That’s when he sees leading conductor Antonio Salieri for the first time. Dantes is captivated by instant change in man’s eyes, from soft glowing rubies to hard burning hellish fire the moment man gives himself to music. Dantes’ sits through concert, and his business partner informs him that Salieri - is Joseph’s adopted little brother, so it is concrete that said man will show up at least one point at evening to greet his younger brother.

Dantes’ plan was to stick relatively close to Salieri so he won’t miss Joseph’s arrival, but the moment applauds die, Salieri quickly leaves to backstage and doesn’t appear among guests later on, refusing socializing. Edmond wanders in less crowded areas to find a place for smoke and stumbles upon balcony, ready to lit his cigarette only to hear a barely hoarse whisper asking him not to. Here in corner Dantes finds salieri on sofa but man is clearly not okay, judging by his even more unhealthy paleness and furrowed brows. Turns out Salieri has an episode of difficulty breathing, inhales and exhales coming in short whistling noises. Dantes stays with him until he catches his breath, and that’s how Joseph finds them.

Joseph thanks Dantes for looking after his precious little brother and thus Dantes accomplishes his main goal of coming here and connecting with Joseph. After that days later he receives a gratitude letter from Joseph with a vip ticket to Salieri’s concert and proportion for business talks after it at dinner.

Everything goes smoothly for Dantes and he also decides to have nice enough relationship with Salieri since it’s clear Joseph instantly goes soft and compliant when it comes to Salieri or Marie, but Marie is a married lady and being close to her may spiral unneeded rumors.

So anyway Edmonds keeps sticking to his plan, spends time with Salieri (who actually likes Edmond’s company but also feels like he’s taking edmond’s time for useless talks) but then oh no, he legitimately ends up falling in love with Salieri. He starts to low key court him, even having a talk with Joseph, and that’s when Joseph tells Edmond to give up since Salieri long ago gave up on love after rejection that costed him everything.

Salieri is still passionate about music and teaching it, but once concerts or lessons end he tries to leave as quickly as possible because he’s not a good musician anyway (as he thinks) because everyone compares him to Mozart. Salieri was once Mozart’s best friend, but then misunderstanding occurred - Mozart misunderstood Salieri’s love as romantic, the one he can’t and won’t return, and thus rejects Salieri. In truth Salieri loved Mozart as a brother, but also was deeply in love with Mozart’s music. After rejection and growing distance between them, as well as society spreading rumors and ridiculing his love, he attempted to cut his throat but wasn’t successful. Now he has a nasty scar on his neck and episodes of suffocation and pains, as well as slightly changed voice with hoarseness, that also prevents him from singing like he used to because for him his own voice sounds horrible.

In the end Joseph isn’t against Edmond’s feelings towards his brother, but warns him to think it over once again, because Salieri’s heart won’t survive another rejection. Edmond mentions that his own heart may not survive another betrayal, so if anything he and Salieri are a perfect match.

Enter a whole ass story of romcom where a French trading CEO tries to court an Italian conductor while both of them deal with their trauma. Also Salieri misunderstood that Edmond is being friends with him so he can get close to Joseph (which is accurate) but he thinks that Edmond actually likes Joseph so he kinda supports and provides opportunities and having no idea it’s actually him Edmond interested in even when Edmond himself directly tells Salieri that he likes him, and Salieri happily replies he also likes Edmond instantly knows that Salieri misunderstood once again.

[fructidors]

pt 3!! (pt 2)

si je defaille: yet another weber family song that absolutely did not have to do so much and still does !!! however the lighting mostly stays the same throughout which is a shame since it's so cool just look at it

you know maybe this whole musical's just one two-hour-long Cotton Candy Moment now that i think about it

si je defaille is also home to one of my favorite lighting moments in the whole show:

it's a lot more effective with music, as it's on beat, but ohhh i love it so much. yeah wave that handkerchief girlboss !!! the spot work in this entire song is top-notch tbh

and of course, another perfect example of the entire mood of the scene changing in literal seconds:

le bien qui fait mal: ok. hi. i had a hard time coming up with coherent things to say about this one since it is. one hell of a song. and it's kind of hard to focus on technical things considering. everything else happening onstage. BUT I TRIED OK

firstly some appreciation for the scene before lbqfm esp salieri being lit all in blue (sorry for my cursor in that gif i am. so bad at this)

perhaps one of the best transitions of the show???

Red But Now It's Not Bad, It's,,,, Sex? idk i'm very ace please don't make me psychoanalyze this

anmyways i think my favorite thing about the lighting in this song is its color scheme, the juxaposition between the red and the green/blue

also!! mozart is usually lit in the opposite color from the stage and it's so cool but there are no closeups in the proshot so we will all just have to imagine how it looks up close

lastly, the transition out as always and a rare Yellow Mozart Moment

les solos sur les draps: the lighting in this one is not super complex or important to the staging, but i'm fine with it since i think we all needed a breather after le bien qui fait mal

the Father does get a dramatic moment

still obsessed with this moment though (not lighting but i left in the mozart wave because it's my favorite part of the song)

l'assassymphonie: l'assassymphonie i love you i love you but. this was the only lighting in the show i was actually disappointed by :(

it's such a spectacular and emotional song. and the lighting is just kind of. red stage with a spot on salieri for the majority of the song?? in the proshots the song doesn't really lose any of its emotional weight because you get all the closeups of salieri but i cannot imagine this song hits the same from the back row of the theater like, for example, je dors sur les roses probably would. i feel like it really could have benefited from just switching up the angle, tone, intensity or color of the light on salieri more often? or maybe just changing the way the stage is lit as the song evolves? it does still have some really cool moments though-- i love the moving curtain towards the end of the song, i just wish there were more elements like that throughout?

also the transition into vive les noces de figaro is awesome and honestly kind of makes up for it

dors mon ange: ok if that didn't make up for it this does i love this lighting so so so much

like. the spotty lights. the Bad Things Red. the candles. i don't know what that trapezoid is but i would give my life for it

also mozart still has his infallible neon pink energy even when his literal death is being fortold what a goddamn icon

victime de ma victoire: what's this ???? a Cotton Candy Salieri Moment ????

though. what if it's just bisexual lighting. what if the real Cotton Candy Moments were just bisexual lighting all along? mozart l'opera rock always asking the important questions

i need a whole new part for vivre à en crever that's how normal i am about it

[malvidia]

                 ❝     hey now   ...   wha's all this i'm hearin' about   servant class   discrimination   ---   ?     ❞

[originlist]

i spent 8 years with people desperately training me how to look at literature and im only decent at it when turning to completely irrelevant topics and going “time to overanalyze minor characters for no fuckin reason”

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Ikevamp Act 2.5

Chapter 7

In a church on the outskirts of town, a man is humming a light tune.

Vlad: "····♪····"

Numerous silhouettes can be seen gathered around the altar of the magnificent cathedral.

The Duke of Wellington, Gilles de Rais, Antonio Salieri, Robert Hooke, and Paul Gauguin...

These people attacked the great men of the mansion, looking empty-eyed and hanging down like puppets with broken strings.

Then...

Shakespeare: "My Lord."

Vlad: "Hello. It's a beautiful night, Will. I was just singing them a lullaby."

Vlad: "They all seemed a little down, but were they helpful?"

Shakespeare: "Aye. We have carried out the first act of the script."

Shakespeare offers Vlad a stack of manuscript papers of his plays.

In it, he summoned Mozart and Isaac with a fake letter...

He set up a series of plots to attack the great men in the mansion to understand what Napoleon, Jean, and the Van Gogh brothers are doing and where they are.

Vlad: "We have an exceptional cast. I look forward to seeing your masterpiece, Will."

Shakespeare: "I will not disappoint you, my Lord."

He puts his hands on his chest and bows graciously.

If anyone were to look at his downcast face, one could see that Shakespeare right now appears to be lost.

He has no idea how to end this tragic play.

With his face turned away from his present master, Shakespeare muses that man is more fascinated by an agonizing tragedy than by a comedy.

It's the real-life experience that fuels the play, gives it life, and creates fervor. And if he can't write an interesting play, then it's not worth it.

Shakespeare: "I would choose sin for the sake of creation. I will do as my heart desires..."

He whispers to himself, drawing out the memories of the encounter that led to all this.

~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~

Shakespeare, who was the first to be welcomed into the mansion in the past, decided to leave for some reason.

The day he left the mansion as if by fate, he met a certain man.

Vlad: "You're the playwright, Will. No, the famous William Shakespeare."

Vlad: "A being who made a contract with the Count of Saint Germain and came back to life in the 19th century."

Shakespeare: "Why on earth did you know that? Who exactly are you?"

The man didn't answer the question and simply smiled.

Vlad: "I've been looking for someone as talented as you."

Vlad: "I'm sure Comte will continue to bring great men back to life."

Vlad: "Overcoming many hardships and leading people with their talents―I bet they're very interesting people."

Vlad: "Those are the kind of people who can change the world..."

Shakespeare: "The world?"

Vlad: "Hey, want to join hands? Will, you're going to be my flower that never withers."

After that, the mansion was filled with academics, writers, musicians, revolutionaries, and one who would go on to become famous in later generations.

But even a brilliant and great person can sometimes be a winner and a loser because justice and evil are two sides of the same coin.

Then who has stronger convictions? Who is more inspiring?

Shakespeare planned to pit the great men against each other to see a tragedy with a fascinating cast and for Vlad to identify the more useful pawns.

──・──・── ・──・──

Shakespeare: "The Duke of Wellington for Napoleon, Salieri for Mozart..."

Shakespeare: "I'm sure we'll see some interesting tragedies when they meet again."

As a playwright, he is adept at reading people's minds.

Shakespeare took the time to observe those in the mansion and their unfinished business and past wounds...

He wrote down the various information he had gathered and reported it to Vlad.

Vlad: "Interesting. Well done, Will."

Vlad: "But some of them don't have any information."

Shakespeare: "Is it Dazai? To be honest, I wasn't sure about him."

Shakespeare: "He's a novelist born beyond this time. It's not easy to get information about him, and he's also elusive―"

Vlad: "No, it's not him. There's another one. The one who became friends with you."

Shakespeare: ".............."

Charles: "Oh, that's right. You're closer to the eldest Van Gogh brother, right?"

Faust: "True, a friend's tragedy would be a great real-life experience for you."

Even Faust and Charles join in the conversation amusedly, and Shakespeare puts on a mask of smiles so as not to let them know how upset he is.

Shakespeare: "Vincent is devoid of negative emotions. He's as unresponsive as a calm sea."

Shakespeare: "The reason he came back to life is also simple: he wanted to paint. Not enough for a tragic cast..."

Vlad: "Will."

Vlad: "You're the one who threw the dice. Yet you want to remain pure in front of your precious friend?"

Vlad's crimson eyes entwine with Shakespeare's two-colored ones as he gives a fake smile.

Shakespeare: "I know that, my lord."

As Shakespeare gives an answer that borders on obedience, Vlad smiles lazily.

Charles: "Is it because of your former friend that we have all these amazing people?"

Faust: "Count of Saint Germain. I do not doubt that the other side has some sort of agenda as well."

Vlad: "I guess you're right. But that's okay. I'll just do what I have to do."

Vlad: "Overcoming the difficulties that befall them―people are fascinated and enthralled by this way of life."

Vlad: "We have to find out who will guide us correctly... I have to find out."

Vlad: "Hey, Will. We have so many great candidates."

Vlad: "Why don't we try them all?"

Vlad smiles innocently, like a young child who has come up with a new game.

There’s no way Shakespeare could possibly refuse.

Shakespeare: "As you wish, my lord. Let us see a tragedy of the most splendid kind, featuring all the finest actors."

~~~~~~~Flashback Ends~~~~~~~

Shakespeare smiles vacantly as he recalls his betrayal.

It was unmistakably he who raised the curtain on the tragedy.

As Shakespeare reports his plans to Vlad in front of the altar, Faust and Charles also join them.

Faust: "Reviving and attacking those who have a connection with the people in the mansion and causing conflicts―"

Faust: "Are you sure you didn't want to watch the beginning of that plan, my lord?"

Vlad: "Yeah, I had to take care of the flowers."

Charles: "You're really going at your own pace."

Faust: "Seriously, we're lucky that we were able to get the pieces in place before that door went haywire."

Faust: "But Adam Worth didn't take any action, it seems?"

Faust shoots a probing look at the man leaning against the wall of the cathedral.

A gentleman-like man in a tailcoat pulls down his silk hat and smirks.

Worth: "I'm not a military man. I'm just a very meticulous fella."

Worth: "I'm finally meeting the man who branded me as Holmes' rival and even described me as the Napoleon of Crime."

Worth: "Don't you think it's just common courtesy to prepare an elaborate trap?"

Faust: "I see. That's the aesthetics of a crime lord, huh?"

Worth: "Pfft, Ahaha! I'm looking forward to seeing him again. Don't let me down, Conan Doyle!"

Faust shrugs his shoulders as Worth begins to laugh hysterically.

Vlad: "Ahaha, great. I wish I could see more of your aesthetics."

Robert Hooke: "I-I refuse!"

Shakespeare: "!!!"

It was Robert Hooke who cried out, his voice trembling.

His face contorts in anguish as he grips the knife that wounded Isaac.

Robert Hooke: "I just wanted to have a discussion with Newton. I wanted to come back and apologize to him for what happened before..."

Robert Hooke: "And yet I can't believe I hurt him again. But it's made my head a little clearer."

Robert Hooke: "I don't know what you guys are up to, but I'm out!"

Shakespeare: "Wait, Robert..."

With the light of sanity returning to his eyes, Robert heads toward the entrance of the cathedral, his steps still wobbly.

But Vlad grabbed his shoulder before Shakespeare could stop him.

Robert Hooke: "W-What are you doing!?"

Vlad: "The curtain is already up. Now that you're on stage, you have to play your part until the end."

Vlad: "Let me help you a little so that you can expose your innermost feelings."

Vlad covers Robert's eyes and invites him as he sings a gentle lullaby.

Vlad: "Sleep in your farthest dreams."

Robert Hooke: "Ugh, ah!? Ahh..."

Robert's knees buckle as he screams, and then he falls to his knees.

Robert Hooke: "Haa... Newton, I hate you. You have a brain, a talent that I don't have!"

Robert Hooke: "You don't respond to arguments or expectations. If you're going to look down on me, I'll kill you. Kill?"

Robert Hooke: "Is this what I really want? No. I don't want to hurt him anymore. Guh―AHHHH!"

After a period of screaming and vacillating between sanity and insanity, Robert put a knife to his neck and...

Shakespeare: "You mustn't, Sir Robert...!"

Charles & Faust: "............."

With a heavy thud, Robert's body collapses.

The blood staining the polished floor shows that it's already too late, even for a vampire.

Shakespeare: "Robert..."

Vlad: "Oh, I guess his heart got crushed first..."

Vlad: "Too bad he's not strong enough to fight off the brainwashing and enjoy his emotions as they are."

Vlad: "But maybe it's for the best..."

Shakespeare: "Pardon?"

Vlad: "We don't need pathetic weak pawns to stop the devastation of this world."

Shakespeare: "..............."

Charles: "Lord Vlad..."

Vlad: "Yeah? What is it, Charles?"

Charles: "Um. No, it's nothing."

Glancing at the surprised Shakespeare and Charles, Vlad flipped his cloak before walking into the puddle of blood.

Charles: "Doctor, Lord Vlad is trying to do what a God can't do, right?"

Charles: "If Lord Vlad's ambition to bring peace to this world gets fulfilled, no one will be hurt or harmed anymore."

Charles: "Right, Doctor?"

Faust: "............."

Charles smiles as he tugs Faust's sleeves.

Without confirming, denying, or brushing his hand away, Faust simply sighs.

Faust: "He's acting selfishly while worrying about the world. If I were to call His Excellency Vlad a god, he would be a fallen god."

Faust: "Him or the world's reason―let's see who will win."

Shakespeare: ".............."

Shakespeare stares dumbfounded at the vampire who has died before his eyes.

Is this the tragedy he wanted to see...?

There is no heart-stirring conflict, just the result of a muddled will that ends in death.

But he also chose this sin...

Shakespeare: "I'm..."

Despite Shakespeare's heartache, Vlad, walking with a bouncy step, looks back at a name written on the manuscript.

Vlad: "Ah, yes. By the way, Will."

Vlad: "Can you tell me about this name written on your manuscript?"

Vlad points to a spot where the name "Mitsuki" was written.

Previous Part╏Next Part

[paulie-lombardos-boy-toy]

Hi! I'd love 64, any combo of Paulie, Sam and Tommy would be great.

64. “ These chains are to ensure that you can never leave me.”

Pairing: Yandere!Tommy/Yandere!Paulie/Sam

Warnings: implied murder, kidnapping, yandere behavior, other dark themes

——-

“We had to Sam. Salieri was going to tear us apart.” Paulie grunted as he finished shackling his best friend’s ankle and Tommy was silent as he fastened Sam’s wrist into another cuff. “I-I don’t understand. You know how much I…looked up to the Boss. He..he took me in like his own son.” Sam protested weakly, grunting when Paulie slapped him across the face.

“He was using you Sammy. He didn’t care about you. He didn’t care about any of us. We were nothing but pawns for him.” Paulie snapped as Tommy silently glowered in Sam’s direction, not finding it himself to be as physical as his other friend but he still felt betrayed and hurt after finding out Salieri ordered Sam to kill Paulie and he was all for it.

“Alright alright but… are these chains really necessary? They’re a bit tight.” Sam mumbled and Paulie stopped what he was doing to turn back around. “These chains are to ensure you can never leave us Sammy. We love you too much to let a scumbag take you away. Where’s your loyalty? Isn’t that what you always preached?” Paulie mocked and stood back to observe their taller friend- Sam was considerably bruised and bleeding from his cheek where Paulie slashed at him and overall looked like he had been in a fight with a bear.

Once Paulie left, Tommy knelt down, eyes hard. “You were going to throw out friendship away for what? A con man? Paulie and I…we stood up for you. We shot and killed for you. Even at your lowest, we were there and you were going to throw it all away. I’m disappointed in you Sammy. I thought I knew you but apparently I don’t. It’s a shame.” he muttered and stood up and left a silently sobbing, heartbroken Sam behind as the door to his newfound prison closed.

[bethanybeatdowns]

now that "pretender" is actually a class in f/go, i would be mildly disappointed if none of the actual historical pretenders would be referenced. essentially, this list are like...fanservants for the new fancy class in the game.

perkin warbeck and lambert simnel who were pretenders for the english throne during the rule of henry vii. they're kids but like, there were mysteriously dead Princes in the Tower (edward iv and his younger bro richard, duke of york) so henry's enemies could like play dress-up with some baker's kid and parade around that kid as a legitimate claimant to the throne.

richard iii, he isn't a pretender to the throne since he's still in the list of english kings. i just want one more member of chaldea shakespeare hate club.

tsarevich alexei whose lore would be similar to salieri's. he's not nastya's younger brother , but rather the amalgamation of rumors and false sensationalism of the survival of the romanov children. it doesn't help that there were a lot of impostors posing claiming as such. anna andersen, my number is open.

every single person claiming to be the king of france after 1793. napoleon? of course. louis xvii who's supposed to be an avenger class servant in strange fake? he's like eight. what about marie therese of france, only surviving child of marie antoinette and louis xvi and Queen for all of 20 minutes? i'm pretty sure someone within the writing staff could cook a homemade lore for that b/c fate is confusing enough as it is.

wait, hold on...that dude emile pugachev who pretended to be peter iii of russia and led a rebellion against catherine the great. the actual peter iii, grandson of peter the great was actually assassinated allegedly by catherine's boytoy. his cover story was that the assassination attempt failed and he wandered around like jesus in the wilderness. this man's con job was good enough he managed to convince priests into his rebellion and with how tightly russian orthodoxy is tied with the tsar's autocratic rule? oh, sisters. we're in for some soap opera russian doorstopping novels.

i ran out of ideas. there's a trend of modern european people because that's my ball park in history. don't worry i have above average knowledge of local & national history to compensate for that.

[tommytranselo]

clemente family headcanons

some hcs about the absolute shitshow that is empire bay’s most disappointing crime family.  this got long i’m putting it under the cut

clemente & the gang

according to the wiki, clemente only got permission to start his own family in 1929, so before that they were just kind of a large, impressively organized street gang. physical fights still aren’t rare, but they were very common back in the day. also, it used to be much more tight-knit (think the salieri family) and clemente used to be much more involved with his soldiers. nowadays, well, he’s got people for that, and most low level guys rarely even speak to the old man (as far as henry’s concerned, it’s great having more freedom and being left alone, but he kind of misses when it actually felt like a family).

they have a rat problem. it’s concerning how many times they’ve had someone turn informant, or try to turn informant, or even side with the competition. richie mazzeo was far from the first or last; backstabbing is common in the clemente family even by mob standards, and it’s sink or swim–nobody’s going to throw you a line. this is definitely do to clemente’s habit of treating everybody around him like shit, enough so that his own men hate him, and it creates an environment where everyone kind of despises each other. they also just have a bad habit of talking about things too openly (everybody in this goddamn family sucks at keeping things on the lowdown).

clemente likes to do people favors. he will then hold that debt over your head and milk it for all it’s worth. this meeting of this tendency and the whole “fleeing from mussolini” thing is the major reason henry’s so afraid of being in anyone’s debt and is constantly talking about who owes who and evening the score.

the mde cigarette cards reference clemente’s brother fredo operates out of cuba, so i figure they have a smuggling setup, especially alcohol during prohibition. hence, one of the family’s specialties is rum-running, and as a result, for a lot of the clemente family guys (henry included) their drink of choice is rum–perks of a direction connection.

luca gurino

used to be much more of a firestarter in his youth, constantly getting in fights and winning by virtue of sheer viciousness. he was the kind of kid who burnt ants under a magnifying glass. he hasn’t exactly mellowed as he’s gotten older, but after climbing the ranks he’s gotten more used to letting henchmen do his dirty work–though he still does enjoy getting his hands bloody from time to time.

his death brother luigi (mentioned by the FP files) was his twin, and he was always sickly. he died back in sicily when they were young, and about a year later, luca stowed away aboard a ship to the united states and never looked back. luigi was the last (maybe only) person luca felt any kind of real love for, and he never quite recovered from his death. it’s not something he ever talks about, not even to henry.

re: the rat problem, luca in particular is good at finding and eliminating rats, which is where the nickname “rat soap” came from–it was a really stupid joke somebody made while drunk, but it stuck. good luck saying it to his face and walking away unscathed, though.

luca isn’t clemente’s only punching bag, but he is the favorite. it scared the shit out of henry the first time he saw luca get slapped (his own father, though a terrifying man in his own right, never hit any of his sons and rarely even raised his voice). a lot of it comes from the fact that he’s viewed as a probable successor, but also because deep down, he’s desperate to impress the old man. he viewed clemente as a father figure, albeit not a good one (though he doesn’t really have any concept of what a good father figure is), which made him an easy target. clemente took him in as a scared, scrappy teenager with no prospects, and he’s thrown himself into trying to be a good recruit.

it’s mentioned in the FP files he served time in prison in 1926. clemente did fuckall to help him, enough so that luca considered just ditching after he got out, but...where was he gonna go? what was he gonna do?

most of the war-mongering was him. a fair bit wasn’t even on clemente’s orders (and he didn’t even know about some of it), luca was just doing it himself. by 1951, he absolutely would’ve killed clemente too if he got the chance–turns out a dog will bite the hand that feeds if it strikes him enough times.

it’s kind of an open secret that he killed the capo that preceded him to get promoted, but it’s never really discussed, and the culver dam story (while true) is never confirmed. it happened shortly after tomaso moretti’s death, as luca was trying to disguise it as just another vinci-moretti war casualty, and additionally, that’s kind of what inspired it. carlo falcone, who was only a year older than him, became don after his own boss died under mysterious circumstances. luca connected the dots and then decided, well, if he could do it...

can’t cook for shit, but he’s damn good on a grill and proud of it. knows almost a concerning amount about butchery, and the apron he uses has some...concerning stains. henry’s pretty sure it’s the same one he uses in the slaughterhouse, but he’s not gonna ask.

freddy macchione (bartender of the eponymous freddy’s bar)

freddy has seem some shit. he’s kind of perpetually nervous but hides it very well–a result of years of running a speakeasy (constant risk of raids), looking over his shoulder due to gambling debts piling up, and being used to clemente’s guys (especially luca) both fighting constantly and flipping their shit if something’s off with their order. he’s long since lost count of the amount of times he’s had to say “no fighting in my bar!” and direct people to the back alley if they’re going to brawl. 

with regards to the guys being persnickety, freddy triple checks everything and runs a very tight ship as far as his bar staff is concerned. he also keeps a shotgun under the counter and knows how to use it–and tends to keep one hand on it when he’s getting twitchy, something that tends to make everybody else twitchy as well. he puts up with a lot, but the guys also know not to fuck with him, and even luca knows not to push his luck too far. he also tends to be very deadpan and he’ll sit there blank faced while luca throws a damn temper tantrum then ask tonelessly, “so you want your usual?”

that said, he’s somewhat of a bleeding heart, at least when it comes to the guys who aren’t total pricks to him. he’s always had a soft spot for henry in particular, who’s a polite customer, tips well, nice to the bar staff, doesn’t throw a fit about his order being off/taking too long etc. he always figured henry was a good kid who could’ve done better than this lowlife crime family. in the brief time vito's there, freddy likes him too, and he thinks it's a shame what luca and clemente did to him.

he’s good pool player–the table in the back was his idea, and he taught several of the guys to play–but he’s pretty lousy at cards, which is why he ended up in such bad gambling debt.

since clemente capitalized on the aforementioned gambling debts to buy into the speakeasy and reopen it as a bar/restaurant after prohibition, freddy has...complicated feelings about him. on the one hand, it really saved his ass given how many people he owed, but on the other hand, it means he’s perpetually stuck under clemente’s thumb, and he resents being usurped on what he’d always regarded as his own turf. if you’ve done something, or you need something done that maybe the boss shouldn’t know about, well...freddy hears a lot of things, and he knows a lot of people, and he keeps his mouth shut.

freddy was the one who told henry about luca putting a hit on joe. it was all very under the table–not that he expects you’re going to do anything with this information, and anyway you didn’t hear it from him, but luca just put out a hit on that friend of yours. thought you might like to know.

after the hotel incident, henry and a few of the other surviving guys regroup at the bar to try to figure out what to do; they’re all panicking, but with clemente dead, well...freddy’s free. he tells henry that night that he was too good to be working for clemente anyway–something he’s always thought but never said–then stays late after closing up and cleans the place top to bottom, determined to scrub every last trace of the old bastard out of his bar. some of the guys still come by, which he’s alright with, but henry kind of drops off the radar entirely. he does call once, and freddy’s relieved to hear the voice of one of his favorite customers.

[grievouslyxorvia]

...To Be Human...?

Major Themes: Mastersona, non ship, philosophical fluff, slight changes to canon mechanics

LOSTBELT 1 SPOILERS

Mastersona Ashera has a chat with their new Servant, Antonio Salieri, just after Lostbelt 1. (I haven’t ever posted fanfic before, so forgive the formatting)

(Since it may be a spoiler, I’m adding that the change to canon is that Salieri made a formal contract with Ashera, so as the Lostbelt disappeared, he was Command Seal summoned back to the Shadow Border, thus retaining his memories from the Lostbelt. And Servants can stick around instead of the ‘only summoned for battle’ stuff.)

“Hey, Salieri... I was wondering if I could talk to you?” Ashera spoke into the empty room, knowing he would hear them even in Spirit Form. The Man in Grey materialised before them, a questioning look on his face.  “You... have need of me, Master?” “Something like that,” they replied, smiling. “How are you adjusting to life as a Servant? Any of the others giving you a hard time?” “Ah, no... nothing of the sort. All has been adequate, except the lack of a piano...” he trailed off, before adding, “but I suppose that would be asking far too much under the circumstances. I do understand our limitations, of course.” It didn’t take Holmes-level skills to notice that the composer was still disappointed and restless over the lack of an instrument, even if he knew it was unimportant in the scheme of things. However, Da Vinci had worked greater miracles with less materials.  “You know, in Proper Human History’s 2020, we have electronic pianos that are only the size of their keyboards. They’re quite popular, as you can mimic the sounds of other instruments while only needing to learn the scales of the piano...” They grinned as he immediately perked up. “You’re saying... that by playing this electronic keyboard... I could create the same sounds as a violin, or a flute?” He asked in surprise. “That’s right! You can even make sounds that wouldn’t normally exist via a regular instrument. I’ll admit that they don’t have the same soul as a grand piano though... to hear the resonance of the strings within can’t be replaced by something electronic, no matter how many types of sound it can produce.” They shrugged with a sigh. “Too luxurious now that the world has ended... again.” Salieri tilted his head, a small smile forming on his face.  “So, you recognise the soul in music, Master? I take it you’ve experienced a symphony before?” “That’s right- several, actually! Even some of yours. I’m particularly fond of your piano concerto in B flat...” they said, remembering the light trills of music floating through the performance hall. “I remember it. Though I enjoyed composing operas, I found my priorities shifted after...”  The unspoken words hung in the air.  “You switched to composing sacred music, before teaching, yes?” Ashera prompted. This Salieri was completely consumed by the persona he had become- the Man in Grey; killer of Mozart.  “...yes.” He stated, his eyes unfocused as his thoughts turned to the past. “I switched to composing sacred music. All to try.... to keep up with the man who God Himself loved. I thought perhaps, if I focused everything on the divine, just maybe...” he paused, as his voice dropped to a whisper, “perhaps God would see fit to forgive me.” He continued to gaze over Ashera’s shoulder, his brow creased with an inscrutable expression. Silence again filled the room, as the Master waited for the composer to gather his thoughts. Eventually, he shook himself out of his reverie, refocusing on their eyes. “My apologies, Master. I’m sure you didn’t call me her to speak about past sins. How may I be of service to you?” “Actually,” Ashera smiled, “I was hoping you could open that box on the desk for me.” Salieri stared blankly at them for a moment, before glancing at the desk in confusion. “You summoned me... to open a box?” he asked slowly. “That’s right!” He hesitated again, before moving to obey the strange command. “As you wish, though I hadn’t expected you to- ahhh...!” He drew in a sharp breath as he folded back the lid. “Surprise! Although, again, I recognise it doesn’t compare to the real thing-” “It’s a keyboard- a piano! Ahh, Master...! How?” He turned to them, with the first truly happy expression they had ever seen him wear.  “Da Vinci is a miracle worker. When I made the argument that music could heal and soothe our souls when we were exhausted from battle, as an artist herself, she couldn’t refuse. There should be a switch on the side to turn it on.” Their smile widened as they watched him reverently remove it from its box, brushing his hands over the keys as if to assure himself they were real. “It was made from bits and scrap we found in the Shadow Border, and I offered to link it to my speakers. I was dependent on music to relax me before you arrived, so they’re quite good quality if I do say so myself. Of course, recorded music couldn’t hold a candle to a live performance...”  His attention snapped back to them immediately. “You would hear me play? Even after hearing the depths of my rage in my Dies Irae...?” He paused, shaking his head slowly. “I am an Avenger... a scourge of humanity... the one who killed the man beloved by God! If you seek rest and healing, I am not sure that my music can provide such comfort.” As he spoke, his hands continued to move over the keys, betraying his words as if they intuitively knew their purpose.  Perhaps I worded that wrong.” Ashera replied, meeting his gaze. “Music does not always have to heal and comfort. It can inspire, it can enrage, it can bring great sorrow, or great hope. Music is not limited to one purpose. The feelings in music are interpreted uniquely by each person who beholds it- and thus does it reflect the true soul of humanity.” They reached out to take the composers closest hand. Though no longer phantom playing over the keys, it still shook slightly with emotion. The Master covered it with her other hand, before looking back into his eyes, unable to help smiling gently at the bewilderment on his face.  “Your Dies Irae worked on Ivan the Terrible- that monstrous, god-like beast- because it spoke to the shred of humanity that still lived within him. You brought what was nearly a living god down to earth by making him feel. And you did it with your fury, your seething hatred. You quite literally saved us with your pure rage. And I felt it too. Fury that this monster wanted to stand between me and restoring Proper Human History. It fuelled me to stand atop the Golem Keter Malkuth, made by the sacrifice of a friend, and fight like no human should ever have to. Because to be moved by such emotion, to be overcome with it, and push past ones limits to reach new heights... that is what it means to be human. Mozart’s music may have been divinely inspired, but yours is humanly inspired. And after having fought two primordial gods and whatever Ivan the Terrible was... I think I could do with remembering humanity. Even the dark and ugly parts.”  Salieri stared at the figure before him, this human mage who welcomed him so warmly. In that instant, he realised he could not possibly have found a better audience in all the world. Here was a heart that was so tired of beating towards an uncertain future that it had nearly forgotten what it meant to feel human. A heart that was shackled by the burden of having sentenced an entire world to death, and was looking for any sort of feeling to fill the void that was slowly expanding within it. This Master knew what it meant to kill Mozart. They understood the emptiness that came with destroying something beloved by a god. And they wanted to hear him play.

“...I hear you, my Master.” His red eyes cleared of all reluctance. He gently took his hand back, turning to the keyboard. There was no more hesitation as he ran through the scales, testing the keys. Though the sound was indeed not the same as a true piano, he still felt a wave of relief as the familiar notes filled the room. There was no longer a need for words.  Layers of chords and spiralling melodies flowed from the speakers and washed over the exhausted mage, who couldn’t help but sigh, a mirror of his own relief. He continued playing long after they had fallen asleep, so lost in his thoughts and music that he didn’t notice his own whisper- “What it means... to be human...”

[hasereshdoneanythingwrong]

Another Surprise

Eresh’s eyes were closed, well, not necessarily closed, more like Faye was covering them with her hands, but that’s close enough. They walked through an area unlike to Eresh, the feel of grass notable as she continue to walk.

Faye’d asked her to keep her eyes closed, eve during the rayshift. An odd request, but Faye wouldn’t take advantage of her, right? The air was brisk but calm, whenever they had gone to, it must’ve been in the late spring,

Faye: Two steps up, My Goddess.

Faye spoke from behind her as Eresh heeded her instructions. Grass turned to wood as she stepped, a solid feeling under her feet. She kept walking forward before coming to a stop. Faye’s hands lifted from her face and Eresh blinked, eyes adjusting to the dark around her. I

They stood in an old wooden gazebo, surrounded by a lake, a lone, solitary lamp shining down on the center of the floor. The wood was old and storied, clearly this place was unique, the gazebo having a couple cobwebs in the corners. The dark around them punctuated by fireflies over the lakefront.

A memory flashed in Eresh’s head. Not one of hers, that’s for sure, of an old woman sitting on a chair in this same gazebo. Her hand, wrinkled yet firm, stroked her hair.

???: Don’t listen to them my dear. Your life is one only you can live, and what you do with it is your own. I can’t tell what, exactly, but you’re going to do great things.

A voice came from Eresh, she didn’t speak it, but the words stumbled out on their own.

“But what if I don’t? I’ve never been aniything special, how could you even know that grandma?”

The old woman chuckled.

Grandma: Because you’re my precious Faye. That’s all the prediction I need.

The memory fdaded as Eresh stood slackjawed. It was Faye’s memory. How she’d come to see it, she didn’t quite know. Da Vinci had said something about how as the Servant-Master bond matures, the two involved tend to have memories deep into one another’s mind, but to have it be to that extent?

While Eresh was trying to make sense of the situation, Faye took Eresh’s hands, leading her further inwards to the center of the gazebo. No chair sat there now, it’s impression long since gone, as cobwebs settled.

Faye: I hope you didn’t mind the secrecy. I wanted this to be a surprise. This place was-

Eresh: Your grandmother’s house.

Faye looked at Ereshkigal, confused. She knew she’d never spoken about this place, especially not to anyone at Chaldea.

Faye: How did you?

Eresh shook her head.

Eresh: I’m not sure, we stepped in and it just sort of came to me. It might be worth bringing up to Da Vinci when we get back.

Faye nodded along, not really following, but hey, who’s going to let the mood be ruined by something like that? She give the signal over to an awaiting Salieri, meticulously hidden in the bushes with a piano as he began to play.

Faye and Eresh began to dance in that pale light, their steps soft against the wooden floor. A right step, a half left, a turn. The two simply swayed together, just enjoying the company of two matched souls.

Faye: This place was special to me.

Faye didn’t have to make eye contact as she and Eresh continues to sway.

Faye: I spent a lot of summers here with my grandma. She and I would play all around this gazebo when I was little. She always used to spoil me, tell me I was going to do great things.

Another step, a turn, the music fading into the background as the two continued.

Faye: What would she say now? What would she think of everything we’ve had to do, all the fighting we’ve been through? Would she still say the same, or would she be disappointed, feeling like I should’ve found another way.

Eresh locked eyes with her lover. Those peridots were so full of doubt, so full of worry, but she never let that dull the shine they always had. Those eyes always looked forward, and were always putting up a happy face. But Eresh knew the truth. She saw what her Master was like in her moments of weakness. She saw her nightmares, her struggles, her stress, and all the while, she started by her side.

Eresh: I think she would’ve been proud. She said that you would do great things not because she knew what you’d amount to, but because no matter what you did, it’d be great. Faye you’ve done so much, fought so hard, that no one in their right mind could be disappointed in you.

Tears welled in Faye’s eyes as the music came winding to a close. She leaned forward, her lips connecting with those of her true love as they embraced in the spring night.

A/N: I tried to be happy but also wanted another excuse for a dance scene. Faye and Eresh slow dancing lives rent free in my head 24/7. I also wanted to steal the idea of high bonds sharing memories.

Mentions: @hasishtardoneanythingwrong @haspaulbunyandoneanythingwrong @hasquetzdoneanythingwrong @the-anime-void

[queerchoicesblog]

The Understudy

Hiya, folks! So, as previously announced, the wlw writing project continues after a break with a miniseries set back in Vienna, one of the iconic capitals of opera at the time of Mozart. An emerging singer gets the chance to be an understudy in the latest Mozart’s discussed opera Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), that  premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on 1 May 1786, w and play the pants role of the page Cherubino. Preparing for the role doesn’t quite go as planned… .

I took the liberty to add a few Italian words every now and there so here are all the useful translations that might come in handy as you read: cara (dear, female adjective), una meraviglia (a true wonder).

Tagging: @scottishqueer​

Previous wlw miniseries: Ancient Greece, Italian Renaissence, Belle Epoque Paris, Sixties.

Hope you enjoy it: if you do, please consider spreading the word!

____________________________

"So...will you do it?" The voice is calm just like the honeyed smile on her lips, but the look in the primadonna's eyes is unmistakable: the great Adriana Ferrarese can't wait to see me out of the door. She's a seasoned professional, she knows how to conceal her displease but I'm not dumb: a jewelled hand rested over Da Ponte's tight and eyes following every single move I make, every single breath I take, she's clearly conveying that my presence is no longer welcome here. It never was, I think: it surely wasn't her idea to invite me here today! Has she tried to dissuade the Maestro from summoning me, I wonder? I'm surprised she failed: you know what they say, feminine wiles can work miracles on men, make them change their minds like a vain girl changes clothes yet...here I am. And she's fuming underneath her well practiced poise. Poor Ferrarese, my blonde curls, my youth must be a threat to her especially in front of him. Ah, I knew that the rumours were true: she's the Italian operatic librettist's mistress! Cunning little devil...of course she gets all the best roles now. Before everyone else.

I join her game and pretend not to notice the subliminal messages she keeps throwing me. I fan myself nonchalantly, pondering the offer I've just received. I am a bit confused: I really don't know what to think of it or how to take it. "Let me get this straight, Maestro" I say, ignoring her and addressing Da Ponte. "You beg me to come here with great haste and ask me to be a last minute understudy for a...page role?" I may not be as famous as his mistress but it's an insult! True, my career hasn't reached its peak yet but I'm not the new girl desperate to get a role: I have adoring admirers throwing flowers and screaming my name whenever I walk into the stage after the grand finale. Who does he think he's talking to? He must understand my disappointment because he's quick to reassure me. "Miss Constanze, Cherubino is not a simple page" he smiles apologetically. "The whole opera revolves around the world of counts and servants, you know Herr Mozart is an innovator, an unconventional spirit...if I remember correctly, you have already worked with him" "Correct" I concede. I'm curious to see where this is going, how he will convince me to accept this. "Well, this new opera has already been a success and trust me: the people of Vienna won't tire of it anytime soon! And the role we kindly asked you to be an understudy for is the most loved by our audience, I assure you. Ask around if you don't believe me: those who attended the opera are head over heels for the Count's page, they recall his scenes, sing his arias underneath their breath...the audience is crazy for him! That's why we couldn't ask just anyone to replace the original singer, but only a refined, talented woman like you, Miss Konstanze" There's a note of pride in his voice. I must give him, it's not surprising that there servant or unconventional roles in Mozart's operas - in The Abduction from the Seraglio I played one of the harem girls - but by the brief description he gave me of the plot I cannot bring myself to understand how the audience can fall in love with a page who doesn't even have an aria for the whole third act and is constantly sidelined. It doesn't make sense: it's a recipe for oblivion to my ears. But he's right: the Wedding is the talk of the town so I should probably say yes anyway, even if no, I don't enjoy the idea of being sidelined. I mean, we all want to glow on stage and bask in the light and audience's adoration. We want their applauses meant for us alone, ringing in our ears when the curtains raise for one last blessed time, we want flowers thrown at us, we want glory. And I am not sure this Cherubino will be my ally on that front if there are two major romances in the main plot already. And even if the audience showed a liking for the page, well I must remember I am not the first singer so my performance will not avoid comparisons. The Maestro speaks again, derailing my line of thoughts. "You see, dear Miss Constanze, Cherubino is not a main character yet he is essential to the plot: without him the whole story wouldn't make sense! One could say that he bears the comedic side of the opera over his young shoulders and even if he doesn't get as many arias as other characters, oh, his are as sweet as cherries, una meraviglia! No wonder the audience loves him...and the restricted number of arias to study might help you prepare properly within such a short notice if you kindly offer your help-" "I would have prepared properly even if I had the double amount of arias within such a short notice, caro Maestro" I interrupt him, just in case he forgot who he is talking to, again. He bows his head, dramatically placing a hand on his heart in display of apology. "But of course, your outstanding professionalism is not questioned here, Miss. To prove it, let me tell you that Herr Mozart was particularly happy when I suggested your name for poor Dorotea's understudy". His mistress' smile is now so tight I have to summon every ounce of professionalism to refrain myself from bursting into a loud insolent laughter. "That's incredibly kind of you, Maestro: I really don't know how to thank you" I purr instead, unable to resist: how could I miss a chance to tease - and piss off! - the primadonna? La Ferrarese throws me a side look I will never forget: I wonder if she has a dagger hidden underneath her skirt and will chase me in the streets in the heat of jealousy when I turn my back at her. Sounds like a scene out of one of those Italian operas, I consider, amused. Do Italians do that offstage too? She only has to dare though: I am younger than her and I have claws too. "Say yes then, Miss" he proposes, radiant. "If you ask me, Herr Mozart thinks you are the best choice and the perfect Cherubino. Say yes, cara Constanze". His face is an expectant plea and I have a feeling that if his mistress wasn't here, he would be begging me on his knees to accept this role. Honestly, I don't know what to make of Herr Mozart's comment about me being just "perfect" to pass for a boy...am I not feminine enough for him in my skirts, tight corset and jewellery a wealthy admirer keeps giving? Whatever. That man is a genius maybe but he's certainly a weirdo. But I think I should accept: it's not the most flattering offer but no one reached the top without taking an understudy role at least once. And so here I am, a week later, in the room of one of Da Ponte's personal friends and composer to help me prepare for the new performance. I don't have much time, not even a month, but his flattery won me. I can do this. I must admit that I'm secretly happy to know that Herr Mozart won't direct the new revivals: he's a brilliant composer and musician but I still remember his wandering hands. I don't think any woman who worked with him - or simply has been around him for more than a bunch of minutes, I wager - got away without a pinch or a breast squeeze. I fail to understand why so many girls fall madly in love with him or at least confess they can't resist his charm. Even his wife still giggle like a child and melt in front of his "Wolfie", despite his endless and well known - and rather squalid, if you ask me - affairs! I mean, not that this Melchiorri is any different: by the so very discreet looks he keeps throwing at my décolleté or by the way his hands linger a bit too much on my hips when he insists to fix my posture, I bet he wouldn't mind me as his mistress. Another lecherous wop, excellent. I've been around so many by now that I know them by heart: honeyed words, usually blabs a lot in a dreamy voice of how they miss Venice or whatever dear hometown they come from and how much you remind them of this or that flower or woman of their childhood. Too many compliments, strong accent hoping you would fall for their exoticism, fine clothing. Just like Mr. Melchiorri. He's from Milan and is a close friend of Salieri. Sometimes I cannot help but wonder if we let too many Italians here in Vienna: sadly, so far they rule the world of the opera and our Emperor is head over heels for them. Ah, better not tell the Empress> she might throw ond hell of a jealousy tantrum! Melchiorri is very gallant, almost regal even if he loses his composure when he speaks of music. He often asks to excuse his passionate temperament with an apologetic smile but I can't shake my mind that this is just a subtle hint to another passionate temperament he would die to show me if the lingering stares he gives me, mesmerised, as I bite the Italian delights he has ready for me - "delivered directly for you, mia cara, from Italy" - every time I visit him for our private sessions are any indication. They're chestnut chocolate truffles with a pinch of brandy, I wager, covered in withe chocolate with a ruby cherry on top. They're called "capezzoli di Venere", that is nipples of Venus, he revealed one day, a mischievous smile on his face: he was probably hoping to shock me or see me blush profusely. Instead, I barked out a laughter and took a generous bite. I regretted it when he bit his lip clearly refraining himself for making another move. But at least he's a good teacher, I make progresses fast. I've been around too many Melchiorris and Herr Mozarts to be bothered. I mean, obviously I'm bothered that most men thinks we opera singers are just harlots in fancier dresses when we broke our backs studying languages, music and singing hard since a very early age. We didn't sacrifice the best years of our lives only to be mistaken for mannequins with a melodious voice when we sing the arias they wrote. But that's what it is and I must focus now. And it's so difficult at times with men like these. Just like when one day the door of his studio slams open out of the blue while I'm rehearsing an aria and a little boy of three, four years maybe runs inside laughing. He's visibly proud of evading whoever was asked to look after him. True to his "passionate temperament", Melchiorri is suddenly furious. He barely looks at the child and shouts out the name of the unfortunate servant before profusely apologise to me. A terrified young maid comes running and soon chaos takes hold of the room: Melchiorri alternates between tight apologetic smiles in my direction and not so gallant curses he thinks I do not understand to the the poor maid who chases the cheeky little boy with great effort but little success. I must admit it's rather amusing even if I'm wasting my time. Suddenly I have an idea. When finally the maestro shuts up to catch breath, I sing an impromptu elaborate thrill at full voice. The little boy freezes and turns towards in awe while the maid wraps her arms around him: caught! Melchiorri needs a moment to process what happened while the girl flashes me a quick, grateful smile. "There, emergency solved" I announce, beaming. "Can we proceed now, Maestro?"

[autolenaphilia]

Mafia: City of Lost Heaven

The original Mafia from 2002 by Illusion Softworks is a weird and fascinating game. It is a third-person shooter somewhat in the vein of the GTA series.

It is set in the 1930s and is about a Mafia family, the Salieris in the fictional city of Lost Heaven. It focuses on the rise of player character Tommy Angelo in the Salieri organization. It is a standard gangster movie plotline, with the Godfather and director Martin Scorcese being referenced often. The character wants the money crime can give him and is successful as a mafioso, but he experiences conflict between the horrible things he must do and his conscience. This contradiction eventually destroys him and the story becomes a tragedy.

This cinematic gangster tragedy is an unusually ambitious story for an action video game at the time, and it isn’t entirely unsuccessful in those. Mainly it is because the 1930s gangster film atmosphere is so fully realized, more than the actual writing. The writing isn’t terrible, Tommy’s story is a coherent tragedy, but it does not quite reach the high level of its gangster movie inspirations.

And it has many of the problems of the genre, except even more so. The game depicts the mafia in quite glorifiying ways. The mafiosos in these guys wear nice suits and fedoras, drive nice cars and get to have cool gunfights with Tommy guns. And yet the story tries to have it the other way too, with the mafia depicted as ruthless violent people and crime leading to a tragic end. Tommy is himself frequently appalled at the things the family wants him to do and ultimately he ends up badly because of his mafioso life. The contradiction is obvious. It is the same trap the gangster films that inspired this game fall into. Gangster films want to show this cool escapist fantasy of gangsters because it is fun, yet both storytelling logic and any moral analysis demands crime leads to tragedy.

The story also has the problem of this opposition between “good” gangsters and “bad” gangsters that doesn’t make much sense. The plot driving the story for basically 4/5 of the game and especially the middle levels is this rivalry between the Salieri and Morello families that eventually becomes an outright war. And in order to have a more easily graspable “heroes and villains” situation, the narrative is clear that the Morellos are the worse mobster family. Don Morello kills people for bumping into his car and tortures people to death. He is presented as a vile and repellent villain from the first. It is the Morello mobsters which you kill for most of the game, and you kill a lot of them, and this somewhat over-the-top villainization is meant to justify that.

And Salieri doesn’t do these kinds of things, he doesn’t deal in drugs either and fights common thugs who mug and sexually assualt women. He is the “good” kind of gangster. Even his collecting of protection money is presented as actually providing some form of protection. It is an implausible idea to say the least, and the game is certainly aware of it. What drives the plot inthe last four levels of the game is that Don Salieri is becoming morally worse after his final victory over Morello, getting more greedy for money and power. Butthe game depicts him as committing ruthless murders even before that point. This inherent evil of the mafia is what drives the actual main storyline: the tragedy of Tommy.

This Salieri vs. Morello plot feels hollow, the game’s attempts to subvert it doesn’t work because it doesn’t feel credible to begin with. The over-the-top villainy of Morello and Salieri’s softer actionsfeel like sentimental nonsense from the very start. “This gangster is good, he protects people from common muggers OwO, but this gangster is bad, he tortures people >:(“. Salieri’s slide into further villainy after Morello’s defeat doesn’t feel credible either. For a subversion like that to work it must have some plausibility to start with, some emotional resonance with the audience, and it just doesn’t.

It makes the game feel like it buys into the glamorization of crime that is often present in the genre more than most actual gangster films do.

Speaking of that, I should mention the sexism of this game. Most gangster films certainly depict a male-dominated culture. In that, the genre reflects the real-life mafia, which is extremely male-dominated and misogynist, and it is arguable how much those films endorse that sexism as opposed to merely depicting it.

And I would argue Mafiafalls into endorsing it, at least in its storytelling. There are only tworeal female characters, and each only appears in one level each. Sarah is an especially outstanding example, for she becomesTommy’s wife. The level in which she appears Tommy rescues her from a sexual assault by some muggers and they have sex and fall in love. This is said to lead to their marriage, and I do literally mean “said” because we never see her again after that level. Tommy mentions her occasionally and his marriage to Sarah and their daughter is by his own admission his most important motivation.

And that is the purpose of women in the story of Mafia: to provide motivation for their husbands. Two other gangsters are similarly driven by their wifes and children to break with the Salieri family’s obligations, in explicit parallels to Tommy’s situation. And it is not just sexist writing, it is ineffective writing too. Tommy’s marriage is meant to be very important to him as a character, and it is problem in the actual story it is never shown. We never get to see Tommy’s and Sarah’s supposedly idyllic family life, only hear Tommy talk about how it is the most important thing for him, which weakens any emotional empathy we might feel with him.

The level with Sarah at least features a bunch of dialogue between Tommy and Sarah and it is nice I suppose, but it is not enough. Sarah is also depicted as a bit of a bimbo or at least extremely naive, as she doesn’t seem to be aware the Salieri’s are well a mafia family, which seems unrealistic considering how closely connected she is with them. (She grew up as the daughter of the bartender in the Salieri’s Bar and works there, a location in which they literally shoot rival gangsters in at one point).

The writer of Mafia, Daniel Vavra would many years later become a gamergater, probably the most prominent developer to sympathize with the movement. And while it is of course a disappointment, it is not entirely unexpected. He was by far not the worst misogynist in video games or anything,

but just looking at Mafia, it is not strange at all that Vavra as a game writer would feel threatened of the very idea of feminist analysis of video games.

I talked about the story far more than I wanted to when I started writing this, and it is actually not the most interesting thing about this game, it is actually the city of Lost Heaven itself, the attempts at realism in the gameplayand the cars.

The city of Lost Heaven is one of the more fully realized cities in video games, and it is clear a lot of effort and thought was put into its design. Even the map of the city which you use to navigate it showed a lot of effort. It has (printed)creases, stains and pen markings drawn on it just like a real map would. The original box(that I owned) came with an actual physical copy of the map, which was very fun to have,although bringing up the map in-game by pressing tab was certainly the more practical option.

It is perhaps not a huge world compared to modern open-world games, but it was huge for 2002 and it is varied in a semi-realistic way. Lost Heaven is divided into various distinct areas just like a real city would. There is an industrial area, a working class housing area (“Hoboken”), a detached housing area for the upper middle class on the outskirts (Oakwood), an area with mansions for the rich (Oak Hill), ethnic ghettos like Chinatown or Little Italy. The basic idea seems to have been is to recreate an American city from the period in miniature.

And the areas have been given a lot of effort to make them appear more tangible. The building models and textures are different of course, but you can also detect a difference in the pedestrians. People in working clothes walk around in the industrial area and the working class area of Hoboken, whereas you can primarily see the nice looking suits and dresses in the richer areas of of town. It clearly took great effort to program and it contributes greatly to the mood. Even the cars seem to vary slightly, with the older and cheaper cars more abundant in the poorer districts, but the difference I think is lesser compared to the pedestrians.

The care with which Lost Heaven was constructed creates this compelling atmosphere. It feels like you are driving around in a 1930s American city. The aesthetics and atmosphere make the gangster story work better than it otherwise would. Lost Heaven simply feels more real than most video game cities do. And this is despite the dated graphics.The textures might oftenbe very grainy, shop signs especially are a blurry mess, but even they were made with some effort.

Let’s talk about the cars too, because they encapsulate this game in both aesthetics and gameplay. The cars are all based on real cars of the period, even if the names are all changed to avoid any claims of trademark infringement. Fords are called “Bolts” and Chrysler Airflows are called “Ulver Airstream” for example. If you know anything about older cars, you can however easily recognize many of them them under the changed names. an early game car is unmistakeably a Ford model T for example. Also some cars are far more common than they should be, like the concept car Pierce Silver Arrow of which only five were built is a common rich man’s car in the game under the name “Silver Fletcher”.

The cars driven by the NPCs are used to show the passage of time in the game, which goes from 1930 to 1938. As the years go by in story, older cars get more uncommon (but don’t disappear entirely) and new models are introduced. Your access to cars in gameplay also improves as you progress in the story. You go from slow, fragile cars like the aforementioned T-ford to fast, powerful and sturdy cars. The effort put into the cars from the research to the NPC programming is another thing that helps create the compelling mood of Mafiaand the city of Lost Heaven.

The cars are a good example of how the game often prioritizes atmosphere and verisimilitude over fun and accessible gameplay. The driving in this game is not a side-thing like it would be in most action games and cars in this game handle fairly realistically for this type of game. It is still arcadey, but far less arcadey than you would expect from a non-driving simulator. And most importantly, cars are period accurate in that they are both slower and more clunky to handle than modern cars.

Damage to the car also has more consequences than you might expect. A crash might damage the engine causing the car to go slower, a bullet rupturing a tyre makes the car far more difficult to handle, a shot to the gas tank will cause the fuel to leak out(fuel is never really a problem in the primary story mode, but it is there as a game mechanic and can be relevant in the free ride mode). The early-game cars are more fragile and vulnerable to crashes and the like, but none (outside a special car in the game’s free ride mode which not available in the regular story) are immune to these problems.

So this game prioritizes realism over player enjoyment, practically the only obvious concession to the player is that you always have automatic gearchanges available, but you can also choose to change gears manually if you want to. It is frankly oftenfrustrating, even the best cars in this game can be difficult to handle.

Car chases in this game are brutally difficult because of this, and the game’s most infamous level is the fifth one where you have to compete in a car race, driving a fairly period-accurate racing car. It has perhaps the best speed and acceleration of all the car’s in this game, but handles terribly. It is perhaps the most difficult level in the game, and even the developers seem to have realized how unfair it is. You could cheat in the original box copy version of the game which I played as a kid and the GOG version has an easy mode for the race.

A lot of the game is actually about this car hierarchy mentioned before. Typically at the beginning of each level you are given a new car by the Salieri’s mechanic Ralphy, and it is usually better than the car he gave you last level (he also teaches you how to steal it, which isn’t that useful in the story mode, but gives you that ability in other game modes). At the end of most levels, you are also given the opportunity to do an optional side-mission for another mechanic, Lucas. If you succeed, Lucas teaches you how to steal a really capable car. Typically the car you can get from Lucas will be better than the ones Ralphy will give you for the next 2 levels at least.

So the clunky car mechanics both give period verisimilitude and a sense of progression throughout the game.

And it does certainly add to the atmosphere and sense of realism. Mafia’s cars feel more real than most video game cars, but they are also oftenfrustrating to use in gameplay.

But Mafia priortizing its verisimilitude over player enjoyment doesn’t stop there. In each level you are given an objective, typically somewhere else in the city than where you start (which is usually Salieri’s bar). And you have to drive from the starting point to where the actual level starts. After the level is over, you have to drive all the way back.

You can’t just speed your way through the city either, because Lost Heaven’s cops will notice you breaking the speed limit or running a red light and fine you. The fine doesn’t actually cost you anything in the story mode, but it takes up time and negates any time you won by speeding. You can run away but the cop cars will follow and try to arrest you (which is a game-over), and if you try to kill them they will shoot back. The police will usually radio in for back-up too, so you will have to evade or kill the cops (including the back-up) to escape, both of which are fairly difficult.

So the best idea is to keep to the speed limit of 40 mph and don’t run any red lights. You can toggle a speed limiter with the F5 button which caps your car’s speed at 40 miles. It adds to the realism the developers are going for, but in order to play the actual level you have to have this bit of tedium with the drive both before and after. It is basicallya commute except with a varying destination.

The developers was probably aware of the tedium on some level. During the first half of the second level you get to play Tommy during his pre-gangster life as a taxi driver. It is literally just driving from point A to B under a time limit, and the customer will get cranky if you crash the car, and getting a speeding ticket is game-over here of course. The customer dialogue is often rude and theydoesn’t even thank you for most of the time. It is super-tedious and clearly intended to get the player to understand why Tommy became a gangster, since this boring dead-end job is his alternative. The problem of course is that a lot of his life as a gangster consists of driving from point a to point b in a similar fashion.

The game’s obsession with verisimilitude also extends beyond the driving to the action. Without being entirely realistic, Tommy is on the flimsier side of shooter game protagonists and can’t take a lot of bullets before dying. It is like in Max Payne, where a point-blank shotgun blast can practically kill the player character in one hit. You can find healing in first aid boxes boxes, but they are rare. Reloading before your magazine is empty also means you lose any bullets left in the magazine.

And unlike Max Payne, there are no quicksaves or manual saves whatsoever. Saves are done automatically at certain checkpoints and you have to re-start at those if you die. This save system makes this game extremely difficult, since you have to sometimes practice entire segments in order to progress. It is a lot of having to memorize where an enemy mobster pops out so you can shoot him before he shoots you.

The combat is certainly well-made and sometimes quite fun. There are like the cars some weak weapons, but overall weapons feel powerful and the environments and set-pieces are often enjoyable. But the action like the rest of the game is frustratingly difficult.

And that is the game, pretty much. You have a tedious drive to have a big spectacular shoot-out that is frustratingly difficult and you have another drive back. Sometimes there is a car chase, but that’s it. There is a stealth level that tries to change up the formula where you break into a villa, but the game is not really built for stealth so it is frustrating and very much not fun. Then there is the side-missions from Lucas on your drive back, usually a timed fetch-quest of some kind. They do add variety and have some interesting story ideas but can be frustrating in their own right.

There is also the free ride game mode, where you get to explore Lost Heaven freely and do whatever you want, although there is not that much to do, except get into car chases/fire fights with cops or random gangsters you can aggro if you want. The oddest game mode is “free ride extreme”, where you get to do various bizarre quests to unlock equally bizarre cars. It is a weird mode, especially for this game, as you have this usually serious aiming-for-realism game letting its hair down and going for outright comedic surrealism.You get to chase down a super-fast npc named Speedy Gonzales, that sort of thing. The mission certainly have surreal imagination to their credit, even if they can be as frustrating as the rest of this game.

So is Mafia a good game? It is hard to say. A lot of my fond memories of this game comes from playing an already old by that point box copy as a teen when I didn’t have access toor had played many other games, so nostalgia plays into my fondness for this game.

Replaying it now, the game’s faults are more apparent. When it comes to story, the game certainly stood out back then, and the tragedy of Tommy Angelo the unwise still broadly works, but its re-telling of gangster movies has not aged that well. Gameplay-wise the game is difficult in a way that feels frustrating rather than fun, and there is a lot of tedious driving from point A to B. Some of the action set-pieces are exciting, but the high difficulty and limited save system essentially means replaying large chunks of them almost to the point of memorization.

There are many other games like the GTA series that have a similar mix of third-person action with driving which have more easily enjoyable gameplay. Mafia seems to care more about making its world believable than any kind of player enjoyment.

And it is probably its world, the city of Lost Heaven that still fascinates about this game. A lot of work and love went into Lost Heaven, and it shows. Lost Heaven is an atmospheric and memorable place. Mafia makes a lot of strange gameplay choices just to make Lost Heaven seem more real, choices that not many other games would have made for good reason, because thatlevel of realism is not that fun.

The result is that this is a game where you play a badass 1930s gangster not just during daring shootouts in mobster wars, but also during his slow drive to and from hisgangster work, and youhas to follow the traffic laws so he isn’t ticketed. It is 1930s Gangster simulator 2002, or an approximation there of.

Mafiaisn’t alwaysa fun game, there is a long stretchesof frustration and tedium here, but it is frequently interesting and a clear labour of love, atmospheric, weirdand fascinating.

[little-murmaider]

tell me about your magnus pls 8) i love how he's like the straight man to dethklok's tomfoolery, and i like that you write him as more of an intellectual. what was the inspiration for that choice?

SOOOO the thing about Magnus is, I was extremely disappointed with his canon counterpart! I was in the fandom while seasons 1-2 were airing, and started to fall off during season 3 both because of the erratic airing schedule and because I was working on my college thesis. Then years later, Doomstar came on a random Pandora metal playlist I was listening to, and I fell right back into fandom, and I saw all this incredible art and Lore about this New Character Magnus Hammersmith and I was so EXCITED to meet him in canon! I remember losing my shit on livejoural during that season 3 premiere and screaming *Griffin McElroy voice* WHO IS THIIIIIIIIS. But then I watched season four and Doomstar and was like “oh that’s it?” I’ve said it before but he very much feels like a first draft character to me. Woulda loved if someone gave him another pass.  It took me some time to warm up to fanon Magnus! Part of it was me being a stubborn brat and being like, “UMMMMMMMM if you wanted to ascribe nuance and backstory to a skinny underwritten guitarist Skwisgaar is RIGHT THERE.” But there were certain fanworks, mainly created by @mordland​ and @agaricales​, that got me thinking through the Potential of the character. I love that he’s so malleable. Like we’ve talked about, I love a Salieri-type. I love the idea of him as an Other within the band, because of his age and because of his self-perception as being Better in some way. I’m a literary douchebag so as I thought about how I wanted to portray him it made sense that he also would be a literary douchebag. I was a writing major at an art school in Brooklyn in the mid-late 2000s so I have encountered many bearded scraggly decrepit men who drank wine out of mugs they stole from diners and wanted to talk your ear off about ENNUI. But I have a lot of affection for that type? So as I started to figure out how I wanted to portray Magnus, I thought him being well-read was a way to showcase his intellect and also set him apart from the others. I also wanted to show that he had a lot of passion for the arts in general. It’s not super obvious in my published fics, but I think Magnus’s artistic ambitions far outweigh his skillset. Like as a musician, he’s serviceable, but he aspires to be this world-conquering talent and he’s just not and it’s so frustrating to him that these IDIOTS who are not on his level at ALL have somehow managed to effortlessly unlock the thing he’s been striving for for years????? I find that tension really interesting and really fun to play with. I think he’d be a really great teacher if he just re-assessed his life after getting kicked out of Dethklok. The type whose passion is palpable, and who always keeps in touch with his favorite students. 

Fic/art/comics character ask meme

[tainbocuailnge]

i must say having finished lb1 now that im a little disappointed that atalante and salieri weren’t more unhinged. atalante was literally just herself except goth now, like she wasn’t even noticably more angry than usual even tho calydonian boar form was the peak of her rage and despair in apocrypha. chaldea’s salieri can barely even get himself to say his own name but in the lostbelt he just calmly goes “hello my name is antonio salieri or to be more precise the man in grey using antonio salieri’s name for convenience pleased to meet you” lostbelt salieri had a full conversation with mozart but if you say the M word around chaldea salieri he immediately throws himself into a fit. 

it made them easier to work with definitely and in salieri’s case I think giving people a feel for his actual personality underneath the whole god of death thing played a big part in his explosive popularity but it still seems like wasted potential, especially since near the end kadoc is like “are you fucking insane?? no wait, maybe this is exactly how crazy you need to be to save the world” it would’ve been thematic having two outright crazy bitches on our side. imagine the look on kadoc’s face seeing salieri listening to us of his own will when they had to get out the brainwashing to handle him, or the rebel leader who they assumed deferred to the same right of the strong as the yaga working with someone who’s a weakling by all this world’s standards