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alextydaisuda123 · 4 months ago

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"Dance Tower"

So... a new AU?:") ... I don't know, I drew everything on pure enthusiasm. And I was shocked by myself when I realized that... THIS WILL BE MY FIRST QUIET AU! °□° Without any serious plot! This AU will exist purely for fun. Why not. No, I did not refuse dark and tense plots, I just wanted to create something calm. So meet >:)✨️

Dance Tower - this AU will be based only on dancing. Yes, there will be elements of competitions and combat, and only because most of the dances are tied to combat due to the characteristics of the bosses.

Plot? Well, as I said, there is nothing serious there. Everything is simple. Peppino and Gustavo receive a letter from Pizzahead with a simple invitation to the tower to dance, whether they go or stay, it is their choice, their no one forced them. But they went, why not :). And now, let's move smoothly to the characters. And yes, I will say in conclusion that the characters have remained unchanged, but they will have some added facts and details. And yes, almost all the characters will be friends with each other.

Peppino. His dance style is hip-hop with elements of breakdance. He is still anxious and afraid to perform in public, so he dances either only with Gustavo, or alone. But when he receives an invitation, he still decides to go there, purely out of curiosity.

Facts: Peppino has accumulated a lot of scars throughout his life (half of which he does not remember where he got), so he hides them under thick clothes (even in the heat he walks like that, poor thing🥲). Only Gustavo knows about the scars. He can still cook (though he does not have a restaurant at all).

Gustavo and Brick. Their dance style is Flamenco. In fact, Brick initially did not know how to dance, but when he became interested in what Gustavo dances, he decided to learn. Gustavo is more confident in dancing and is not shy in public.

Facts: He tried to learn breakdancing from Peppino, but alas, he realized that it was not his genre, although he knows a few tricks from there that he can perform. He met Brick purely by chance in the tower, when he tried to dance with Noisette, whom he met on one of the floors of the tower. Brick really liked Gustavo's style, so he tied a red belt on himself and asked Gustavo to do his hair :3.

Pepperman. His dance style is ballet, with elements of allegro, boxing or something like that. He has been dancing ballet since an early age, which he really liked. But over time, he added elements of combat to it, which makes his ballet look somewhat sharp and dynamic (which surprised Peppino himself when he took part in a dance with him).

Facts: Because of his additions to the dance style, it is difficult for him to find the music he needs, so he approaches it very slowly, but reverently. He still draws. He tried to mix dancing and drawing before, but he cannot concentrate on anything in particular, so he does drawing separately, namely when he is resting. During dancing, his legs suffer the most, so they are constantly bandaged (jumps and kicks do their job). He has many costumes that he can use in dance. He loves to wear makeup, so he also does his own makeup (sometimes Noisette does it).

Vigilante. His dance style is cowboy country. In his dance, he uses a gun (safe), because it adds more ... epicness to it? Dynamics?🤨...well, yes, something like that. He takes dancing quite seriously, initially not perceiving other genres. Over time, of course, it passed, but he does serious preparation for dancing.

Facts: He has been dancing not since childhood, since he initially believed that he and dance were something incompatible. But when he grew up, he decided to try to find something suitable for him, and since he loved country music, he began to dance in a similar style. That's where his love for the cowboy theme came from. The ribbon on his hat was given to him by PM, as a sign of their relationship and joint partnership in dancing.

Noise. His style is Hip Hop with elements of break dance and ... rap🥲. Well, yeah, why not |:). Has been doing this since childhood. Initially, his family taught him to dance something simple and national, like Harabe. But he quickly got bored and learned something else (nobody forbade him in general). When he fights in a dance with Peppino, he can use random things to win and get more rating.

Facts: Initially, he thought that his dance style was special, but when Bruno himself repeated his tricks, even did better, he softened opinion about it a little. When he met Noisette, he was ashamed to admit that he usually dances when she said that she dances, and he hid it for a long time (they were then able to combine their dances, so everything is generally fine now). He doesn't really try hard on his images😅.

Noisette. Her style is ballet, compatible with roller skating or ice skating (mostly rollers). Her dances are mostly complete improvisation. Still as cheerful and energetic.

Facts: When she danced with Gustavo, she didn't have the goal of defeating him somehow, but just to dance from the heart. She still cooks different goodies, and they turn out quite tasty (if you're really hungry, of course, but Noise will eat everything). Her costume is also some kind of improvisation, since she wanted to diversify the ballet costume. She sometimes likes to arrange a fashion show with PM.

Fake Peppino (Bruno). He has the same dance style as the regular Peppino, only also with elements of improvisation. Initially, Bruno was not conceived as a clone who needs to defeat Peppino, but purely as an ordinary participant, like everyone else. So he wasn't created with evil intent.

Facts: Despite his love for frogs, he asked Noisette and Pepperman to sew him something frog-related, which they did very well (except there were also pants, but they were abandoned due to inconvenience). On his floor, there are many dance machines that he plays (either alone or with friends, if they are not busy). His relationship with Pizzahead is not bad, yes, he does not particularly care for him, but he does not torture him, but simply treats him like a child, whom he can occasionally notice and does not refuse to dance with him.

Pizzahead. His dance style is a little special, namely tap dancing. It is special because for other bosses this genre of dance is "from the old days" (plus the clothes refer to the old days (and to the image of Charlie Chaplin🥲👍)). In this AU, he is not evil, but he can sometimes get along with other bosses because of little things or because of the thirst for victory in some contests or simple competitions. But someday he will have to admit his defeat. And so, he is a simple smiling fool, nothing more.

Facts: The reason why Pizzahead invited Peppino to his tower is because he saw him on TV purely by chance. He admired his movements (even if they were constrained due to Peppino's insecurity) and decided to invite him as a friend. Of course, he did not expect Peppino to come, but he was prepared for his appearance in advance. His cane serves not only as a dance element, but also purely to maintain posture, since he has minor back problems due to his tall stature. He has a bad habit of tap dancing at night, which keeps others awake. Oops.

That's how it is :D. I will occasionally draw this AU for fun :>. I hope you like it^^"✨️.

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marclef · 11 months ago

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a special gift for you guys, for this very important Fake Peppino Friday.... after a week of near-continuous work, i present to you the biggest mess i've posted so far to tumblr:

The Fake Peppino Headcanon/Biology/Anatomy/Whatever the heck this is Post

really just a bunch of headcanons, ideas, and other stuff i've complied together for Fake Peppino, illustrated to the best of my ability. i hope you enjoy! ✨✨✨

(caution: lots of text and assorted Frogs up ahead)

now.... who's ready for walls of text and drawings?

Fake Peppino is a homunculus, made in the shape of Peppino by Pizzahead. He's much taller than the real Peppino, 8 feet tall compared to Peppino's 5 1/2 feet. He was created using the DNA from Peppino (either skin or hair cells), old pizza, and frogs (think Jurassic Park). His entire body, including the hat and "clothes", is comprised of a strange goop, with no flesh organs or bones, though certain areas are made out of specialized goo, meant for an intended purpose.

He can stretch his body to inhuman lengths, though he usually only does this with his legs, mouth, tongue, and arms. His goopy body is extremely strong, able to withstand tearing and most puncture wounds. Attacks from knives or similar weapons are pointless, as it doesn't really harm him, and will likely just lead to him absorbing the knife into himself and retaliating. However, repeated attacks, especially physical blows, can tire him out, and explosives can harm him, splitting his body into pieces if particularly strong. This doesn't kill him, though, since he can reform his body.

If threatened, or trying to get into a tight spot, Fake Peppino can deform his body into a blob-like mass, allowing him to flee, squeeze into small areas, or melt into the floors/walls. He usually keeps his eyes and brain intact, to see his surroundings and act accordingly. The rest of his body, despite deforming and becoming mushy, can still function, meaning he could still eat in this form if he wanted to. He finds tights spaces comfortable, and can often be found squeezed into unlikely places, such as small containers, trash cans, and cabinets.

If greatly threatened, though, or sufficiently angered, Fake Peppino can pool all of the energy into his body into growing larger, by rapidly burning energy into making more goop/cells. This is very tiring, generally only used as a last resort. The process generally makes his head and body much larger, with his limbs, as well as eyes/brain, staying mostly the same size. He is dumber in this state, with all energy and thought going into eliminating the target, something that Fake Peppino doesn't like. He avoids lashing out like this unless he absolutely needs to.

Despite his frog DNA, Fake Peppino doesn't do well with water or other similar liquids. Thanks to his sturdy stomach walls, he can drink most liquids just fine, even fluids that would be dangerous to humans. It's his outside "skin" that's the problem, since it can't absorb liquid properly. Prolonged contact with water or other liquid will quickly cause him to deform, unable to keep his humanoid form, until he's sufficiently dried off/absorbed the liquid properly. He greatly dislikes being wet because of this, and will go to great lengths to avoid it. Warmer liquids are slightly more tolerable, being much more comfortable, so warm, bubbly baths are welcome.

The brain and eyes are connected directly, with the brain protected by Fake's squishy head, and the eyes popping out the widened eye sockets. The brain is made of very specialized goop, and works very similarly to a human brain, sending signals to all parts of Fake Peppino's body.

However, despite it being the central control center of his body, smaller bits of brain cell goop are distributed through the rest of his body, allowing him to control other parts separately. So, even if parts of him are detached or otherwise removed, he can still control them, for a time. After some time, these parts die off though, losing control and deforming into inert goop. He mainly uses this ability to split "clones" off of himself, controlling them to attack perceived threats.

Being made of goop, Fake's brain can withstand damage a normal brain can't, but he still prefers to keep it protected underneath his head. It dries out a bit in the open, too, which he finds uncomfortable.

Fake Peppino's eyes are very strong. Though he's often seen with a cross-eyed look to him, he's constantly watching his surroundings, even if it doesn't seem it. He has excellent night vision, often using this ability to easily stalk and sneak up on prey in the dark without being spotted.

He doesn't need to blink, but he still closes his eyes to sleep, when he's very happy, or during certain actions, such as swallowing. His eyes are one of the most vulnerable parts of his body, though, and attacking them would be a way to easily disorient him.

Fake Peppino's sense of smell is also impressive, being able to smell things long before he sees them. He uses this ability to easily find food, prey, or simply something he wants. The mustache under his nose (which, same as his "hair", is also made of goop) is sensitive, and he doesn't like others touching it.

Fake Peppino often sniffs things he's interested in, including strangers, to try to get a sense for them. He never forgets a particular smell, which makes it easy to tell if a familiar person is nearby. He often sniffs others while holding them or being given attention, likely as a form of interaction. Plus, he just thinks most others smell nice.

Despite, like the rest of him, being made of goop, Fake Peppino's teeth can harden to be extremely tough. They soften if he needs them to, such as when he deforms. His bite force is very, very strong, comparable to a hippo's bite. He doesn't chew his food too often, though, and only really chews up food he finds particularly tasty, such as pizza. His frog-like instinct usually compels him to swallow most foods whole. His teeth are more often used to grip things, such as prey items, or to carry things around. He enjoys carrying things he likes around, and will carry smaller friends around gently with his mouth.

The stretchiest part of Fake Peppino's body is his tongue, which can stretch to several times his body length. It is very sticky, coated with a clear, saliva-like goop that fills the inside of his mouth as well. Like a frog, he uses it to grab onto and eat food from afar, or to grab items he doesn't feel like using his arms to. It's very strong, and can drag even very heavy objects. The tongue's extreme flexibility allows him to reach it nearly anywhere, even down his own throat if he really wanted.

Usually, Fake Peppino uses his tongue to snatch fleeing prey items, and he can wrap it around their body to make them easier to eat. He often leaves his tongue dangling slightly out of his mouth, due to its length, but also making it easy to strike with if needed.

Fake Peppino's "stomach" is a very special case. It functions like both an organic stomach, and similarly to a lung as well, constantly moving by pushing air in and out of himself. He can use this to inflate his body, making himself bigger for intimidation (like some frogs do), or to shrink himself down by releasing all air from himself; this is generally used if a prey item is being uncooperative, to cause them to suffocate. To help keep live prey in place as well, he's able to close off his throat with a mass of goop, preventing escape.

The constant movement of the stomach makes digesting meals easier, allowing them to be coated by a specialized goop that absorbs and dissolves what it covers, like stomach acids. Fake Peppino's stomach can digest almost everything, aside from very tough materials, such as most metals, very solid plastics, tough minerals (like rocks), and bones. Anything he can't digest, he simply spits up eventually, generally in a place it can be disposed of, such as the trash.

His stomach is very sturdy and stretchy, able to withstand almost anything, and can stretch as much as needed to fit what's inside. As such, there's not much of a limit to how much Fake Peppino can eat. Eating too much makes him sluggish, though, as his body tries to process it all. Fake Peppino is most content with a reasonably-full stomach, and is generally quite calm and relaxed after a large meal. Belly rubs at this point are greatly appreciated.

If needed to, he can reach his arms back into his own throat, to grab something from inside of his stomach. He doesn't do it often, due to most things he eats being digestible, making carrying stuff around in there fairly pointless. This is only ever really the case if it's something too difficult to spit up, or something that wasn't supposed to be eaten in the first place.

There is no further digestive system, however; all food eaten is 100% absorbed in the stomach. Everything he eats is converted into more goop like him, leaving no trace behind, unless it is undigestible. Bones from eaten prey such as rats get thrown out, or disposed of in an appropriate spot.

and... though I didn't get to drawing them, here's a couple extra unsorted headcanons/dumb little tidbits I just felt like sharing!

He makes lots of strange sounds, communicating more through groans and frog-like croaks than trying to speak. He CAN talk, but not well, mostly in broken, short sentences, and usually speaks "backwards". He can understand others just fine, though he struggles with especially long and complicated words. The sounds he makes when not talking are generally unintelligable, but his mood and tone can indicate how he feels. He uses the ability to inflate his body to produce very loud, aggressive sounds when trying to ward off threats.

His gooey body is what allows him to cling to walls and ceilings with ease. He sticks to walls while trying to stalk prey, or just to play around with friends. Though, in some cases, he'll cling against the walls or ceiling if frightened, finding them a safe vantage point. If you're in the dark and feel something creeping its way towards you, it's likely Fake Peppino, silently stalking you from the walls.

Despite his inhuman traits, Fake Peppino generally doesn't like the idea of eating humans. He still sees himself as somewhat human from his time spent believing he was the real Peppino. Attacking or eating things he doesn't see as prey is kept as a last resort, or if he's extremely angered. As of now in my canon/AU, there is only one person Fake Peppino has killed in this way. He didn't like the taste.

#oh god. oh lord. Color Of The Sky: Frog Edition has been released into the world.#i uhh. hope you like it though!! i've spent literally an entire week working on it and i'd like to think it turned out good!!#oh and also. if anyone has any questions or thoughts about this stuff feel free to ask! i might take a while to get to ask stuff but-#i promise i'll try! anyways. enjoy the frogs. a lotta good boys here.#my art #pizza tower #pizza tower fake peppino #pizza tower noise #pizza tower peppino #i'm uh. gonna take a nice break from drawing for a day now.

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the-awful-falafel · 2 months ago

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I personally reconcile my own "fire / extreme temperature shifts are some of the few things that can kill Fake Peppino and his biomass" headcanon with the "mansion level concept art highlights how Fake Peppino is still alive and moving around despite being on fire, implying he's immune/resilient" detail by pointing out that the idea of Fake Peppino being vulnerable to being killed by fire doesn't mean it's like, super effective against him, or even any more effective on him than a human. He's still durable enough and regenerates enough that you probably have to keep him burning for like ten minutes straight before he finally dies from it, and his separated clones and shed doughflesh biomass probably die much sooner because they don't regenerate nearly as quickly (if at all) compared to his "main" body.

Also it'd be agonizing for him the entire time and he wouldn't be able to hold his body together very well (supported by how in the mansion concept art, he does not exactly look happy as a burning blob lol) so he tends to not want to stay in place to let you finish charring him to a crisp. He will either power through the pain to lash out, or disengage from the situation very quickly out of self-preservation before he gets too weakened to escape and extinguish himself.

... In a more mundane sense, though, this does mean I imagine Fake Peppino is pretty resilient to standing near ovens (his body may start to drip a little more but it's not like he's a candle, he can handle it), and has the pain tolerance to not mind small amounts of touching hot or burning things in the slightest. He will grab a pizza out of the oven without gloves and not care about the short-term pain since he regenerates off the damage pretty fast. Totally worth it for the delicious 'za. It's once it crosses a certain threshold (like, say, using a flamethrower on him) that it 100% becomes a threat.

#pizza tower #fake peppino #headcanons #saw some discussion on this so I'm chipping in indirectly #i tend to view the beta concept art as more of a source of inspiration + vibes than canonicity. but I do like to incorporate it when I can #i'm on a bit of a hc kick tonight don't mind me

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solarusofsun · 2 days ago

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I think it's time for me to show this

WELCOME TO THE FOREST AU!

Before I even begin adressing stuff there is some things I wanna clarify:

First: English is not my first languague, that means some thing can be bad writen or with bad grammar, sorry for that, it will happend again.

Second: Even if my AU is serious, the writting won't be, mostly cuse Im dumb and I prefer to be informal over formal.

OK, NOW LET'S GET INTO THE EXPLANATION!!!

This is gonna be long

-> What is TheForestAU?

The Forest AU is a Alter Universe which it's inspired by those legends about creatures living in the woods. In this AU, forests are alive, maybe literally, with all type of spirits and entities which hide from the humans and only those chosen by The Forest can see them.

Basically magic stuff.

-> What is the plot of this AU?

For now, none. This AU is one of those AU where the characters are chill and don't have anyone constantly threatening them. Im planning of doing a bunch of comics about how the characters meet echaother and do world building. I love world building and this AU is basically that.

Maybe in a future I will make a more deep plot.

CHARACTERS

Now I'm gonna talk about the human cast of this AU, yeah, human cast.

I decided to separate all the characters between two groups, human and non-humans. I would be doing another post for the other cast, cuse there are more non-human characters and that needs more writting.

HUMAN CAST

-> Peppino Spagetti

He didn't change a lot, he's still a messy bag of anxiety, only thing is that I made it worse.

In this AU, Peppino was able to buy a local kinda far from the city, but for a really good price! And, of course, the place was near a forest. Peppino didn't notice anything wrong, open his restaurant and everything was going alright, until a bunch of weird things started to happend around him and his place, that end it up leading into insomnia and nightmares. Of course this was not good, not only for Peppino, but also for the bussiness. What could be the cause of Peppino's misfortune? It probably had nothing to do with that forest, who somehow it's feels like it's calling him everynight.

-> Scott Stick

He's practically the same lol, I give him a casual fit just so I dont have to make the suit, cuse I dont like suits very much.

Scott is an inventor who tries to sell his products everytime he gets an chance, much are not a lot. He also always looks for an chance on making easy money, that's why he work with Theodore and the reason he bring him to Peppino's Restaurant, since that place is mostly where he sells/trys his inventions.

-> Theodore Noise

Ok, now we finally have a more drastic change.

In this AU, Noise is not a TV star, but a cameraman. Apart form that I didn't change a lot of his personallity. He likes to film things and always want to film something interesting. Meet Scott after Theodore film one of his inventions and find them intresting, since then they became business partners. He likes to go to Peppino's restaurant to annoy him cuse he also like to annoy people.

-> Phillip Pepperman

HUMAN PEPPERMAN JUMPSCARE!!!!!! Yeah, I make him human cuse it would make more sense, plus I didn't know what creature should a pepper be, so he's human now.

He preserves the same personallity as the original, I didn't change it a lot. He's still a painter, but it's more focused on mythology. Since he was a child he was in love with the idea of mystical life, all his paintings have something to do with the subject.

-> The Vigilante

THE VIGILANTE IS ALSO HUMAN OHDEAR

Vigilante actually doesn't know who's Peppino and the rest (at least for now), he lives in the forest and was raised by his grandparent. He is one of the choose ones of The Forest, so that means he can see the spirits and creatures living in the woods. He is also the protector of the forest, that's why he's still has the name of The Vigilante.

PART 2 OF THIS

OHGOD

That's everything for now, I spend like two hours writting this and I only cover up the simple characters. I will show the rest of the characters later

Also, this post works as an incentive to make me work on the comic, I need motivation and showing stuff makes me wanna draw more about it

Again, sorry if something is bad written or if it's written weird

But yeah, Welcome to my own Pizza Tower AU ^^

#pizza tower #pizza tower au #TheForestAU!#peppino spaghetti #mr stick #the noise #pepperman #the vigilante #First AU yeeey :333 #im cringe but im free

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rushhour-pizzatowerau · 4 months ago

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Pizza Tower - RushHour

Season 1 - Episode 2 (The Italian)

1980s - 1990s

After the young duo get through the first level of the first magic door (level), they stumble upon Peppino Spaghetti, a disgruntled, middle aged man, also inside the tower. He meets the duo after some confusion, and later introduce themselves to each other.

The duo ask what he is doing inside, and he claims that he is trying to stop a giant floating pizza from blowing up his pizzeria. Glowy is left confused, while Sprout feels bad…and offers to help. Peppino however, is stubborn, and refuses. He only sees them as dead weight. Also he doesn’t really want to see a kid possibly get hurt. Sprout however, insists. They tag along with him and go throughout the first floor, but soon get separated. Peppino heads to the other magic doors…While Sprout and Glowy discover the floor guardians door…

#digital art #pizza tower #pizza tower art #pizza tower au #cartoon #cartoon oc #my art #peppino spaghetti #pizza tower oc #RushHour AU

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manicplank · 1 year ago

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Pizza tower reactions to being booped on da snoot

BOOP!

Peppino: He is bamboozled. He can't figure out what that was or why you did that. He didn't really like it.

Gustavo: He giggles. He thinks it was silly. He boops you back. Boop!

BONUS Brick: He likes it! Do it again! Boop! Happy rat. :)

Mr. Stick: He's confused. What is a "boop"? Why did you do that? He's not sure how to respond.

Pepperman: You boop him where a nose should be. He doesn't know what you were trying to do. He pokes you on the forehead. Boop!

The Vigilante: He's flabbergasted. The hell was that for? What's a "boop"???

The Noise: He goes cross-eyed looking at your finger as you boop him. He sticks his tongue out as his eyes go separate directions. Congratulations, you turned his brain off.

Noisette: She giggles. That was silly! She likes boops. She boops you back. Boop!

Fake Peppino: He makes a happy Noise! He likes it! Do it again! Yay!!! He boops you back. Boop!

Pizzahead: His nose lets out a tiny honk. He laughs. He boops you back. Boop!

Pillar John: He's confused at first, but when you explain what a boop is, it makes him happy. He definitely boops you back. Boop!

Gerome: He didn't really like it. He's not a fan of being touched. However, this does not stop him from booping you back. Boop!

#pizza tower #noise #the noise #headcanon #noisette #pizzahead #peppino #peppino spaghetti #fake peppino #pepperman #the vigilante #mr. stick #pillar john #pizza tower gerome #pizza tower gustavo #brick the rat

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beatcroc · 1 year ago

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idle thoughts on the smaller clones

and drawing them incorrectly bc i dont care ❤

the way the clones spawn infinitely offscreen in the war level is the same thing as fp's duplication thing in his fight, it's just that his version is WAY toned down. in both cases the clone duplicates are like fully separate, technically autonomous Guys that the original has no control over, so for the war clones that means they're just kind of blindly making infinite guys. In fake pep's case, either his duplication ability got severely nerfed after pizzahead saw what a huge problem that was gonna be, or fp is just smart enough to make the duplicates super weak so they fall apart after a few seconds.

the ones seen ingame are only the 'latest and greatest', as it were. all the clones before fp had just been about trying to make a Stable Alive Thing, so there wasn't much focus on sentience, or durability, or really anything else. most of the ones before those ingame couldn't survive, and the ones that did got eaten by the newer, more evolutionarily "fit" generations. CONTEXT: awhile back @unexpectedbrickattack had been talking about earlier gens of clones being closer to real biological life, being Actually grown from cells or embryos or what have you, but pizzahead gave up on that pretty fast because things going very bad and wrong with actual flesh and blood and that whole complex mess is, um, a hell of a lot worse than just having to clean up some nonspecific Gunk. anyway. it wasn't the intent for them to wind up 90% weird gunk beings, but as creating artificial life goes the less things that can go wrong the better, so gradually more and more of their organs and systems were simplified and/or replaced entirely by all-purpose self-sustaining gunk.

they're largely mindless and very much feral but i wouldn't really call them evil; the biggest problem is really just that they don't have a fear of people or, like, anything else. they're no more destructive than any wild animal, it's just that they have a much higher rate of, uh, Incidents because there's nothing stopping them from wandering everywhere they shouldn't be or just going up to someone and going ham. the Can be cute sometimes but they're also unpredictable and don't have much consistent logic to be trained otherwise so trying to interact with one will most likely just get you bitten and/or mauled

i do however believe so hard in all the clones being violently territorial with eachother, and fake pep is actually a lot more hostile to them now. not that he hasn't always hated them, but back in the labs there was just a ton of them everywhere so it was a 'pick your battles' thing and he'd only go after them if they were in the way or bothering him directly. now that they're not an omnipresent nuisance AND he's got a place to definitively call his own? it's kill on sight. It's like 80% territorial instinct but there's a note of 'do NOT fuck this up for me' in there as well. they Are still out there somewhere postgame, but it's not really relevant for my purposes bc they're way the fuck off wherever that warzone is, and the chances of any finding their way to peppino's pizzeria or anywhere else the cast may interact with them is Highly Unlikely.

#''they dont exist to me postgame'' however i have very much been exploring this in hypotheticals anyway #mostly just because ive been needing to draw more pissed off fake pepis.....itll get its own post later eventually maybe #pizza tower #fake peppino #...i guess. technically.#n e way the main way to tell them apart from peppinoreal [besides the second mouth of course] is just that they aren't very expressive #they DO still emote with that face it's just they dont have the capacity to feel much...actual emotions. to be emoting #tend to just look very blank and stilted most of the time #+ also just generally very differnt body language and also yeah the not having bones.#pizzaposting #off-art

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neocrash1101 · 7 months ago

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For the pizza cadres au (if you don't mind me asking): what caused the attitude change for Shadow Peppino? He started out as an "ugly ego," but seems to have become more friendly? Was that gradual or due to a certain event?

(Your silly little shadow guy has been living in my head rent-free [affectionate], and I wish to know more of his character :D)

Shadow Peppino:"I wanted to go back all the way!

I missed him so much that I went off the rails!

and...Pep recognized me, and here I am!"

Peppino:"Well... my shadow... it's oddly juvenile, but it doesn't change the essence of my ugly ego. I'm mischievous, selfish, cunning...

The shadow that was originally supposed to blame me and take over has been separated from me for more than a decade because of Faceless, and it has decided to grow an ego on its own....

I guess He panicked and went berserk.

Still...I guess he acknowledged that the shadow was part of my mind, and that I recognized him as an individual... and he gained a solid ego and reason."

#ask #pizza tower #pizzatower au #pizza cadres #peppino pizza tower #fake peppino pizza tower

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gl1tchy-4rt · 9 months ago

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Goopy Boy :)

TW: Bit of Body Horror

Introducing: The Homunculus "Bruno"

In a way, it's curse is not being cursed, he was born like this in home of That Man of Power as an experiment, by accident it escaped and meet Peppino on his Muliache form…

They fought, Peppino attacked first out of fear and The Homunculus attacked back, until they were separated by Gustavo, it took the chance to run away from them.

In that moment his body started to change... During the fight it had swallowed Peppino's blood and now it was a part of itself, it cause it to morph into something human-like.

When The Man found him he thought that: "Since you are human, i don't think that calling you 'it' fits you anymore!" So he was given a name: "Bruno".

Bruno became interested on Peppino, frequently "visiting", Peppino had no choice but to just get used to his presence…

Mhhh... i wonder who is that "Man of Power" and why is he conected to the curses.....

More on that in this AU's next post ;)

Btw today just so happens to be a full moon!

I know i said above "Next post" but i kinda want to post more about Spaghetti Family, so there's a 70/30 chance between Spag. Family and Cursed Tower (Leaning into Spag. Family)

So... yeah! that's all for this post, See ya'll later...

Buh-Bye!!

#pizza tower #pizza tower au #peppino spaghetti #pizza tower peppino #fake peppino #pizza tower fake peppino #homunculus #Homunculus Bruno #Cursed Tower AU #pepperman #pizza tower pepperman #the noise #the vigilante #pizza tower the vigilante #pizza tower the noise #full moon

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dewcrow · 4 months ago

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MORE ANTONBLAST SPOILERS AHEAD

Annie:

- Is only in it for the chaos, like Jevil and possibly The Noise

- Has a bad cough (but it only seems to affect her when she’s resting or talking)

- Kind of reminds me of Niffty for some reason (Okay, I do know the reason; it’s the hair and the gremlin energy)

Nina:

- Is married to Danton (which, now that I mention it, makes it weird that I ended the last post with the “pick your man-crush” joke)

- Has the same line when dying in Antonball that Birdo has when defeated in Super Mario Advance (“How could you?!”)

- Could probably stab you with her nose

Brawlbuster:

- Is basically Rawk Hawk as a mole in terms of personality, but Tiny Tiger as a mole in terms of his boss fight.

- Has an attack where he charges across the screen an increasing number of times, like Shake King from Wario Land: Shake It! (the fact that he’s only vulnerable at the end of it makes it similar to Red-Brief J’s dash from Wario World, too)

- COMES IN WITH THE CHAIR (but only when he’s pissed)

Tallbuster:

- Is longer than Longcat and Tacgnol (but not longer than Lesser Dog’s neck at maximum stretch)

- Has a face like Fake Crash

- Goes to sleep if you don’t burn him at the start of his fight (maybe you know that, maybe you don’t, but I bring it up because it’s cute)

- Probably represents Sloth because his long body lets him be in two places at once, minimizing movement (now that I think about it, it’s weird this doesn’t affect how you fight him, although to be fair, the sleeping thing is already on brand for Sloth, as it means he can’t be bothered to start an attack pattern unless it’s in defense)

Smallbuster:

- Is tiny and possibly a child, you dingbat. (You’re lucky that I’ve dropped the whole “crush” aspect from the last post!)

- Does machines, including one that has missiles. Missiles!

- The way she gives up at the end of her fight and just ineffectually charges at you like Ado in Kirby’s Dream Land 3 (or Adeleine in K64) is so cute

Maulbuster:

- Is the opposite of the dude in that one Aerosmith song (seriously, I thought she was a guy until I saw the name of the achievement for beating her, although I suppose I should have guessed it since she’s quite clearly a Brunhilda)

- Is the most foul-mouthed Brunhilda I’ve ever seen (seriously, she makes you dodge swears in her fight more than your visiting relatives when they bring their kids)

- Shakes the stage when she lands right before you finish her (which is easy to forget, since she’s the only Bossbuster this applies to)

Jewel Ghoul:

- Uses the player’s transformations against them like a Wario Land boss (his card-squishing move that puts Anton/Annie in an extended Tornado state)

- Is clearly inspired by various Cuphead bosses, especially King Dice and Glumstone the Giant

- Has a Dingodile-tier badass boss theme

- Will probably need a seeing-eye dog for several months because of the head cast

Freako Dragon:

- Has a Ripper Roo-tier wacky boss theme (the stock flute sound commonly used to represent Asian dragons is a cute touch)

- Also has a cue from Meat Circus in his boss theme (any “Psychonauts mentioned” comments?)

- Apparently vacationed in Brazil sometime ago (if you enter the casino’s hidden Brazil room and find the secret photograph, he’ll be in it even if you haven’t beaten him yet; you’d better believe me on this because I started a separate save specifically to test it!)

- Has a Raphael the Raven-ass final phase (although comparisons can also be drawn to the final level from Battletoads, the tower from Mickey Mania, and basically every level from Nebulus/Castelian/Tower Toppler/whatever name that game goes by in your region)

Ring-a-Ding:

- Is basically the Fake Peppino of the game (a boss that surprised players because he wasn’t shown in trailers, a boss with a monstrous final form, a pretty strong mindfuck the first time you see him, etc.)

- Is a BAB (Biblically-accurate bell) whose boss theme reminds me of the bells from the Futurama theme even though they’re not really that similar

- Cost me three hours of my life trying to get CRACKED in his fight just because of the slam attack in his final phase (the one laser ambush right at the end of the “flying” phase - immediately before the freefall - certainly didn’t help, either, and it wasn’t until after I got CRACKED that the patch nerfing that section went live)

#antonblast #shitpost

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alextydaisuda123 · 7 months ago

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Pizza Tower AU- Cloud Tower

"WARNING!": A LOT OF TEXT

A new AU that didn't take long to wait. To be honest, this idea came up spontaneously and additionally for several reasons, one of which is my childhood dream of having wings (and over the years my dream hasn't faded, which is surprising, usually my dreams fade after 5 years or a little more). Before I start talking about this world, a couple of additional words. A huge thank you to Emily (@creat0rstudi0) for helping me with this AU: she helped with the design of Peppino and Gustavo, from whom I pushed off and created images for others, painting everyone choosing a good palette for them (don't worry, I also painted the characters myself, Emily just gave a clearer palette than me, so I will show you 2 versions of painted characters), and also helped a little with information about the bosses. Well, now let's go.

Cloud Tower is an AU where instead of the earth there are small floating islands, platforms, and the space around is an endless sky, which is both a home and a grave. If you break your wings and fall, there is only a small chance that your body will fall on some island or platform, or if someone notices you falling, and if this is not the case, then consider that you will fall endlessly for the rest of your life (or until your corpse is cut by the air). And also (almost) everyone has wings. There are those who were born without them, or with them, but because of their problems (they grew together incorrectly or broke unsuccessfully) are disabled, roughly speaking. Also, someone may have additional plumage (in their hair, on their body, etc.) in addition to their wings. And yes, since the climate in their world is not so simple, many fly in warm clothes. There is also magic here, but it is hidden either in artifacts or in some creatures, since the world itself is also magical in its own way (after all, the food here is alive, lol). A few words about the tower. There is a certain atmosphere there similar to the Rainbow Factory from MLP Creepypasta.

Peppino and Gustavo are both cooks, but in their own separate directions. Peppino is an Italian cook, while Gustavo works as a baker of bakery sweets. One day, Pizzaface arrives on a flying platform and reports that Peppino's pizzeria will be destroyed by a cloud tower, but if he does not want this, then let him fly to the tower, and flew away, leaving behind an evil laugh. What actually did not like this, and they both decided to fly there and destroy the tower with its "owner".

Additional facts: Peppino, despite the fact that he does not particularly like to fly, although he has to, his flight speed is clearly faster than Gustavo's, while he flies slower; Gustavo has his own separate bakery, where he makes pastries, he would like to work with Peppino, but he cannot leave the place where his family once baked their first bread; Peppino participated in the heavenly war, from which he still has an injury, but thanks to work and his faithful friend Gustavo, he tries to live an ordinary life and not think about it.

Pepperman and Vigilante are two of the main bosses of the cloud tower who clearly didn't get there of their own free will. They were kidnapped a long time ago and forced to work for Pizzahead, having been threatened in a special way. Pepperman is a restorer (like in steampunk, yes) and a decorator. Vigilante is an ordinary security guard, and also watches the precipitation.

Additional facts: Pepperman has really white pupils, which is why his eyesight is worse than usual (he is not completely blind), and the reason for his poor eyesight is that he refuses to wear glasses for flying (but be that as it may, for work he still wears them under his beret along with additional tools); before getting into the tower, these two were ALREADY a couple; Vigilante's grandfather, who has long been retired, is still alive; as PH himself "promised", so that the bosses would be freed from their tower duties, they need to "rip off Peppino's wings" at any cost, even if they weren't aimed at fighting him.

Noise and Noisette are another couple who ended up in the tower in the same way as Pepperman and Vigilante. Noise hosts the news and weather forecast, and a small show similar to "Truth or Dare". Meanwhile, Noisette is still the same cafe owner.

Additional facts: Noise has a broken right wing, it was broken by Pizzahead when he tried to fly out of the tower for the first time, he broke it so much that now Noise can't fly at all, the wing has grown together crookedly and he is unable to straighten it and move it, so he flies with the help of a backpack on his back, which he can change to either a jet or a simple propeller; Noisette sometimes helps Noise with flying and how Noise injured his wing, she does not know to this day; I lied to you a little, Pizzahead kidnapped only Noise, and Noisette herself flew to PH when she was looking for him, and when she found him, so that PH would not harm her, he lies to her and offers to join Pizzahead, as he himself wanted.

Bruno is an unsuccessful clone, mixed with a regular bird and Peppino's DNA, created by PH. He can fly, but very ineptly because his arms replace his wings, which is why he falls and crashes into all sorts of possible objects, which is why he flaps his wings hard and pieces fly off from them, he can of course grow them, but this whole process takes a lot of his strength.

Additional facts: in addition to his speech, he makes a distorted bird sound; despite his inability to fly, the bosses (Pepperman, Vigilante and Noisette) still teach him to fly normally, they also additionally look after Bruno himself, feed him and teach him to speak, since PH himself does not do this; because of such care, Bruno accepts his friends more as parents, calling them accordingly (in the future, he will also call Peppino this way 😂)

Pizzahead is the main boss, a sadist and a psycho. He built a tower, around which a barrier in the form of clouds with a powerful lightning discharge is built, and in order to turn it off, you need to turn off the generators.

Additional facts: Pizzahead and Pizzaface in this AU are brothers, Pizzahead is younger; after one incident, his psyche was shaken, he was inspired to recreate the tower for his whims and "fun"; he cut off Pizzaface's wings and as a great and first trophy keeps them in his office along with John's wings and one wing of Jerome; those wings that Pizzahead himself is wearing are also "trophies", cut off from other creatures, but he tells everyone that they are fake and it's just a cape, he also participated in the war, but in secret from his brother, so that he "wouldn't worry" about him.

Pizzaface is Pizzahead's brother and ... a good guy? Yes! In this AU, he is not a bad character, but rather a good one. So in that encounter with Peppino, he just played the role of a bad guy. He is quiet (but he tries to be sociable) and traumatized. He does not often show himself to the other inhabitants of the tower, which is why few people know about him. Most of the time, he spends either in the secret room where Pizzahead keeps him, or with Jerome, helping him clean the tower.

Additional facts: because of the cut off wings, he feels weak and exhausted; he still does not know why Pizzahead acted so cruelly and what happened to his psyche, but he blames himself for this, that he was not caring enough and simply did not keep an eye on him; Pizzahead watches almost his every move so that he does not do stupid things and does not ruin his plans, and for the sake of PH he has to play the same role of a bad guy.

Jerome is a small pillar with one wing and memory loss due to a strong blow from Pizzahead. He is a simple cleaner. He does not remember anything about his brother or his past, although memories still pop up in his head. In the past, he had magic, but due to the loss of a wing and memory, he does not remember and cannot use it normally, over time, the skills were simply lost.

Additional facts: he is Pizzaface's best friend, and he sometimes helps him remember things, but he cannot (PF hopes that he will remember something); he has seen John many times as an ordinary part of the tower, but he cannot remember him or at least his name; initially, he was not supposed to be in the tower and Pizzahead wanted to throw him on a long flight, but Pizzaface somehow convinced him to leave him and just make him an ordinary cleaner.

Well, I hope you like this AU. Enjoy and have a nice flight!

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punk-squirrely-ghost · 2 months ago

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Pizza at Playtime, a small remake.

Imagine, if you will. An overweight and anxiety ridden Italian chef able to run at Mach 3 and break through metal, named Peppino Spaghetti, as well as his short, gnomish friend, Gustavo, and their pet rat, Brick come across Playtime Inc instead of the Player. The first thing they come across is the Grabpack, which is given to Gus. The rest of chapter 1 happens. When they get to the end, after the vents, Huggy Wuggy is chasing them, Peppino is screaming but Gus has the bright idea to give Huggy a slice of pizza. ...and it works.

Gus:patting Peppino's back "Ey, don't worry Pep! The poor guy was just hungry, that's all!" some time later, they come across Poppy, open the case and she is instantly baffled by the rat, gnome, a traumatized Peppino, and Huggy Wuggy. But they carry on…

They carry on and Poppy gets kidnapped. They slide down to rescue Poppy, and Mommy was only accounting for one guy, not the quartet.

MLL:"Emm...Poppy says she'll give you the train code when the games are complete, isn't that right P-"

Peppino: "Ohh, Santa Maria, Lady! Just get on with it! "

Gus: "No need to be rude Peppe! This could be fun!"

Peppino:*Sighing* "Oki doki. We'll play your games, Missy! "

MLL:"Oh, how wonderful! I'll see you to the Game Station then!"

And when it comes time, Gus and Peppino respectively gives PJ and the Wuggies hot and delicious pizza from the hammer space since it worked so well last time, and a good bopping, respectively. Though Peppino does rescue the Mini Wuggies because of Gustavo. Then comes Bunzo, who is more of the same. Mommy however, is furious about this, almost demanding they play her way.

And soon, the chase happens, Peppino is carrying the little ones in his arms with Huggy following him, Gus is rolling on Brick, and Legs gets caught in the grinder. She understandably screams, but Brick comes to the rescue by unplugging the thing.

MLL:Y-You saved me? Why? After everything I done!

P:Let's just say I have experience in this rescuing thing. Gus: Yeah! That, and I know that there's good in you, there has to be! This of course, being a reference to both the Toppins, and the characters he rescues in the crumbling tower.

After the train crash, everyone was separated. Gus and Brick with the littler ones, and Peppino with Huggy and Mommy. They do manage to meet back up though at Playcare. Gus and company found a secret, employees only Cable car, Peppino and the BBI duo in his car. (as for the gas masks, I let the toys wait outside with Brick, who squeaks stories of the Tower. Gus and Peppino both find a mask though, dw.)

After all the cord connections, Peppino barrels through the School, promising Delight that him and his work partner have food and others waiting for them, but it's too late, she's too far gone. He delivers a silent prayer for her before leaving the school G:Pep? Something wrong? You're crying Pep: It's...not everyone can be saved, Gustavo. G:Oh...I see, I'm sorry.

When Gus and Peppino find the critters, (Hoppy and Bobby in the Toy Store; Kicken, Bubba in Home Sweet Home; Picky and Crafty in different places of the school) they quickly take them back to PlayCare, where MLL and Brick is keeping watch over everyone. The Critters are alive and well, having been found by the duo, because I wanted them to have a happy end. But when Gus and Peppino find DogDay, they're horrified. Peppino may have seen a lot of bad things, but this… Then DogDay begins to speak.

DD: You... You're Poppy's angels, come to save us. Nothing left to save, not here... You're in CatNap's home, angel. Their home. A million pairs of eyes are on you now. Watching, waiting, hungry. They want nothing more than to crawl beneath your skin and eat away at you bit by little bit- fill what feels empty inside themselves. That... thing... CatNap. The Prototype is his God, and this is what he does to heretics.These little toys follow CatNap to avoid that very fate- and in return, they are fed. We tried to fight it, The Prototype's control. I'm... the last of the Smiling Critters.

It's then that Gus and Peppino share a glance, but don't speak quite yet. Out of the corner of his eye, Peppino notices the minis beginning to crawl to Dogday

DD:Listen to me, you need to get out of this place. You need to live. You and Poppy can fix this, end this madness, the torment, the-

Dogday notices the minis now too, upon seeing this, Peppino clenches his fists and grits his teeth

DD: Oh no... OH NO! Leave me. Please! ANGELS! RUUNN!

Peppino yowls, does his thing and builds up a combo on the minis, growing increasingly angry at the Prototype and wanting to get out of this hellhole more than ever. Gus and Brick, however are helping Dogday to the others, who is surprised to hear that they're still alive, crying tears of joy as he envelops the critters in a hug.

Gus:"Don't worry, you big puppy. I know a gal who's an expert in sewing! She'll fix you right up!"

DogDay:"T-Thank you, angels. You don't know how much this means to me, to the Critters as a whole!!" and he's tearing up, the sweet boy.

When Peppino and Gus find Catnap, Peppino is MAD. He runs down Catnap and nearly kills him from speed alone, but Gustavo talks down Pep from killing him. Gustavo knows, he just knows, that there is some good in Catnap. The Prototype descends from the ceiling. Gus is petting a shivering Catnap who reaches to it, the feline asking their god for assistance. But before it can skewer Catnap, Peppino SCREAMS and pulls down the Prototype, a mishmash of toys, bones, flesh, and metal and begins mauling it.

And with one final punch, it's finished. The past can't be changed, but there can be a future with the victims of Playtime Inc. get to go free, and this, my friends, is one of them that my AuDHD mind conjured up

#ramblings of a rodent #crossover #crack fic #peppino spaghetti #craftycorn #dogday #kicken chicken #bobby bearhug #gustavo #brick the rat #picky piggy #mommy long legs #huggy wuggy #catnap

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bob-mirum · 2 years ago

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OC x Canon post?

I really wanted to tell a little about my character for Pizza Tower which I have already shown here and here Many people share their characters with the public, and I want too, but I don't know how to talk about my characters :"D Anyway I want to try It will be about her!

Her name is Juliet, she is 38 years old, and she is Peppino's childhood friend! They grew up together, their houses were nearby, so they were good friends and went to the same school together

Many headcanons that Peppino was still a naughty guy in his youth, but I like to think that he was quite shy. And in this case, Juliet was much more active and open, unlike Peppino, but this did not interfere with their friendship, since they had quite a lot of common topics for communication

And I also like to think that Peppino did not study very well at school, so Juliet helped him :D (despite the fact that Peppino is two years older than her, respectively, he studied a grade higher) Then I couldn't draw any more pictures for my story :D Anyway, when Juliet graduated from high school, she had to go to another town for college, so these two were separated for a huge period of time. I mean, they literally met many years later, when the Pizza Tower was destroyed and the pizzeria remained safe. It is at the moment when Peppino is trying to run his business again, Juliet returns back to her hometown and discovers him and his pizzeria. I'm really bad at showing my own characters, but I tried xd Also, if you (suddenly) have any questions about Juliet or her story, or her and Peppino's story, I will be happy to answer them and maybe draw something 👉👈 I really love their relationship *heavily sighs*

#pizza tower #pizza tower oc #peppino spaghetti #oc x canon

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phantomdoofer · 8 months ago

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Tower Town, Chapter 22 - The Final Slice

Part 5

Gustavo managed to squirm out from under the bulky corpse just in time to see the Pizzamancer explode. He saw Peppino standing, panting, obviously exhausted…

He saw the blood soaking his friend’s clothes…

Then Peppino collapsed.

Gustavo ran towards him. “PEPPINO! PEPPINO!!” He rolled him over - Peppino's face was soaked with blood. He wasn't breathing. His eyes were already lifeless.

Gustavo shook his head. “No. No. Nonono…”

He looked around, his vision blurred by tears. Mi… Mio Dio, Giuseppe, Anita, the Noises, they're all…”

Suddenly a pair of arms grabbed Peppino and picked him up. “Come on, all of you! Grab the soldiers and the rabbits and follow me!”

“P… Pizzahe- we mean, Paolo?” Fake said.

Paolo strode off. “Hurry up! We might be able to save them!”

Gustavo nodded, and grabbed Noise and Noisette, hoisting them up with the strength of desperation. Pepperman lifted Giuseppe's corpse, piling Anita's small frame on top of him.

The group trotted after the tall Ninda, into a room full of glass tubes. Cloning tanks? Gustavo wondered.

Paolo gestured at a staircase next to the clone tanks. “Hurry! Up there! Put each one in a separate tank! Hurry!”

As they did so, Fake glared at him. “If you are planning on cloning them-”

Paolo waved irritably. “These ‘cloning tanks’ are actually medical capsules!” He closed the lid, and quickly hustled to the control panel. “If we're fast enough, it can regenerate them before brain death sets in!”

Everyone gathered beside him. “How do you know that?” Fake asked suspiciously.

Paolo tapped the side of his head as he typed frantically. “Remember what I said? While I was monitoring you guys, the Tower hit me with some sort of… beam. It recognized my memory loss and filled in the holes with what it thought I needed.”

Brando nodded. “So you know how these operate?”

Paolo nodded. “I think so.” He finished typing, and the bodies in the tubes buoyed up as the force fields held them. “There. I've initiated the regeneration program… I think. I was in such a rush, that… never mind. Now, we can only wait.”

Gustavo moved Fake aside. “Why are you doing this? You got what you wanted. The Pizzamancer's dead.”

Paolo frowned. “I pay my debts. Despite what you all feel towards me, I have no ill will towards you.” He glanced up at the bodies of Noisette, Giuseppe, and Anita. “And… some people recently showed me the value of kindness… and friendship.”

Gustavo paused, then nodded. “All right. How long do you think it'll take?”

Paolo shook his head. “Hours, certainly.” He motioned at Pepperman, Brick, and Fake - all three, while standing, were trembling with pain. “Let's get you all patched up.”

~~~~

Paolo handed Brando a small device. “Here, hold this button down and run it over their wounds. It should mend even them.”

As the Ninda walked away, Brando turned to the froglike clone, and dutifully ran the device over their flesh. Fake shivered as the device wove their doughy form back together. “That feels very uncomfortable,” they said.

“I can only imagine,” Brando said absently. He spoke as he waved the device around. “In there… you said… you had to save your son?”

Fake looked at Brando warily. “We… we did not wish to tell you. We saw how… angry you were. At us.”

Brando sat back. “What are you, Fake?”

Fake sat silently, then finally nodded. “When Bruno disappeared… Pizzahead kidnapped him. Assimilated his restaurant into the Tower. Did… horrible things to him. To us.” Fake shivered. “He - we died. He used Bruno's brain as the base for us.”

Brando reached up and touched the being's head. “So you're saying… you're my father? Bruno Tagliatelle?”

Fake cringed back from the look of reflexive hatred that appeared on the boy's face. “Part of us is. And we regret… he regrets so very much how he treated you.” They looked downcast. “We know you cannot forgive us for how we treated you, but… we could not stand by and watch you die.”

Brando’s face was unreadable. “You… nearly sacrificed your life to save me. And you didn't have to. I could have protected myself.”

Fake nodded. “We did not think. It was… reflex. And besides, we have come to understand how much we lost. The terrible mistakes we made. We cannot change the past. But we…” they looked up at Brando's face, “we would like to think we could be with you in the future.”

Brando said nothing at first. “I hated you. I hate you so much.”

Fake nodded. “You had good reason to, young one. Bruno was horrible to you. He knows that now. We are so sorry.”

Brando shook his head. “I don't know… I don't know if I can forgive him.” Then he smiled, weakly. “But it does give me some comfort, knowing the part of him that lives actually cares.”

Fake nodded. “The Bruno in us wishes they could have been a different person, now.”

Brando chuckled. “Well, he - you - are, are you not?”

Fake stopped, then chuckled. “So we are.”

Brando held out a hand, smiling. “Nice to meet you.”

Fake shook it. “Nice to meet you, Brando.”

~~~~

Peppino found himself in a shapeless void. He stared around, then looked down. The hole in his chest was gone.

He also wasn't breathing.

“I finally-a get to meet you in person, l'altro mio figlio.”

Suddenly Peppino was aware of a figure in front of him. He was tall, a good head taller than himself, heavyset, with long curling hair.

Peppino’s memory stirred. “P… Papa?”

The man turned - behind his bushy mustache was a warm smile. “Peppino. Il mio piccolino. How you've-a grown.” He walked forward and embraced Peppino.

Peppino found tears welling up in his eyes, and he hugged his father for the first time in over forty years.

For an unmeasurable time, they stood, together.

Finally, Peppino spoke. “Papa, you should know… I’m not-a the original Peppino. I'm-”

“A clone?” Sergio said, smiling. “I know. Your brother told me.”

“Giuseppe’s here?” Peppino said, confused. He looked around.

Sergio chuckled. “None of us are-a here in a physical sense, you silly polpetta. We're…” he paused, “in between. In between life and-a death. And yes, I know. You are still my son, however you came-a to be.”

The statement was so simple and yet profound. Peppino couldn't help himself anymore, and he plunged his face into his father's chest, bawling like a child.

Forty years of pain and suffering poured out of him like poison from a wound.

Sergio hugged the man to him. “My poor-a little Peppino. The world has been so hard on you. Would that I could have-a been there to take some of the burden from you.”

“I missed-a you so much, Papa,” Peppino choked.

Sergio stroked Peppino's head. “I have always been beside you, Peppino. You and-a your brother both. As much as I could be.” He held him at arm's length. “You have seen-a so much, felt so much torment. But you are strong, Peppino. Stronger than-a you realize. You have survived things that most other people would not.”

Peppino hung his head. “But-a now it's over. I died defeating the Pizzamancer. What happens now?”

Sergio smiled. “Who said you were dead?”

Peppino shook his head, confused. “But… you're here, Papa. Where else would I-a see you?”

Sergio laughed. “Ah, you were on-a the verge of death, it's true. But your friends found a way to return you. It's only a matter of time, now.”

Peppino blinked. “But, even so… you are here. You died long, long ago…”

“Sì, that's true,” Sergio conceded. “But just-a because we're dead doesn't mean we're gone. How many-a times did you end up a ghost in-a the Tower the first time?”

Peppino shivered. “More times than I want-a to think about. But I thought that was-a just a transformation…?”

“They don't-a have to be mutually exclusive, figlio,” Sergio said. “Now, our-a time is drawing to a close. I wanted to-a tell you: I am, and always have been, proud of you, Peppino. Despite-a your hardships, you haven't given up. Either of you.”

He started to slowly fade away, and Peppino reached out to him. “Wait! Papa, wait, please!”

Sergio’s voice was fading, too. “You're being pulled-a back to the real world, Peppino. It's-a not your time, and won't be for a long time. Look after your brother and-a your friends, Peppino. They are as good as family.” He turned, then turned back. “Oh, one last thing…”

Peppino wiped his eyes. “Sì, Papa?”

“Tell your Mama… I'll always love her, and I'll wait as long as it-a takes for her. Tell her… take-a her time.”

Peppino nodded. “I will, Papa. Grazie. And goodbye, for now.”

Sergio waved. “I'm always-a with you, my sons. Take care of Margherita for me… and don't-a let go of those you love…”

~~~~

Paolo wandered the capsule room, alone. The others had all fallen asleep; Fake and Brando huddled together, Gustavo laying on top of Brick. Vigi crouched on Pepperman's head - apparently he'd gotten accustomed to the perch.

Or maybe he's just comforted by a friend's proximity. He paused. Friends, Paolo thought. Must be nice.

He checked the gauges, and nodded. They'd all managed to pull through. Barely.

Then he looked more closely - the regeneration process should have stopped long before, it seemed. He quickly hit an END command, and the machines hummed to a stop. Whoops. He carefully checked - while their minds were fine, it looked like they had all been physically regressed. Looks like roughly twenty years. He snorted. I doubt any of them will mind.

He walked over to the room where the Pizzamancer - my ancestor - had reigned. The room was an absolute disaster - holes, broken walls, spikes and debris everywhere.

They'd left the Pizzamancer's remains where Peppino had felled him. Good riddance. He walked over, intending to get one last kick in -

Wait. What?

He crouched and looked more closely. His wounds. They're closing. Paolo stood up, horrified. I thought we destroyed his immortality! Then he realized. Of course he'd have a backup! It's slow, but he's regenerating!

He started to run back, to warn the others… and stopped.

No. They've done their part, and more. This time, I'll take care of it.

“Tower, new command. Authorization: Paolo Totino.”

Confirmed. Awaiting command.

“Command: Tower will no longer accept or acknowledge commands or requests, both direct or indirect, from the spirit of Dominic Totino, in perpetuity. Include sub-command: any attempt by Dominic Totino, in any direct or indirect capacity, to alter or interfere in Tower technology will enact Tower destruction of compromised technology instantly. Fatal compromisation of Tower technology will enact Final Solution Protocol, subset: Tower Subquantum Annihilation. Execute.”

Execution successful. Dominic Totino’s access has been permanently rescinded. Any attempt by indicated individual to subvert indicated protocols in any way will be rendered unsuccessful.

“Command list.”

Command list verified. Awaiting command.

“First command: Tower will confirm total regeneration of all subjects currently in resuscitation, decant them, and ensure their consciousness and health. Confirm.”

Confirmed. Awaiting command.

“Command: Tower will teleport all technology, except that vital to Tower integrity, as well as control room terminal, to a stable, unoccupied location one mile outside Tower Town. Confirm.”

Confirmed. Awaiting command.

“Command: Tower will teleport all occupants, excepting the body, spirit, and mind of Dominic Totino, to a stable, unoccupied location 100 meters outside Tower Town.”

Confirmed. Awaiting command.

“Command: Tower will enact protective protocols, then teleport itself to planetary coordinates 0, 0, 0. Confirm.”

Confirmed. CAUTION: command will place Tower at the planetary core. Tower will not be accessible. Verify.

“Verified. Command: Destroy any and all teleportation technology remaining within the Tower upon arrival at previously described coordinates. Comfirm.”

Confirmed. Awaiting command.

Final Command. Tower will enact full concealment protocols. Parameters: all. Concealment will continue until rescinded by myself. Confirm.”

Confirmed. Awaiting execute command.

Paolo looked at the tubes in the room behind him, holding the barely-living bodies of his allies. The people who'd sacrificed themselves to save the world.

My friends.

He looked at the still form of the Pizzamancer, his ancestor, who'd offered him the world, but he knew in his heart would turn on him at the slightest whim.

No decision at all, really.

“Execute.”

~~~~

Peppino blinked as he felt some sort of force let him go. He fell to his knees.

Then it all rushed back to him.

Frantically he put his hand to his chest. His shirt had a huge hole in it, but of the gaping wound that had killed him, there was no sign.

What…?

He heard a coughing sound next to him. He glanced over-

Giuseppe was on his knees, coughing and shaking.

Peppino felt pure joy rise in his heart. “Fratello!!” He hopped over and snatched the man up, hugging and spinning him around. “Sei vivo! SEI VIVO!!”

Giuseppe laughed. “Put me down, Pino! I-”

He stopped, then put his hands to his throat. “The scar's still there… but I sound… normal?” Indeed, he sounded almost exactly like Peppino now. He held a hand up - his hair had grown back, and his ear had regrown, but the scar remained. “What… what happened?”

Peppino looked around. To the side, Noise and Noisette were hugging, crying. Farther along, Anita was staggering out, looking confused. “I... don't-a know. I feel… good, actually. Really-a good.” He bounced experimentally. “Better than-a I have in years, in fact.”

He looked over - Gustavo, Brick, Fake, Brando, Pepperman, and Vigi were asleep.

“Maybe we-”

Bwip

~~~~

Bwip

“-should… ask… them?” Peppino blinked.

Giuseppe looked around. “We got teleported again.” He turned, then pointed. “Just outside town, in fact.”

“That's my doing,” Paolo said, strolling up, looking smug.

Everyone turned towards him. “What did you do?” Peppino said.

Paolo polished his fingers on his shirt, and grinned. “Well, long story short, after you killed the Pizzamancer, we managed to get you and the others in the medical pods and save you. Then, while you were regenerating, I noticed the Pizzamancer was regenerating, too. So I had you all teleported here, removed all the tech from the Tower, and had it teleport and seal itself in the planet’s core.” He grinned maliciously. “He may live forever, but he'll be stuck there forever, too. In fact, I bet he's waking up to a nasty surprise, right now…”

~~~~

Dominic stirred as the regeneration power he'd engineered finally restored him to life. He pushed himself off the ground, in immense pain but alive. He grinned. A clever ruse, Raphael, but I planned for such an eventuality. He gasped just a little - he wasn't fully healed, yet. That Spaghetti fool did quite a number on me. In all his plans, he ruefully realized he'd never thought what might happen if they'd acquired two powers.

He looked around. The room was a wreck - spikes everywhere, holes blown in the walls, floor, and ceiling. And blood. Blood everywhere… but no bodies.

They must have fled. Took the bodies with them. He stretched. “No matter. I'll capture them, and they can watch as I melt the world again!” He chuckled maliciously. “Tower, Command: search for previous invaders.”

Silence.

Dominic looked upward. “Tower, Command.”

Nothing.

Dominic felt the first tingle of fear run through his heart. I know that boy Paolo was controlling some of the Tower's functions. Surely he couldn't…

Dominic strode over to his throne, flipping up a hidden panel on the arm. He held his hand to it. “Tower, verify access.”

The Tower was silent as the grave.

The Pizzamancer felt real panic now. “Respond, damn you! I order you to respond!”

He ran from room to room, looking for something, anything. It was all gone. Damn you, you little crumb. What have you done to my Tower??

Finally, he entered the medical lab where he knew the other Ninda had been controlling things. Despite being mostly empty, a single screen glowed.

Aha. A fatal mistake, boy. All I need is one… Dominic strode over and touched the screen.

The screen made no sound, gave no response. Instead, it showed a message:

Many-times-great-Grandpa Dominic,

You are the most horrible, vile person I've ever met. You deserve an eternity in hell, but you seem to have found a way to avoid that. So, I've created one for you.

I made sure while I was regenerating everyone - they're all alive and well, by the way - that I was now the sole master of the Tower. The Tower will never again respond to you in any way. Any and all attempts to circumvent this physically will result in the Tower itself instantly destroying anything you so much as look askance at. Oh, and just to be sure, the Tower is now locked at the center of the planet, and no one, not even myself, can find it, thanks to its concealment protocols.

You wanted eternity, Dominic. You destroyed the world for it. You tried to destroy it again. You destroyed my life. Now I'm going to rebuild my life, with these people, while you sit in hell forever.

Requiescat en pace, Dominic.

The Pizzamancer stared at the screen, unable to comprehend. He looked around desperately, trying to think of a way out of his eternal prison.

As if to taunt him, a single wall had been made transparent, and he could see the truth of it: outside was a brilliant wall of liquid rock and metal, swirling and spinning.

Dominic sat down on the floor, horrified.

“No…”

He held his head in his hands.

The empty halls echoed with his rage and despair.

~~~~

Peppino sat down hard. “So, thats-a it? It's-a over?”

Paolo nodded. “It's over.”

Peppino reeled and sat on the ground.

Giuseppe stood, staring at the sky. He was clenching and unclenching his fists.

Suddenly, Gustavo was wrapped around Peppino's neck. “You're alive! You're alive, amico!”

Peppino grinned and patted his friend on the head. “Sì, Gustavo. I should-a be dead, but…” he looked up at Paolo. “I feel-a good. Is that a side-effect of the regeneration process?”

Paolo looked uncomfortable. “Well, I, uh, kind of didn't set the parameters exactly right and sort of… left you in the oven too long, as it were. The five of you have been physically regressed twenty years.”

Everyone stopped talking. Finally, Noise spoke up. “I thought I felt wrong. Dammit, I don't wanna be fifteen again!”

Noisette giggled. “Oh I dunno, hun, I didn't know ya back then, and I gotta say, you were pretty cute.” She batted her eyelashes at him.

Noise perked up immediately. “Ya think? Well, lemme tell ya then, back when I was…”

Peppino turned back to Paolo, who was trying to look confident but instead looked like he wanted to run. Giuseppe walked up to him. “My voice is normal again,” he said, “and my ear’s whole, too. But the scars are still there. Shouldn't those have been healed, too?”

Paolo shrugged. “I was in a hurry. I guess the system concluded that since they didn't really impede you, they didn't need to be fixed.”

Giuseppe nodded. “Considering the benefits, I think I can live with scars.” He grinned, then reached down, hauling Peppino to his feet and into a bear hug. “We did it, fratellino!”

Peppino chuckled. “I guess-a we can say we died to save the world, eh?”

Giuseppe laughed. “Indeed we can! I should let the authorities know!” He reached down to his pocket… and pulled out a broken mess of glass and metal. “Ah, damn, my phone!”

Vigi oozed up. “No worries, big guy. I didn' get hit. I'll give ‘em a call.” He pulled out his phone, looked at it, then grinned and handed it up to Giuseppe. “Actually, how about you do th’ honors? I think one o’ the heroes of the day should spread th’ word.”

Giuseppe paused, then smiled. “I mean, don't you qualify too?” He grinned down at his friend.

Vigi laughed. “Maybe, yeah. But I think it'll sound better comin’ from you.”

Giuseppe sighed, and dialed from memory. “Second time I've saved the world…”

~~~~

All of them sat on gurneys, rocks, whatever was available, as the EMTs looked them over. Police vehicles flashed lights everywhere.

Giuseppe walked over and sat down next to Peppino, grinning. “The news hounds will be here soon, I bet.”

Peppino grimaced. “Dio ci aiuti. I don't-a know if I'm up to answering that many questions…”

Then a series of unmarked vehicles pulled up… vehicles that looked familiar. Giuseppe smiled, though a bit painfully. “Looks like Spec Ops got here first. Thank God.”

Peppino raised an eyebrow. “You're more happy the military got here first?”

“Sì. They already know most of the story. They'll just want to know what happened.”

As the doors opened, a variety of figures stepped out, most forming a cordon just in time: the dreaded news vans pulled up, the reporters swarming towards them, only to be stopped by the soldiers.

One soldier, however, stepped towards them. “Lieutenant Morelli, Major Spaghetti. Did you really do it? Did you stop this… fou?”

Giuseppe smiled. “That's right, Louis. He's gone.” He gestured at Paolo. “At least, that's what Mr. Totino told us… and I'm inclined to believe him.”

As Paolo walked up, the Frenchman blanched. “Mon dieu, Major, that's Pizzahead! How can you-”

Paolo held up his hands. “Mr… what is your name?”

The Frenchman stopped, stunned. “Er… Lambert, monsieur. Captain Louis Lambert.”

Paolo nodded. “Paolo Totino. Formerly possessed by the Pizzamancer, I was Pizzahead.” He frowned. “Please, before you arrest me, please send someone to these coordinates.” He rattled off latitude and longitude.

Lambert looked even more confused. “Why?”

“Because that's where I ordered the Tower to transport all its technology to. It's inert - it only responds to me - but it could be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.”

Lambert's eyes grew wide, and he nodded. “Give me a moment to confer with my superiors…” He turned, frantically speaking in French into a lapel mike.

Giuseppe turned to Paolo. “Quite the bombshell you dropped there.”

Paolo shrugged and grinned. “After all, it's mine, more or less. I am the Pizzamancer's direct descendant. Just don't want it causing too much trouble, sitting in a field somewhere.”

Peppino reached out and tentatively touched the Ninda’s arm. “You're-a turning yourself in? But you were brainwashed! Possessed!”

“Maybe. But it'll be better for the courts to work that out for themselves,” Giuseppe said. “It also looks better for him.”

Louis turned back to them. “We have several teams setting out now.” He gestured to the others, who gathered together. “Everyone, if you don't mind, we'd like to take you briefly into custody, for your own protection.” He jerked a thumb towards the rabid mob of reporters, and grinned wryly. “I doubt any of you will mind.”

“Thank god,” Vigi said, oozing towards a vehicle. “Can’t stand reporters.”

As the other operatives gently gathered the exhausted party into the gathered vehicles, Giuseppe, Peppino, and Louis sat down in the lead vehicle. “Pardon my bluntness, messieurs, but you look like you've been to Hell and back.” He gestured at the various holes in their clothing, specifically the giant hole in Peppino's shirt, just below the breastbone. “A blow there should have killed you, but you appear undamaged. How-?”

Peppino grinned. “Well, technically, it-a did kill me. He killed us both.”

The Captain’s eyes widened. “But how-?”

“Just drive, Louis,” Giuseppe said, grinning, “it's a long story.”

~~~~

Peppino sat in the pizzeria. The place was packed. After word of the end of the Pizzamancer's reign of terror had gotten out, people had surged out of hiding, and cities all over the world had an air of celebration.

All the others were there. Noise and Noisette were off in a corner, Noise trying not to panic as he was surrounded by clamoring fans. Noisette was firmly deflecting some of the more aggressive ones.

Pepperman and Vigi sat at a table closer by. Vigi was taking a leave of absence to recover, but several officers kept stopping by to speak to him. Peppino had never seen him look so pleased. Pepperman, meanwhile, was all but bringing down the roof with his laughter, talking of making a series of paintings to commemorate their victory.

Giuseppe and Anita sat at a table close to the counter. Margherita sat with them, and the three were talking and laughing quietly. Margherita was grilling Anita like she was interviewing the woman for a job, but Anita was taking it in stride.

Brando was moving among the customers. His smile seemed even bigger than usual. His confidence had skyrocketed since the Tower. He's earned it, Peppino thought happily.

Fake was in the kitchen. They had split up into five again, each moving with purpose. With the burden of secrecy off them, they were much more relaxed.

Gustavo stood on a stool next to Peppino, Brick napping beside him. He looked up at his friend and grinned. “Hard to believe just a few days ago the world was on the verge of collapse.”

Peppino sighed. “Sì.” He felt more content than he had in… he couldn't remember when.

Giuseppe looked at his watch, then waved at Peppino. “Hey, fratellino! Get the TV on, it'll be starting soon!”

Peppino grinned and grabbed the TV remote. “Go get-a Fake from the kitchen, would you, Gus? He'll-a want to see this.”

Gus nodded, hopping down as Peppino turned on the TV. It was a new, large flat-screen - his old one, the old reliable purple one, had finally given out.

At least I can afford it, now.

Gus returned with Fake, who was wiping their hands. “What did you need, Peppino?”

“You should-a see this, amico,” he said. As he spoke, the sitcom that had been playing was interrupted. “This is a National News Special Report…”

The entire pizzeria grew quiet.

The President herself stepped onto the podium, the reporters’ cameras flashing like lightning as they waved and smiled. Finally, the cacophony quieted, and they spoke.

“Good evening, everyone. We'll try to keep this brief but accurate.”

“Approximately three days ago, a group of citizens discovered a way to reach the mobile base of the international terrorist known as the Pizzamancer, who had been terrorizing the entire planet for weeks.”

“While military intervention was considered, it was decided that a small group, with intimate knowledge of the Pizzamancer and his technology, would infiltrate the Tower and stop him.”

Anita chuckled. “Like we gave them a choice.”

Everyone in the room laughed.

Giuseppe snorted. “They're just covering their asses so they don't look incompetent. Gotta keep up appearances, after all.”

“This group was successful due to the effort of many individuals, including the person once known as Pizzahead.”

The crowd of reporters started an uproar, but the President waved them down. “Let me explain. Using Old Technology, the Pizzamancer had, for all intents and purposes, possessed a man named Paolo Totino, his descendant, and forced him to perform the deeds Pizzahead perpetrated. Mr. Totino is currently in custody of his own volition, and we are investigating.”

The President cleared her throat. “While security concerns mean we are unable to release most of the details at this time, due to the singular nature of the aggressor, there should be no fear of reprisals, and as such, we spoke to the individuals involved about revealing themselves. Some few have elected to remain anonymous, and we will honor that request. Others have given us permission, and as such, we wish to honor them publicly.”

The entire pizzeria looked at Fake and cheered, who blushed. “We felt the world at large was not quite ready for our… nature,” Fake muttered.

Peppino put a hand on their shoulder. “It's Ok, amico. We all know what you did.”

“First, we have Major Giuseppe Spaghetti. A decorated hero of the Great War, whose deeds are so myriad listing them all would take all night.”

The reporters, as well as the pizzeria audience, both laughed. Giuseppe blushed, but laughed as well.

“Not only is he a decorated hero of the War, he is one of the founders of our Special Operations branch.”

The crowd cheered, and Giuseppe smiled.

“Next, we have another retired veteran, Lieutenant Anita Morelli. Again, a highly decorated member of our military forces during the Great War, she had retired as well. Recently she returned to assist in this time of crisis, and served a pivotal role in the success of this mission.”

A round of applause made the tiny woman blush herself. “No need for all that,” she muttered.

“Next, we have Mr. Theodore Noise.”

Noise hissed. “Stop announcin' my real name, ya-”

Noisette innocently swatted Noise in the back of the head, and the crowd laughed. He sat up, grumbling, but didn't continue.

“Many of you know him as the owner, and occasional star, of NTV.” The reporter crowd cheered, and Noise smiled in satisfaction. “Being a former employee - and victim - of Pizzahead, and by extension, the Pizzamancer, he joined the other former Pizza Tower Bosses, as they were known, in the assault.”

“An’ they can pay me back in visibility,” he quipped.

“I think-a you're visible enough already, gremlin,” Peppino snorted.

“The next member was the internationally-acclaimed artist, Phillip Pepperman. Another former inhabitant of the old Pizza Tower, he lent his immense strength to the effort.”

Pepperman preened, but unusually, said nothing.

“Joining him was Vigert L. Lannte, Sheriff of Tower Town. Another former Boss, and a gifted marksman.”

Vigi practically gleamed with repressed pride.

“A new player on the field was Mr. Brando Tagliatelle. A man with a personal grudge against the Pizzamancer, we have recently discovered that the disappearance of Mr. Bruno Tagliatelle, his father, was the work of the Pizzamancer - he captured, and killed, the man. The younger Mr. Tagliatelles then joined the battle, avenging his lost family.”

The audience, both TV and pizzeria, murmured in shock. Peppino put his hand on the young man's shoulder. “Are you sure you're Ok with-a such a public confession, ragazzo?”

Brando shrugged and smiled. “It's honestly a relief.” He glanced at Fake, and grinned, if a bit weakly. “And it's not like it's a total loss.” He'd informed his mother the day before, and she'd been disconsolate. “Mama will finally grieve… assuming she remembers.”

“Another member, Mr. Gustavo Farina, you may recognize from the destruction of the original Pizza Tower.”

The crowd cheered and Gus blushed furiously, ducking behind the counter. Peppino laughed and poked the gnome. “You-a knew you were going to be mentioned, amico.”

Gus blushed but smiled.

The President grinned. “And last, but certainly not least, was the leader of this movement, Mr. Peppino Spaghetti.”

The pizzeria erupted in applause. Peppino chuckled.

“The destroyer of the original Pizza Tower, himself a veteran himself of the Great War, and brother to the previously mentioned Mr. Giuseppe Spaghetti. Despite the terror involved in again brain g the Tower, he not only led the expedition, but dealt the final, decisive blow to their opponent, nearly at the cost of his own life.”

Giuseppe quirked an eyebrow. “Almost?”

Peppino wave his hand. “You know what would-a likely happen if word got out that we died and-a were resurrected. Everyone in-a the world would be fighting over that Old-a Tech.”

“We, as a nation and as a world, cannot express how indebted we are to these people. Evidence discovered in the Tower indicate that the Pizzamancer was responsible for what we know as the Plague of Spite, which nearly wiped out the world 2500 years before. We have evidence that he was designing a new plague, even more deadly, but the effort of these individuals stopped him, and destroyed the plague.”

The shouting reached a deafening pitch. Peppino and the others hadn't said anything about the plague. Now the back-slapping and clapping was downright feverish.

The President stood smiling while the cacophony wore down, then cleared her throat. “Mr. Spaghetti reached out to us just yesterday and asked us to drive one point home: it was the former Pizzahead who destroyed the plague.”

The room went dead silent, then broke out in a raucous barrage of questions, but the President waved them down. “A full statement will be issued to all media outlets after this announcement.” She paused, looking down, then back up. “I say again, the world cannot adequately express how much it owes to these people. However, I have moved to have that day declared an international holiday. While we haven't heard back from all nations, all the ones who have have been vogorously in favor.”

The audience cheered, but Anita snorted. “Wonder what they'll call it?”

Gustavo chuckled. “Knowing them, probably ‘Pizza Day’ or something like that. Sounds ridiculous.”

Peppino crossed his arms. “It-a would be appropriate, though.”

“To all of you, if you're watching…”

All of them sat up straight.

“I would like to personally say: Thank you. We are forever in your debt.”

The audience roared with approval.

~~~~

Later that night, Peppino sat on the roof of the pizzeria. Fake was downstairs, taking care of the stragglers. Everyone has gone home - even Gus and Brick had left.

Except Giuseppe. He sat beside Peppino, watching the sky. Fireworks were exploding everywhere, celebrating the final destruction of an enemy who'd held the world in fear for millenia.

For once, Peppino didn't cringe at the explosions. The voices were silent.

Both men swung their legs, smiling, watching the display. “Hard to believe this is-a for us,” Peppino said. “I'm-a not used to being… an international hero.”

Giuseppe chuckled. “You get used to it. People will calm down after a while, but… well, for me, I was only known in the military, before. Now… now we're known everywhere.” He turned. “Don't be surprised if you get flooded for a while.”

“Ah. Maybe I should-a order more stock, then,” Peppino said ruefully.

Giuseppe laughed out loud. “Peppino, you just saved the world. Not us. You. Take some time off, or something!”

Peppino laughed but shook his head. “I've-a taken enough time off in my life, living in-a my own doubts and fears. Trapped in-a my own head.” He watched the brilliant bursts of light above, and for the first time in over twenty years, he enjoyed them.

“From now on, I want to live.”

The two men sat back, watching the world express its relief and joy.

~~~~

Peppino, Gustavo, and Brick slowly walked up the hill towards the pit where the Tower had stood. Gus carefully cradled the small purple egg that the Tower had given them. “Are you sure they'll be here?” Gus said.

Peppino nodded. “Believe it or not, Gerome has a cell phone, and he called me. He said they're-a gonna build a house up here.” He looked around. “Something about ‘good rock’ here…”

As they topped the last hill before the rise to the cliff, they could indeed see the beginnings of a house. Stone, of course, but Peppino was surprised to see it was purple.

As they approached, they saw John lift up a block and place it on top of the wall. The world seemed to shift, and the rock changed, reshaping to fit the ones below tightly.

“Well, if-a nothing else, you could make a killing building stone monuments,” Peppino said cheerfully.

John turned, smiling. “Hey there, Peppino.” He yelled. “Hey! Gerome! They're here!”

From around the corner came… another slab of stone, with two small legs working busily underneath. John lifted the stone, and Gerome, who'd been underneath, saluted. “Hey.”

Peppino's eyebrows shot up. “How-a were you carrying that, Gerome?”

John chuckled. “Gerome's stronger than me, what do you mean?”

The three stared at the taciturn little man, who said nothing. Then they all shrugged. “Ah, well, we just came up because… well, we have something for you…”

~~~~

John held the small purple egg, which was shivering gently above his cupped hands. “Well, will wonders never cease. The old ones in the Tower left us a present.”

Gerome walked up and put a hand on his brother's hip. “Not a present, John. A future.”

“What is it?” Gustavo said.

“It's… exactly what it looks like, sort of,” John said. “It's an egg… but it's also an idea.” He stood. “With this, our people… the Litha… can be reborn.” He looked ready to cry. “It'll take years… but…”

Gerome looked up and gave one of his rare grins. “We won't be the last anymore.”

John looked down, tearing up, and nodded. “Yup.” Then he held the egg down at Gerome's level. “You want to do the honors?”

Gerome gently took the egg, holding it carefully.

Peppino, Gustavo, and Brick held their breath…

Then Gerome chucked the egg into the pit.

Peppino and Gustavo both gasped, and Brick squeaked her own surprise. “Gerome, what-a the-”

Gerome dusted off his hands. “It's OK. It'll embed in the rock below. This is good rock for us Litha. That egg’ll spread itself out through the rock, an’ in a year or two, we'll see the first new ones climb out.” He looked happier than they'd ever seen him. “Thank ya, Peppino. For gettin’ us out, and givin’ us hope.”

John roared with laughter and slapped Peppino on the back. “Yeah! We got a new beginnin’ because of you! Things are looking up!”

Peppino looked over at Gus and Brick, who gave a thumbs-up. “Yeah, they really are, aren't they?”

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