#young massimo was everything

[hinataoc]

I'm so excited to have the chance to share my piece for the @twosidesfanzine !! Leftover sales are going on right now and I highly recommend checking it out is you are a SoKai, RokuNami, or even a cookbook fan!

https://twosideszine.bigcartel.com/

I had the honor of working alongside @amyhayanora ❤️ She did the illustrations and I did the writing. Collaborations with her are always a joy and this project was no different.

This piece is a Duality, which means it showcases both SoKai and RokuNami in it as they travel to Potorosso (Luca)!

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The hatch of the Gummi Ship hissed open. Salty sweet air rushed into the cockpit, igniting Kairi’s senses. She undid her buckle and peeked her head out while the others took in the damage around the ship. Perhaps she should have been more concerned about the fact that they’d just crashed on an unknown world, but the fact that it was a new world took over her curiosity. 

Shimmering ocean surrounded them on all sides. Sea spray cooled her cheeks as waves lapped against the sides of the scuffed ship. Green mountains towered in the distance, and at their base lay what appeared to be a village. 

“Wow,” she whispered under her breath. 

“Yeah,” Sora added, coming up and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Reminds me a bit of the islands.” 

Kairi leaned into him with a hum, welcoming the warmth that filled her chest. “Me too.”

Roxas let out a harsh breath behind them. “Ship now, sightsee later, guys!”

Naminé giggled as Kairi and Sora separated with sheepish laughs. “I am looking forward to seeing the world, too,” Naminé admitted, looking around at the disarray in the cockpit. “Despite the circumstances.”

Roxas plopped back into his seat, defeated. “Circumstances being the ship’s completely out of fuel and we have no idea where we are?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Sora pointed out with a shrug. 

“Sora…that’s not the point,” Roxas groaned, putting his hand over his face.

Naminé gently ran her hand along Roxas’ shoulder. “It’s alright. Let’s get the ship to shore and find a place to stay for tonight. We’ll figure everything out in the morning.”

Roxas peeked between his fingers, a soft smile tipping the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Since that’s settled,” —Sora laced his fingers behind his neck and looked out over the ocean— “where are we exactly?”

As if in reply, a whirring engine of a boat cut through their discussion. They looked amongst each other before all of them rushed to the opened hatch and saw an approaching boat. It was small in size, wooden and worn down from obvious years of use. Inside sat a large, imposing man. A bushy mustache covered half of his face, making his expression difficult to read. 

Roxas cleared his throat and pushed Sora forward, appointing him to talk first. Despite being literally pushed into it, Sora excitedly climbed out of the cockpit and balanced on the Gummi Ship’s wing. 

“Hey there!” he greeted. “I’m Sora, this is—”

“What manner of ship is this?” the man asked in a burly voice. 

“I told you, Massimo,” a young boy’s voice caught everyone’s attention. They looked over, and a boy’s head peeked out of the water. Blue and purple scales covered him, sparkling under the light of the sunset. “I watched them fall out of the sky.” He leaned back against the ship and crossed his scaly arms. “Luca learned about it at school. Anything from space—gotta be aliens.”

Massimo looked between the boy and the ship, his brow gradually raising. 

“Trust me,” the boy assured him. He dove back into the water and leapt onto the boat. The group gasped as he shook the water off and his scales instantly transformed into skin. He appeared no different from any of them. “Just wait till I write Luca about them. He’ll totally agree.”

“I am not so sure, Alberto,” Massimo murmured.

“Yeeah.” Sora rubbed the back of his hair, awkwardly moving on, “Well, um—I’m Sora, and this is Kairi, Naminé, and Roxas!”

“Would you be able to help us ashore?” Naminé asked, stepping in.

“Uh-yeah, of course,” Alberto instantly agreed. “As Potorosso’s best and only lifeguard, I’m basically an expert at saving lives.”

Massimo huffed out a breath, but didn’t say anything as he unraveled a net from the fishing pulley. Alberto grabbed the fishing net and dove into the water. The group watched him with awe as the scales returned the moment the ocean met his skin. He darted around the ship and captured it in the net before coming back up on the other side of the boat and handing Massimo the rope. 

Still in the water, Alberto leaned up against the boat and said, “You guys should totally stay with me and Massimo when we get to town. He’s always making too much food.”

“We wouldn’t want to overstep,” Kairi assured Massimo, unsure about his lack of reaction. 

“We’ll find an inn, so don’t worry about it,” Roxas added. 

“Yeah, I’m sure we can—WOAH!” Sora’s arms waved wildly around when a wave hit the back of the ship and rocked him off balance. Kairi reached out for him, but it was too late as he face planted into the sea. 

Alberto jumped into action to help Sora up to the surface while Massimo let out a long-winded breath. 

----------------------------

Sora hummed happily, pulling the sides of the thick blanket further around his shoulders. A towel blocked his sight, but he soaked in everything around him. Savory scents wafted from the kitchen as Massimo cooked what Alberto described as the most incredible and life-altering pasta dish they would ever taste. Mews of cats carried over the breeze coming in from the open window, along with Naminé’s soft voice cooing at them while Roxas chuckled and whispered sweet things that he likely didn’t realize the others could hear. All of that was overshadowed, however, by the gentle massage of Kairi’s hands while she dried Sora’s hair. 

“Better?” Kairi asked, moving the fluffy towel so she could see his face. He beamed up at her, making her giggle. 

“Much better,” he replied, nuzzling into the towel as she continued to dry his hair. 

“I can’t decide who’s more like a cat,” Roxas commented. “Sora, or this actual cat.”

Everyone laughed, including Sora. He lifted a part of the towel out of his face to see them. The biggest cat he had ever seen lay over Roxas’ lap, purring loudly and rubbing against his hand while fluffy kittens climbed over Naminé.

Sora snickered at the sight. “I want a turn with the cat next.”

“Only once you’re all dry,” Kairi said in a teasing tone. 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Sora resigned himself to Kairi’s words with a sigh before abruptly grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his blanket. She squealed but quickly settled in beside him, pulling the blanket over her shoulder and cozying up. “We’ll just have to snuggle in the meantime.”

Kairi giggled. “I’ll happily accept that.”

“What a pair of saps,” Roxas jested, chuckling when Kairi stuck her tongue out at him. 

“I think it’s sweet,” Naminé replied. She carefully picked up a kitten and giggled when it licked the tip of her nose. “Don’t you?”

The tips of Roxas’ ears warmed. His smile grew in a goofy, love struck sort of way. “Yeah, I do,” he admitted. 

“Who’s the sap now?” Sora asked. 

“Hey, I can have my moments,” Roxas countered.

Kairi snickered, and that pulled the rest of them into laughing together. A knock on the doorway cut through their amusement, and they looked up to see Massimo. He remained still until the room went silent, then motioned his head towards the kitchen and turned to leave. The four teens looked at each other before following after him. 

A savory bouquet of scents welcomed them to dinner as they passed through the doorway. Old iron pots covered the stovetop, steam billowing over the tops and making it impossible to see what delicious food sat waiting inside. Sora closed his eyes and inhaled, sighing in appreciation before abruptly bumping into a chair. 

“Ah yeah, you might want to watch where you’re goin,” Alberto told them, walking around the table surrounded by mismatched chairs to set out drinking glasses. “Usually it’s just me and Massimo eating in here.” 

“Thank you for making the space for us,” Naminé replied. “I hope it wasn’t much trouble.”

“Psh, please, Massimo loves having company.” Alberto waved dismissively.

Massimo harrumphed in response while he filled dishes with dinner. The group chuckled nervously and quickly found their seats. While Alberto helped with the finishing touches, Sora looked around the kitchen. Copper pans hung from the wall, along with bunches of garlic and dried herbs. An antique radio on a corner cabinet played classical music, the notes warbling through the speaker. Sora grabbed Kairi’s hand and pointed it out to her, along with other various unique decorations that caught his eye. 

“It is my pleasure to present”—Alberto stopped at their table with two bowls of steaming pasta along each arm—”trofie al pesto!”

The group oohed and ahhed as the bowls were placed in front of each of them. Plump curls of pasta filled their dishes, along with cubes of potatoes and green beans, all of it coated with vibrant pesto. 

“This smells amazing,” Roxas said with a growing grin, picking up his fork. 

“It tastes amazing!” Sora enthusiastically agreed with a muffled voice, his mouth already full. 

Roxas let out an exasperated breath but smiled all the same as he took a bite for himself. His eyes widened as he chewed. “This really is good.”

“Yeah, Massimo’s the best cook in Potorosso,” Alberto bragged, wiping under his nose. “He’s teaching me everything he knows. I even put the basil leaf on this time.”

With a chuckle, Kairi picked up the loose basil leaf on top of her dish and waved it at him. “Very elegantly done.”

Alberto grinned, then scrambled to his seat when Massimo cleared his throat. Rather than pick up a fork, he grabbed a handful of pasta in his hand and scooped it into his mouth. Massimo continued to eat his food, paying no mind to Alberto, but the rest of the group stopped and stared. 

“Huh.” Sora looked at his food and put down the fork. 

“Don’t,” Roxas warned. 

“Don’t what?” Alberto asked, his mouth full. 

“Nothing.” Naminé smiled sweetly, and Sora took the opportunity to shovel pasta into his mouth via his hand. 

“Come on,” Roxas groaned under his breath, his hand covering his face. 

“It’s even better this way,” Sora insisted, wiping the corner of his mouth with his thumb.

“Right?” Alberto replied. “I tried it both ways and hand eating is definitely the way to go.”

“Now I’m curious.” Naminé looked between her fork and Sora.

“Not you too!” Roxas cried out, making them erupt into laughter. 

Even Massimo cracked a smile.

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Fireflies danced under the moonlight, lighting the way as Alberto led Sora, Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé outside to their beds for the night. Bunches of blankets and pillows towered over their heads as they followed, stopping in front of a tree with a treehouse built in the center of its branches. 

“And here we are.” Alberto held his arms out wide. “My secret spot!”

“We can make room inside if you would prefer.” Massimo placed his hand on Alberto’s shoulder.

“We don’t mind,” Naminé assured them.  

“Yeah, we’re used to sleeping outside.” Sora readjusted the blankets in his arms. “Thanks for sharing your secret spot with us, Alberto. It’s great!”

“I added a bit to it since Giulia was here, so it’s pretty much perfect.” Alberto grinned.

“We’ll let you get some sleep.” Massimo ushered Alberto away with him. 

“Thank you again for everything,” Kairi said. “We really appreciate it.”

Massimo simply nodded while Alberto waved enthusiastically and called, “See you in the morning!”

The group waited until Massimo and Alberto were gone inside the house before they made their way up the tree. With their magic, it didn’t take long to get everything up into the treehouse and situated enough to be comfortable. A string of white lights weaved between the branches and flickered to life once Naminé found a switch. Blankets and pillows covered the wooden planks, pressed up against the short walls along the sides. It was a tight fit, but the four of them managed to lay down side by side. Without a roof on the fort, they were able to gaze up at the multitude of stars shimmering above them. 

“What a day,” Roxas whispered. He smiled as Naminé’s hand wound around his. 

“A wonderful day,” Naminé added. “Unexpected, but I’m happy it happened the way it did.”

“We should get that pesto recipe for Little Chef tomorrow,” Sora said with a yawn. 

“I would also like to explore the town tomorrow,” Naminé said. “There were so many unique trinkets inside Massimo’s home, I’d love to buy some from the shops here.”

“Oh me too!” Kairi propped up on her elbow. “Sora pointed out the old radio to me.”

“Wasn’t it beautiful?” Naminé asked, also sitting up.

“I guess that leaves me repairing the ship?” Roxas asked, chuckling when Naminé looked at him with apologetic eyes. “I’m teasing. We could use some downtime. Exploring the town sounds great.”

“I’m glad we crashed here,” Sora said, then he heard Roxas scoff. “What?”

“I am too,” Kairi agreed, kissing Sora’s cheek before she laid down. “It’s a beautiful place and I’m glad we’re here together.”

All of them hummed in their own form of agreement. Their whispers continued to fill the night air until one by one, they fell asleep beneath the stars.

[ironychan]

Scary Monsters

@dysphoria-sweatshirt @30spiders @sweatersexual @angrylittlesliceofpizza @writer652

Part 1/? - Rocco’s Closet

Part 2/? - School for Monsters

Part 3/? - The Waternoose Family

Part 4/? - The Terrifying Humans

Part 5/? - Hiding Places

Part 6/? - Nobody’s Fault

Part 7/? - Edge of Disaster

Part 8/? - Caged Monsters

Part 9/? - The Journey Home

Part 10/? - Portorosso

Harry didn't want to get back in the pram, so he scurried along the cobbled street with the rest of the group as they made their way downhill to the Pescheria and harbour. Luca and Alberto were busy telling their families about the monster world, but they did their best to keep an eye on their unwanted companion. This was not easy. Harry was like a curious puppy on its first walk, dashing back and forth across the street to take a closer look at everything.

“Mamma mia!” the woman who ran the laundromat exclaimed, dropping a pile of sheets as Harry dashed past her to look in the window. She stared for a moment with one hand over her heart, then took in the presence of Luca and Alberto and made herself calm down. “I'm sorry, young... man,” she managed. “You startled me.”

“I'm a monster,” said Harry smugly. “I'm supposed to be scary.”

“You certainly are,” she agreed, gathering up her sheets again – these had been clean, and were now covered with dust and would need to be done again. “Lovely to have met you. I'm sure I'll see you again.” She hurried back inside and shut the door.

A minute or so later, a man driving a truck loaded with boxes of fruit stopped to watch them go by. Harry grinned and waved to him. The man waved back halfheartedly, and waited until they rounded a corner to start his truck again.

“It looks like the humans here are scared of me,” Harry said suspiciously. “You said they wouldn't be.”

“They're not screaming and running away,” Alberto pointed out. “They're just not used to you yet.” Humans in Portorosso had mostly accepted the idea that just because something looked frightening didn't mean it necessarily was, but that didn't mean they liked scary things, even ordinary sea monsters.

“I think they're a little scared of monsters,” Harry said. “If they weren't, we wouldn't even have any doors to this town.”

“It depends on the monster,” said Luca. He glanced back over his shoulder at Rocco, who was still scowling into his gelato.

They arrived at the piazza. As usual there was a gaggle of children here, kicking an old volleyball in order to get around the local legislation that forbid playing football in the streets. Harry watched for a minute, bouncing up and down in excitement, then ran up to them.

“Can I play?” he asked eagerly.

The boy who had the ball snatched it off the ground and backed towards his friends, who gasped in horror.

Luca quickly reassured them. “It's okay! This is Harry. He's with us.”

Harry smiled hopefully.

One of the taller kids, a girl, spoke up. “You can't,” she said. “You've got... too many legs. Rules say only two is allowed.”

“Oh,” said Harry, though he looked at them suspiciously.

“Come on, Alberto lives over here,” Luca said, gesturing towards the Pescheria.

One of the teenagers in the town, a boy called Amerigo, had been hired to mind the shop while Massimo and Giulia were waiting at the train station. He smiled as the group approached, then his eyes widened when he saw Harry among them. Like the others, though, he reasoned that if this strange creature were with Luca and Alberto, then it must be all right, and that was enough to keep him from panicking.

“You've got a new friend,” he observed.

“This is the Pescheria,” Alberto told Harry. “Massimo catches fish, and Giulia and I sell them here or deliver them to people's houses.”

Harry examined a basket of bream on ice. “Weird fish,” he said. “They all look the same. Where are the ones with two heads?”

“We don't have any two-headed fish,” Luca said.

Harry moved on down the length of the shop, while Amerigo watched cautiously from behind the counter. “Oh, these look more normal,” said Harry, pointing at another creature. “What's that?”

“Those are squid,” Alberto said. “We cut them into rings and fry them. It's called calamari. Much nicer than eating them raw and getting ink all over you!”

“What about that?” Harry pointed to a black-and-white photograph of a group of people posing with an immensely long silvery fish, at least four metres, in the piazza.

“That's a regaleco,” said Giulia. “Papà caught it by accident. See, there's me.” She pointed to herself in the photo, a very small child of four or five standing by Massimo's side.

Harry continued to scuttle around the shop, examining the merchandise and decor, while people from the piazza began to gather in the doorway to stare at this new and bizarre arrival. Nobody said anything, as they did not want to be rude, but there was a general feeling of unease in the air. Luca and Alberto could feel it keenly, but Harry seemed oblivious, and upon noticing the crowd, he went up to greet them.

“Hi, everybody!” he said. “Wow, I didn't know there were so many humans. Kids' rooms only have maybe one or two at a time. Hi,” he said to one kid. “How are you doing?”

The girl gave him a sideways look and did not reply.

Not at all discouraged, Harry looked up at Old Tomasso, who was staring back down at him. “Hi! Do you need a son?” he asked.

“Ah, I'm a little old to be raising children,” Old Tomasso replied. “You might ask my daughter, Viola, though she and Giacomo already have a couple kids of their own...”

“Is she here?” Harry asked eagerly.

“Well, I'm starving!”s aid Alberto loudly. He grabbed Harry by the shoulders and steered him towards the interior door. “Time for you to try some human food! We'll treat you to the most delicious thing our world has to offer – trenette al pesto!”

They dragged Harry up the stairs to the living spaces above the shop, leaving Amerigo to deal with the curious onlookers. There, Massimo and Alberto got to work on dinner, while Daniela, who'd been learning some human cooking, declared that she would make dessert. Harry had looked exciting as they climbed the narrow stairs, but the kitchen itself was obviously a disappointment to him. He looked around the cramped little room dubiously as people got to work.

“Do you live here?” he asked. “Or are you the servants?”

“This is our house,” Giulia said, insulted. “We don't have servants.”

Harry frowned. “Well, who cleans up after you cook?” he asked. “Who scrubs the floor and cleans the windows?”

“We do,” she told him. “We do everything ourselves.”

“Where do you sleep?” he asked next.

“Upstairs – there's one room for me and Alberto and one for Papà, and the bathroom.”

Harry examined her face, trying to figure out if she were joking.

“Nobody has servants,” Giulia added. “That's from, I don't know, medieval times.”

“Farmhands might count as servants,” Lorenzo Paguro mused. “Like those two boys Atinnia Trota has working at her place since her husband died.”

“Are all humans this poor?” asked Harry. “Where are the normal people?”

“We're not poor!” Giulia huffed. “This is normal! If you want rich people, the richest ones in town are the Visconti family, and even they don't have servants. They've got some employees who work in their vineyards, but that's not the same. Signora Visconti does her own cooking.”

Harry sat down on the bench below the stairs, where he watched thoughtfully as everybody else pitched in to get food on the table. He appeared to be re-thinking this whole expedition, as if he didn't want a new family if that were necessarily going to come with work. Luca kind of hoped that was true. Harry's father wasn't very nice, but Harry belonged in his own world and they needed to get him back there as fast as they could.

There was no room for so many people to sit down around the tiny kitchen table, so they headed out to the yard to eat as the sun set and the first stars began to come out. Daniela and Luca set the table, and Massimo brought out the extra-large pot that could hold enough pasta for everybody. Seeing all this made Luca so happy to be home he nearly cried – it reminded him of the evening after the race last year, when the sea monsters had first been welcomed to Portorosso. Even Alberto was getting a bit misty-eyed, although he'd never admit it. The two boys dug into their favourite dish with gusto.

Harry didn't look so excited about it. He tried the trenette al pesto, but just shrugged.

“We need to figure out how we're going to get back into the monster world,” Luca announced. That was a problem he wasn't sure how to solve. Any door they might go through was just going to lead into the factory, and that was the last place they wanted to arrive. He frowned, chewing on a mouthful as he considered it. “What happens to the doors when the kids get too old to be scared anymore?”

“They go to storage,” said Harry. “They check them out every couple of years, but you can't open them from this end. You need the equipment.”

“So we'll have to find somebody else who's got a monster and wait there... but then when we get into the monster world they'll grab us right away,” said Luca. That wouldn't work at all. Mr. Waternoose might even have a special watch on doors from Liguria in case they tried to come back.

“Aren't there any doors anywhere else?” asked Alberto. “I mean... there's other scare companies, right?”

“Yeah,” said Harry, mouth full. “And there's a few at universities and stuff for research purposes, but they don't lead to kids' rooms.”

That sounded promising. Luca seized on it. “What doors are those? How do you find them?”

“I dunno, they're closet doors,” said Harry.

“There are other kinds of closets besides bedroom ones,” Helena observed thoughtfully. “There's linen closets, storage closets, broom closets...”

“Signora Marsigliese has a storage closet in her grocery store,” Giulia offered. “It's where she keeps stuff when there's no room for it on the shelves yet.”

“Oh, they won't use one in a shop,” said Harry, “especially if somebody lives there. The researchers don't actually want to meet any humans. They just want to find ways to stabilize the link, make it more energy-efficient, improve door matching, that kind of thing.”

“So nowhere there's people at night,” said Luca. “Where's got a closet that's closed at night?”

“Somewhere like a museum?” asked Helena.

“There's no museums in Portorosso,” said Alberto.

“No, but they've got lots of them in Genova,” said Giulia. “There's the Museum of Natural History, and the Maritime Museum, and Mamma does work sometimes at the Palazzo Spinola, which is going to be a museum someday but they have to restore it first because it got damaged during the war.”

“That's the one I'm thinking of,” Helena said. “There's one of the former bedrooms where I've helped touch up the frescoes, and I've never seen anything myself but there people working there full-time who swear it's haunted. They hear footsteps and see lights in the middle of the night.”

Luca did not believe in ghosts, but if closet monsters were a real thing then they might well be the explanation. “That's gotta be it!” he exclaimed. “There's a closet in there, right?”

“There's one where they keep paint and tools,” Helena agreed. “It's got a big sign on it that says solo personale autorizzato.”

“A lot of the ones the researchers use have signs like that,” Harry confirmed.

“Perfect!” Luca grinned. “So we just have to go back to Genova!”

“Now wait a moment, young man,” said Daniela. “I'm not sure I like the idea of you going back there, no matter how you get in. This monster world is obviously dangerous. Back me up, Lorenzo,” she said to her husband.

Lorenzo nodded. “Your mother is right, Luca. This really isn't your problem.”

“Yes, it is!” Luca insisted. “Louise and the others need our help. We're the ones who got them in trouble in the first place. Right, Alberto?”

“Right!” said Alberto through a mouthful of pasta.

“Well, you certainly can't go by yourselves,” Daniela said. “You have to at least take a grownup with you.”

“Oh, that's a good idea,” Giulia put in. “Like I said, Luca, your Mom's scary. The monsters will respect her.”

It was hard to say whether Daniela had really meant herself when she'd said a grownup, but that didn't seem to have been the part of the suggestion that startled her. “I'm not that scary!”

“Yes, you are,” chorused Alberto and Luca.

“No, you're not,” Harry scoffed.

“You haven't seen her get mad,” Luca told him.

Feeling like they had at least an approximation of a plan made Luca feel much better, and although he wouldn't have said it he was very reassured by the idea of taking his mother along. They wouldn't feel nearly so adrift and terrified in that strange world if they had a proper grownup with them.

After supper it was time for the kids to get into their pyjamas. Harry didn't have any with him, and nobody else's would have fit him, so he was given one of Massimo's extra shirts. It was as huge and awkward on him as Louise's monster-sized nightshirts had been on Alberto and Luca, but he didn't seem to mind.

The person who did mind was Giulia. Although she was too polite to say so, she was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of Harry sleeping in her room, so the boys offered to also sleep over so it wouldn't just be the two of them. Luca had hoped this would avoid any arguments. It did not.

“You don't like me,” said Harry accusingly, as they rolled out sleeping bags on the floor.

“No, you're fine,” said Giulia, without looking at him.

“Alberto and Luca said you'd be cool.”

“I am cool,” Giulia insisted, annoyed. “It's just that I haven't known you very long yet.”

Harry wasn't at all impressed. “You're scared of me. They said you'd be fine, but you're scared of monsters. I bet you're scared of them, too. Everybody here is, even if they try to be nice about it.” He smiled to himself. “I bet I could be in charge of this place in no time.”

“Giulia isn't scared of anything,” Luca said loyally.

“Sure,” Harry said, “so why doesn't she have a closet, then?”

“Because there isn't room for one,” said Giulia. “This house is very small.”

“I noticed.”

“And I don't need one anyway,” she added. “I keep all my stuff on my shelves, and my clothes go in the drawers. My school stuff mostly stays at Mamma's house in Genova, because that's where I use it.”

Harry considered that as he built a little nest for himself out of blankets. “What do human kids learn at school? Do you learn about monsters?”

“No,” said Luca, “because humans mostly don't believe in monsters, not even sea monsters like us. Nobody knows about us except the people in Portorosso and some of the ones at school.”

“And a lot of them think it's a joke,” Giulia added. “I didn't even believe in sea monsters until I met Luca and Alberto, and I didn't believe in closet monsters until I met you today.”

Harry frowned. “See, that's what Dad says – he says humans shouldn't know about us, because what you don't know is always scarier than what you do.”

“That's probably true,” Giulia observed. “Now that I know about sea monsters, they're not scary at all.” She looked at Alberto and grinned. “In fact, Alberto is the least scary monster I've ever met.”

Alberto stuck his tongue out at her.

“I think he's scarier than I am,” Luca said.

“Now, I think if humans knew about us, they'd be even more scared,” Harry went on, “because then they'd know we could be lurking there, waiting to jump out at any moment.”

“Or we'd just take the doors off all our closets,” said Giulia.

That clearly hadn't occurred to Harry. He blinked, then scowled, annoyed at being outwitted.

Harry couldn't lie down flat like a human or a sea monster, so while the other kids bedded down, he nestled into the pile of blankets he'd built, looking rather like an egg in an Easter basket. Everybody else began to drift off, only to discover that Harry snored. It wasn't loud, but it was a whistling sort of noise that was impossible to ignore. Giulia had to stuff her head under her pillow in order to block it out.

Halfway through the night, Giulia woke up again, as she sometimes did, and rolled over to get more comfortable – whereupon she found herself looking into multiple glowing eyes that blinked in unison. She inhaled sharply and sat up, clutching at the covers.

Harry started laughing. “Boo!” he said.

“Harry!” groaned Luca from his bed on the floor.

“I knew it! I knew you were scared of me!” Harry cackled.

“It's the middle of the night,” Alberto scolded. “Go back to sleep!”

Harry continued to giggle to himself as he settled down in his little nest again. Luca gave him a disapproving frown and looked at Alberto, who wasn't going to stop at frowning and had gone all the way to a nasty scowl. The two silently agreed that the first thing they were going to do when that haunted closet at the museum opened was to shove Harry in, and after that they wouldn't take any more help from him.

In the morning, Giulia got up first, and noticed that Harry was still asleep. She crept over and knelt next to him, leaning in so her nose was only an inch from his face. It took him a moment to realize she was there, and then a couple of his eyes flickered open, and he screamed like Signora Brugnole did when she saw a mouse.

“Now who's scared?” asked Giulia, and got up to go brush her teeth while Harry sat there panting.

Luca and Alberto had already been half awake, but were jolted to full alertness by Harry's cry. They yawned and rubbed their eyes and looked at him, then both lay down and pretended to go back to sleep. He'd deserved that.

Helena had crespelle ready when they came downstairs for breakfast. They were thinner than Louise's pancakes but were served with ricotta and nutella, and she'd also sliced some bananas to put on top. The kids sat down and dug in, and Massimo came to sit with them and sip his espresso.

“Giulietta,” he said, as his daughter put bananas on her breakfast. “Your mother and I have been talking about money.”

“Uh-huh,” Giulia said, then whacked Alberto's wrist with her butter knife as he reached across the table. “How about pass the nutella?” she suggested to him, as he shook the stinging joint.

Harry, meanwhile, looked down at his own plate dubiously. “Is this it?” he asked.

“What more did you want?” asked Giulia. She passed the nutella and knife to Alberto, and gave him a plate for Luca.

“How about bacon?” asked Harry. “Or eggs? Or waffles? It's just tiny pancakes with cheese, and some coffee?”

“You don't want to eat heavily first thing in the morning,” said Helena firmly. “It's not good for your stomach.” She poured her espresso into milk, and added a little bit of cocoa. “As we were saying, kids, I didn't think we'd all be heading back to Genova. I have enough money to pay for my own ticket, but not for the boys or Signora Paguro.”

That wasn't what any of the kids had expected to hear, least of all Harry. “How can you not have money for train tickets?” he asked. “They cost nothing.”

“Obviously they cost something,” Giulia told him, “if they were free we wouldn't be worried about it.”

Luca was not discouraged. “We'll have to earn the money, then,” he said.

“How?” asked Massimo. “I cannot hire all three of you for extra besides your pocket money.”

“I've got some I've saved,” said Alberto. “And we can do odd jobs around the town. I've done that before!” Sometimes he'd even managed not to break anything.

“So have I,” Giulia agreed.

“And I can help,” said Luca.

“How much money will we need for the tickets?” Giulia asked her mother.

Helena did a brief bit of math for one adult and three youths, assuming Harry would go in the pram again. The figure she came up with wasn't too daunting, so after they were done eating, the kids got dressed and set out to do some work.

“I'm gonna head up the hill to where the older people live, and ask if they need anything done in their gardens,” Alberto announced. They almost always did, and while pulling weeds and turning over soil were tedious, there were very few ways he'd found to do them wrong.

“I'll do deliveries, and keep the tips,” Giulia said.

“I'll go with Alberto,” Luca said.

“Great!” Alberto nodded. “You can do your big eyes thing, and they'll pay us extra.”

“How about me?” Harry asked, scuttling out into the yard to join them. Helena had decided to wash his little sailor suit while the kids were out, but that left the problem of what he would wear in the mean time. Massimo had gone through some old things and found a shirt he'd worn as a child and had kept to use as rags someday. It was a bit too big on Harry and had to be pinned so he wouldn't step on the hem, but it was clean.

“You want to help earn money?” Alberto asked, a bit suspicious. Harry clearly wasn't interested in work – he seemed to think money was just something people had in infinite quantities.

“No,” said Harry. “I need to find a new Dad, remember? Where are these Visconti people you mentioned?” He had evidently decided that he wanted not just a new family, but a new family with money.

“They live over the hill in the vineyards,” said Giulia. She checked her list of deliveries. “They've ordered some naselli... they must be having visitors because it's quite a few. Signor Visconti likes to schmooze people who are thinking about buying his wine.”

“I'll go with you, then,” Harry decided.

Giulia tried not to groan. “All right,” she said, “but you have to help. Do what I tell you to do, and don't wander off, you got it?”

“You're not my mother,” Harry told her.

“Do you want to stay at our house, or not?” Giulia asked. “Because if you do, you have to do what I say, got it?”

Harry snorted. “Fine.”

The boys headed up the hill to find some work to do, and Giulia attached the cart to her bike while Harry, under her direction, brought out boxes of ice and fish for delivery. He made a face as he handed her the first one.

“It smells,” he said.

“It's fish,” she told him. “Don't fish smell in your world?”

“I dunno, I've only seen them when they're already cooked,” Harry said. “And the ones in the pond at the zoo, that you can feed. Those don't smell.”

“They're not dead,” Giulia said. She climbed onto the bicycle. “Keep up, I'm not slowing down for you.”

She wasn't training for the race yet, not so early in the summer, so despite her words Giulia didn't hurry as she cycled up the hill to the first of her day's deliveries. Harry scuttled after her, looking around at the town and the people as they went. His many legs seemed able to carry him quite quickly, so she sped up a little.

Their first stop was the home of Signora Tarasco, where Giulia knocked on the door with a box of fish in her hands. The door opened, and Giulia proudly held out her merchandise. “Sardines, as ordered!” she announced. “Fresh from Papà's nets!”

“Ah, thank you, Giulia,” Signora Tarasco said. She took the box from Giulia, and then her eyes went to the waiting bicycle and cart, and she saw Harry standing next to it. For a split-second she just blinked at him, trying to figure out what she was seeing, then she screamed. She almost dropped the box, but grabbed it at the last moment, only for it to tip and pour dead sardines all over herself. Giulia dived to catch the fish, but could not grab them all, and ended up with two in her hand while the rest splattered on the pavement.

“Oh, my goodness!” the woman exclaimed, with a nervous giggle as she clutched the now-empty box. “You gave me a start! Wha... um... is that another of your friends, Giulia?”

“That's Harry,” said Giulia, picking herself up. “He's the monster from Rocco Marsigliese's closet.”

“No, the monster from Rocco's closet used to work for my Dad, but he fired her,” Harry corrected. “But he's a jerk, so now I'm looking for a new Dad, like Alberto.

“I saved these,” Giulia added, offering the fish she'd managed to grab.

“Oh... oh yes.” Signora Tarasco reached out and took them, her eyes locked on Harry. “I just... oh, dear, I ruined the rest of them. Let me... let me pay you for those.” She fumbled for her coin purse.

“You don't have to do that,” said Giulia, looking at the rest of the order, scattered on the cobblestones.

“No, no, it's only fair,” Signora Tarasco said distractedly. She gave Giulia a handful of coins without bothering to look at or count them. “Keep the change, dear,” she added, and shut the door, her only objective being to put something between herself and Harry as quickly as possible.

Giulia scowled and shoved the coins in her pocket. “Okay,” she told Harry, “you're going to have to stay behind the cart while people answer doors.”

“Luca and Alberto said the humans here would be fine,” Harry said, arms folded. “I'm starting to think they lied to me.”

“People will be fine once they get to know you,” Giulia told him. “Until then, you're scaring them. You're never gonna find a new family like that.”

Harry just sniffed. Evidently he thought if the humans were scared, that was their own fault.

They moved on to the next house. Harry would stay back with the cart while Giulia handed over the deliveries, but he refused to hide behind it. In fact, he seemed quite interested in people's reactions to him. Giulia explained who and what he was over and over, and people were polite but clearly uncomfortable with his presence. At least he didn't go around asking people if they wanted a child, like Luca and Alberto said he'd done in Genova, but she suspect that was merely because he'd already decided who his first choice was. If so, he was destined for bitter disappointment.

Giulia saved the Visconti family's fish for last, partly because it was furthest from home, and partly because she dreaded what Harry might do. She was sure it would be embarrassing at best and catastrophic at worse.

Harry himself perked up considerably when he realized there was only one box left. “Are we going to the Visconti house now?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Giulia. “Although... how would you feel about having an older brother?” Maybe she could discourage him in advance.

“An older brother?” he asked.

“Yeah, they already have a son,” Giulia said.

Harry thought about that a little. “What is he like?”

“He's the biggest jerk in the world,” said Giulia. “Even worse than your Dad, I'm sure. He kept this town under his evil empire of injustice for years.”

“He did? How?” Harry wanted to know.

“Because everybody was scared of him!” Giulia said. “You never knew when he was going to show up and make your life miserable, just because he could! We finally kicked his butt last summer, and nobody takes him seriously anymore.”

They crested the hill and coasted back down it into the valley, where the vineyards were spread out around the big house where the Visconti family lived and ran their business. The villa had originally been built in the 18th century by their wealthy ancestors, with yellow walls and big cypress trees out front. It was now in rather poor repair, with the plaster flaking and cracks in the wall from the earthquake that had happened before Giulia was born, but still imposing. Harry grinned when he saw it, and would have gone right up the double staircase leading to the front door, but Giulia shook her head.

“Deliveries go around the back,” she said.

She led the way around the gravel path to the back garden, where the kitchens were. Harry frowned.

“This looks like a servants' entrance,” he said.

“It used to be,” Giulia said, “but I told you, nobody has servants anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because it's snooty. It's like you're saying you're better than anyone else. The Viscontis don't need servants – they do that anyway.”

They passed the garage. Giulia had been hoping Ercole wouldn't be there, just because she didn't want to see him, but he was, checking the air pressure on his Vespa's tyres. He looked up as she passed, then did a double-take.

“Porca paletta! What is that?”

“Is that him?” Harry asked excitedly. “Their son?”

“Yes. Ignore him,” Giulia instructed.

But Harry scuttled right into the open garage. Ercole crab-walked backwards, then scrambled to his feet as if to flee. If that were his intention, he changed his mind when Harry got too close to his precious Vespa. “Hey!” he exclaimed. “Don't touch that!”

“Are you the one who used to have the whole town under an evil empire?” Harry asked eagerly.

Ercole knew exactly where he'd heard that. “For your information,” he said, moving his Vespa aside so that it wasn't too close to this odd little creature. “People in this town used to love me until those sea monsters came along. Now it's sea monster this and sea monster that, and nobody has time for real people anymore.” He peered suspiciously at his visitor. “What are you?”

“Aren't you scared of me?” Harry asked.

“You can't be scary if you hang out with Spewlia,” Ercole replied. “You're just a little bug. You should mind you don't get squashed like one.”

Giulia rolled her eyes, but on the whole this wasn't as bad as she'd feared. She knocked on the kitchen door. “Signora Visconti!” she called out. “I've got your fish!”

[klowns-oc-sthuff]

Pietra - Overwatch Wiki

Italy’s former hero, Pietra will stop at nothing to make sure Omnics burn in their own oil. Even if it takes away his life. But dare not touch his home, his loved one, less you want him as your enemy. - Official Description

“I’d let myself burn if it meant saving them…”

Real Name: Massimo Caputo

Age: 30

Birthday: October 21st

Nationality: 🇮🇹 Italian

Occupations:

Massimo: Singer, Performer

Piera: National Protector, Military Aid

Base:

Former: (Rome, Italy) Base Di Difesa Italiana, (Bengaluru, India) Vishkar Corporation

Current: Watchpoint: Gibraltar, Atlantic Archology

Affiliations:

Former: Vishkar Corporation, Militare Italiano

Current: Overwatch Agent, Solo Protector

Relations: Marisa Mezzasalma (mother, unknown but believed to be deceased), Silvio Caputo (father, deceased), Niran Pruksamanee (boyfriend), Satya Vaswani (friend), Jean-Baptiste Augustine (close friend, doctor), Sofia Segreto (manager, boss)

Story

A masked and cold protector, Pietra’s determination and golden heart for his people and nation were the main factors that pushed the man to let go his life of luxury and take on a life full of pain, death, disappointments, broken hearts and suffering.

The once happy and cheerful singer turns into a cold-hearted and brutal protector when the horned mask is placed on his face, trying his hardest to leave that facade with his mask but finding it extremely complicated to separate the two, especially when it comes to his night terrors and difficult consequences attached to Pietra, but he’s lucky enough to have found people who care for him, willing to get close and remind the man that he’s not alone, that he has support and that it’s more than okay to detach to take care of one’s self.

Childhood

The son of one of the most intelligent engineers and inventors in Italy, his father’s cold-heart toward his ‘stupid son’ only increased as Massimo took a major dislike to any sort of mathematical subject and love for any sort of artistic and creative subject when he was a young kid; his father’s hope was that he’d grow out of it when he became older, but it never came true. Because of this, Massimo’s father began to disregard him, emotionally abusing him to the point of making the young boy feel stupid, even though he really wasn’t; having given up on his son, Massimo’s father refused to communicate in any sort of manner with his son, forcing him to come to Vishkar with him, never telling him what happened to his mother as well as not accepting his sexuality and using it against Massimo as another means of isolation from him.

For Massimo’s entire childhood, the man remembers one thing about his mother; her screams of pain and his father’s incomprehensible insults to her, a bruise to her eye and a single letter the following morning with the simple words ‘I’m sorry, amore. Love, mamma.’ Massimo’s mother is rarely talked of as the Italian man doesn’t like to bring her up, his only memory of her being that day.

Vishkar Corporation

In his early teens at the time (early13M), Massimo was forced to follow his father to Vishkar once Silvio was offered a high-earning position, caring less to ask for his son’s opinion, as for everything else.

Quickly, Massimo hated the place… He hated the teachers, the students, how bland the building looked, how distant and uncaring everyone was, especially how much he was undermined and casted out; because of his fame and reputation, students and teachers alike rendered him an outcast rather quickly as they deemed him a snob and arrogant alongside ‘not as smart as them’, which only added to Massimo’s dislike to mathematical subjects. Safe for one student, a year older than him but in a couple of the same classes; Niran Pruksamanee (early14M - late14N).

The Thai student always had been a fan of Massimo’s music and image, taking the opportunity to meet with him when the singer organised a music club, hoping to gain some interest from his peers, but to avail, safe for Niran who was the only student who attended said club before it was permanently shut down by school staff.

Within their mid-teens (late15M - early16N), Massimo and Niran understood that they both held romantic feelings for one another, beginning to date in secret when confessing to each other; the only one who knew about their relationship was Niran’s roommate Satya Vaswani, who was quick to realise Niran’s attention was caught somewhere else when he seemed more concerned about his messages than his work, among many other things that Niran was rather careless to hide and forget them about his desk and bed. The two lover’s feelings for one another grew intensely rather quickly (mid16M - late17N), so much so that both of them agreed that Massimo could announce to his fans that he is taken, but still keep Niran identity a secret.

Meanwhile, while Massimo opened up a new chapter in his life and finished his studies before than all his peers independently and separately from Vishkar (late16M), Silvio had created a bionic arm that could transform into a huge mech, the first of its kind, creating this machine to pass down to a man which would use said machine to protect Italy as Omnic attacks were on the rise again, but Massimo managed to see that the older man, who was in his early 20’s, cared nothing about the responsibility it took and only flaunted the possession of the machine, ignoring the trainings and preparations and lying to Silvio as well as Vishkar’s higher ups; Massimo understood that the man would do nothing to change and that Italy would fall into ruins at the hands of this man.

Deciding to amputate his own left arm (early17M - late17N), much to Niran’s major distress, Massimo managed to secure the machine and began to train with Vishkar, deciding to flee Vishkar in his late teens (late17M - early18N), despite the heartbreak that it caused the couple; saying their final goodbyes and giving their last kiss, Massimo finally departed with a heavy heart and tear filled eyes, having done what he could to keep his love with him, but to no avail.

It wounded both men deeply, but it wounded Satya as well, who Massimo gave no proper goodbye to as he didn’t want to cause anymore distress to his good friend who already had her plate full with other, more important worries; he wished he’d never done that, wishing that he gave his good friend a proper, heartfelt goodbye.

Italy’s Omnic War & Overwatch (New Blood)

With the new-found identity of Pietra, Massimo fought long and hard to save Italy and its people from the omnics, losing the mechanical arm just two years into the war which led to a self-amputation as the wound was too big to let heal; as quickly as he could have, Massimo returned to Vishkar Corporations, much to the Italian Military’s warnings and denies, searching for his father in hopes of stealing another arm and fleeing again, managing in his mission rather quickly and easier than he thought, finding the perfect fit to replace his fully lost left arm alongside half of his shoulder, dismantling the arm’s tracker and alarm and fleeing back to Italy.

This theft didn’t go unnoticed by Vishkar, who were quick to send out their best forces to hunt down Pietra; quickly enough, Italy’s borders were closed to any sort of Vishkar activity or employee in order to protect Pietra to allow him to keep doing his duty without any further worries, to which they succeeded in as Vishkar quickly gave up on the search, ordering Silvio to create another one, only for the man to suffer a stroke in his sleep and pass away.

With the war over after seven years, Massimo kept up his Pietra facade to still protect Italy from any sort of other threats, specifically to recurring omnics and Talon activity, to which Italy’s people were more than grateful for, keeping up his double life for other six years, until finally letting his mask sit for longer then he wore it as he was sure Italy was rid of all omnic and Talon activity.

Just after three moths, Pietra was visited by Cassidy on his day off, who was in search of new recruits for Overwatch’s recall; after a rather intense battle and concussion, Cassidy transported Pietra with himself along his way back to Watchpoint: Gibraltar, where Pietra met one of the medics by the name of Baptiste. Much to Massimo’s displeasure, Baptiste met him without his mask and knowing his true identity, attempting to keep this happening a secret by threatening the medic, unsuccessfully. Instead of successfully pushing the medic away and keeping him at a safe distance, Baptiste managed to get the man to open up, especially once Massimo began to wear his mask less and less in their shared quarters as well as dropping his facade, being more himself, to which Baptiste majorly appreciated.

Surely enough, once Massimo had opened up and began to share his struggles with his roommate, the two men grew close rather quickly, trusting one another with their past and present worries and problems, yet always reminding themselves that their primary relationship is doctor-patient in hopes to not let themselves get too attached to one another.

To this day, their relationship is still close, with the medic throwing in the occasional flirting, both of them knowing that it’s mere teasing between close friends.

Atlantic Archology

Coming when the chapter is out! Stay tuned!

Heroes Ascendant

Coming when the chapter is out! Stay tuned!

Trivia

- Massimo’s name ‘Pietra’ was chosen by himself as he believed it would represent what kind of protector he wanted to be for Italy; firm, cold, strong and always there as someone to lean on when needed

- In his opening quote ‘I’d let myself burn if it meant saving them’, its unclear who he is specifically referring to

- Massimo writes his own songs and creates concepts for the music composition, passing it onto Sofia for approval; the music composition is executed by one of the top bands in Italy, which were extremely excited to work with someone as famous and talented as Massimo

- Massimo wrote music dedicated to Niran, but he never published it nor showed it to Niran, as he was too embarrassed to do so, even though he knew his boyfriend would appreciate it

- Massimo has called Niran ‘Niran’ when they first met, then began to call him ‘Bua’ once they got close, finally calling him ‘amore’ or ‘tesoro mio’ in private when dating, still sticking to ‘Bua’ when they were in public; Niran always called Massimo ‘Max’, then began to call him ‘khon dii’ or ‘tii rak’ in private when dating, sticking to ‘Max’ when they were in public

- Massimo was extremely fearful when meeting Satya as he was scared she would see him the same way the rest Vishkar scholars do; he was proven wrong and the two hit it off rather quickly

- Massimo kept Niran’s first biolight lotus he ever created, as Niran had given it to him as a gift for their first year anniversary, then integrating it into his new arm by pacing it into his shoulder and connecting wires to it, giving him a soothing and helpful healing pulse; Niran kept one of Massimo’s shirts, which the man had forgotten in Niran’s room when he left, sowing it to a medium-sized pink teddy bear Massimo had given him on their first year anniversary, then consistently sleeping with it at night or keeping it on his desk while he worked

- Neither Massimo nor Niran knew of each other’s whereabouts when they two separated, having no method of keeping contact as well as having very little time

- Their first kiss was with one another, during Massimo’s music club; neither of them mentioned it again before they began dating

- Massimo is gay, being openly so especially in his music

- Massimo is 1.83m/6ft, being said to be shorter than Cassidy, Baptiste and Niran but taller than Satya

- Massimo’s songs are very different genres; romantic, angst, rock, hard rock, pop, EDM

- Massimo’s music has its own app; the songs became so vast and numerous that Sofia chose to move the man’s music to a free app for all to install, as well as having accommodations for those who require them

- Sofia’s age is never specifically mentioned, but she is referred as ‘the older woman’, implying that she is, at minimum, 5-7 years older than Massimo

- The only ones who know of Massimo’s double life are Niran, Satya, Baptiste; Sofia knows as well, but she has never spoken on it to anybody, even to Massimo who suspects nothing

- Massimo has always worked solo, residing in the Base Di Difesa Italiana as a place to live as Pietra, never having sent out any other soldiers during the omnic war; Overwatch is the first time the man has worked in a team

- Massimo is always kind and friendly to his fans, even to paparazzi, to which Sofia disagrees with, but she knows the man is too kind to tell them off; whenever Massimo needs to tell the paparazzi off, he can’t help but feel guilty

- Massimo has always refused to have a bodyguard around him, even if he was strongly recommended it

- Sofia has always been Massimo’s manager and boss ever since the man began to get famous at a young age, wanting to work with Massimo instead of having Massimo work for him; she is the closest to a mother figure Massimo has in his life ever since his mother departed, having unintentionally called her ‘mà’, the shortened version of ‘mamma’, some times when he was younger

- Silvio has never been to one of Massimo’s concerts and refuses to listen to his music, preferring on having no radio or phone rather than listening to his son’s ’screechy and annoying voice’

- Sofia has never liked Silvio ever since they met, always doing everything she could to keep him away from Massimo, especially when he would come to her crying and sobbing about him

- Massimo would go with Niran during his travels, not caring those who saw them together and always being careful with PDA

- Massimo would use his wealth to buy things for Niran and Satya whenever they needed, passing them off as gifts as to not make the two feel guilty about ‘spending his money’

- Massimo was never really aware of the true extent of his wealth ever since he became 16, when Sofia agreed to show and explain the sum of his wealth to the boy as he became mature enough to understand the true and proper concept of money; even after this occurred, Massimo’s attitude toward his fortunes never changed, always using and asking for his money when he needed to buy something for himself or for others, but Sofia would sometimes give him her own money without him knowing

- It’s never really explained how much Massimo’s wealth truly runs, but it is known that his fortunes are ‘three thousand times more than the Pruksamanee family’, which can imply that Massimo could be a billionaire, or even more than that; it is shown that the man does buy extremely expensive things for the purpose of it serving those close to him and not only himself as the man is only selfish with his money when spending it for the basic expenses someone needs to live

- Even though Niran and Massimo dated when they were young, the two truly loved and cared for each other, finally understanding it one year in their relationship; the two never stopped loving one another, despite the fact that they were separated

- In game, Pietra and Lifeweaver have some matching skins; this is seen with their matching skin ‘Anubis & Anput’

- It is a known fact that Massimo knows a vast array of languages; it is known that he knows Italian, English, Thai, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, Korean fluently, as well as working on leaning Russian, Haitian Creole, Dutch, German when he has his free time

Wow, it has been a while since I posted anything on here!

Just remembered that character Wiki pages are a thing and decided to make one of Pietra!

This is not fully finished; it will be updated as chapters get added and as we all get to know the character together!

Hopefully you enjoyed this, even if it was long!

Excited to see more about him? Stay tuned from more!

[analviel]

I just had a headcanon too fucking painful for me.

What if Xanxus' relationship with his brothers was very similar to Damian's relationship to his brothers. Very similar as in a dash of fanon over canon because there's no murder attempts.

In that Enrico semi-adopted him after he arrived, he had a similar temperament to Massimo, and grew a rivalry to Federico.

Respected all of them and strived to support Enrico (the heir) in his future as the Vongola Decimo. Massimo (young 2) is slated to inherit CEDEF, removed from direct influence of Vongola but still a branch and backs them up, Federico (the favoured) is an R&D type of guy very invested in furthering reasearch in Flames and bit of a fingers in all pie but not the face of Vongola, and Xanxus decided he was going to be the assassin.

Then his big brother died and then he discovered their father was lying all this time about him being his son (after being made to build his entire worth and personality and relationships on that) and he has a fucking meltdown, a mistake that causes him almost a decade. Frozen and detained by his distant apparently not-Father supposedly well-fucking-intentioned. And when he wakes up, his two other brothers are also dead. The conflict of thinking he was never their brother in the first place and didn't deserve to grieve them and the fact that he never had the chance to was his own fault, and maybe if he hadn't then he could've been there to do something, and then seeing someone just taking the mantle - and that someone was some no good brat that spit on the memories of everything being Vongola Decimo meant to another person that never got the chance.

He hated his not-Father, hated his brothers for leaving him and if they died painfully then even fucking better because they deserved it but not, he deserved a piece of the past and he hated the brat's existence that would wash away all of that and relegate the story of four brothers to nothing in the grand scheme of things.

[miraruinada]

Some tidbits on Iovan Gaspar Herrera (Massimo Stellar):

A lot of her life was obfuscated, given that she only wrote two books and was overshadowed by her contemporaries in the young farmers.

This called into question many facets of herself in reality; whether her real name is Iovan, whether she wrote under more pseudonyms that just the few known, whether she actually was a member of the Young Farmers, even her gender is debated, the popular consensus that she was a man due to her masculine name.

Some historians even speculated that Massimo Stellar was actually a character invented by Anacaona Hosa to critique the Young Farmers. Though this is considered outlandish since many of the Young Farmers wrote about her to some capacity.

While she wrote 'Proprietor and Property' and 'Stellar's Critics' as Massimo Stellar, she also wrote under the pseudonyms Joana del Arco (Joan of Arc), Exalted Soothsayer, Prima Lengua (First Tongue), and Lujuria Lujo (Lust Luxury).

'Proprietor and Property' is an extremely short book by her contemporaries' standards, but it still managed to become one of the most contentious and controversial books for its rejection of everything that the Young Farmers held, calling them victim to new phantasms in their rejection of older phantasms.

She became the closest friend to Anacaona Hosa and kept writing to her in her home of Ortiz, sometimes Anacaona would go visit her since Massimo never wanted to leave her hometown.

She started a failed milk delivery service and lost all the inheritance that her wife, Marie Antoinette III (Marie Antoinette's granddaughter), had. This led to their divorce.

If you were to tie her fashion sense and personality into a single modern subculture, she would be a gyaru.

[storyweaverstalespinners]

"So, why do ya 'ave suc' a 'ard on t' nail Olfynn t' a wall, 'ey?"

The rest of the armour wearing men and women around the table choked on their ales and lagers as the built, dagger-earred woman slid onto the bench after asking the question.

The woman sipped from her tankard of dark mead as she ignored the rest as they struggled to clear their throats or wipe off their split drinks. She focused on the young-ish man in the corner, his arms folded as he looked over with a raised eyebrow.

"Not in the way you're making it sound, Dhran," he grumbled, a little colour rising to his cheeks.

"Oooh," she cooed, leaning forward, her chest pressed against the tabletop, and hand folded under her cheek. "And what way is that, Kastle?"

A fist slammed on the tabletop, making everything upon it leap a couple of inches off of its surface. Including the woman's upper half.

"For Dremmel's sakes, Elf! Does everything revolve around rutting for you!?"

A broad, stout warrior spluttered as he stood, covered in bands of dark-coloured metal from chin down to his toes.

"Oh, it's not everything, Halfling," she drawled, her eyelashes fluttering playfully at him as she dragged a finger across her lower lip. "But, it does make life so much more worthwhile."

The elven woman giggled as the halfling warrior glowered sullenly. The rest tried to subtly shift away as the young man stood up, arms raised in supplication.

"If I tell you the reasons, you'll stop egging Massimo. Deal?"

The elven woman straightened and put a hand on her chest, appearing hurt but yet sounded insincere as she said, "Me? Egging Massimo? No, never, really?"

The rest groaned as both the halfling and the young man rolled their eyes.

"Dhran."

The elf sipped from her tankard as she waved her hand dismissively at the young man. The rest shifted in their seats as Massimo sat back down with a loud harumph. The young man didn't sit back down.

Instead, he leaned against the stucco wall, a leg bent and resting on the bench. He closed his eyes, took a breath, inhaling deeply and exhaling with a loud sigh. He began without opening his eyes, "You may think I'm crazy, but several master sorcerors and archmagi have verified that what I'm about to say is true."

He opened his eyes.

"Olfynn and I. You don't know her. But we've known each other over many centuries, through many different lives. We keep repeating this cycle. Drawn like lodestones to each other, regardless of the distance. And no matter what we do, we're doomed to kill each other."

"Yes, we remember our past lives. Every single one. So, we spend our entire lives searching for each other only to somehow kill each other."

He sighs.

"But in our last life together, she betrayed me. Despite us trying to end the cycle as man and wife. She literally stabbed me in the back and shoved me off a cliff as our home burned to the ground with our children and friends still within."

He opened his eyes, rage smouldering in their depths.

"So, yes, I want to nail her corpse to the wall. I'm done trying to end this endless cycle."

Silence reigned as the young man slumped down on the bench. The rest looked at each other with uncertainty.

The silence was broken by a loud fit of laughter and the sound of a hand rapidly slapping the table's stone top.

"Didn't t'ink ya were int' necrophilia, Kastle!"

A loud, collective groan met the elf's cackling and the halfling's roars as the tavern's door slowly swung shut on the chaotic scene.

yeah you wouldnt know her i knew her in a past life and we're doomed to always kill each other lol its a whole thing

[loosealcina]

NINO ROTA'S IL CAPPELLO DI PAGLIA DI FIRENZE AT LA SCALA, SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Out there in everyday life, if you consider an ordinary chat over some hot (or cold) beverage, just about any occurrence of «Nino Rota» will be either preceded or closely followed (a matter of seconds at most, like lightning and thunder) by «Federico Fellini». It’s sort of inescapable, and it’s somewhat obtrusive as well. This time around, I’ll simply pretend I’ve never heard a thing about La dolce vita and 8½ (other than reporting their respective YOBs: 1960 and 1963—sorry, I had to). Il cappello di paglia di Firenze (first presented in Palermo [Teatro Massimo] in 1955) can be described as a spirited Parisian merry-go-round ignited, fueled, and finally shut down by a supremely elusive straw hat decorated with red flowers. Its libretto is based upon a Comédie-Française classic that dates back to 1851: Un chapeau de paille d'Italie by Eugène Labiche and Marc-Michel. I’d say this last pretty neutral piece of information might very well encompass/spotlight the veritable core of the night. In fact, everything in this production seemed to be specifically designed to emphasize that we’re essentially seeing a work of spoken theater. Music has been added as a polite backdrop/enhancer, that’s all. Mario Acampa’s staging was focused on energetic colors, vintage skits, and harmless fun. Its forte was letting all the actors/singers show off their comedic talents, and have a good time on top of that.

As the label Progetto Accademia signals, this Cappello di paglia di Firenze as a whole was devised and brought into reality within the Accademia Teatro alla Scala; the peculiar qualities you’d associate with those circumstances—exuberance, joy, curiosity…—seemed to really fit with the roundabout routes of the narrative. The young orchestra conducted by Donato Renzetti was lively and crisp, but the steadiness/uniformity of their performance—especially in terms of volume and rhythm—made me think of the flat surface of a comic strip. On the other hand, there were two voices I was greatly impressed with. While Désirée Giove—on a one-opera loan from the Academy of Teatro di San Carlo (Naples)—displayed a mellow, dusky yet beautifully nuanced timbre in the role of Anaide (wife of the jealous Beaupertuis, and owner of the straw hat whose accidental wrecking effectively kicks off the action), Laura Lolita Perešivana—currently enrolled in the Accademia Teatro alla Scala—was almost paradoxical as Elena (the bride): her magnificent, effortlessly dominant singing style did contrast big time with the playfully modest/unpretentious nature of her character. I wouldn’t mind listening to them again soon; something involving Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Richard Strauss maybe? (Just two random names off the top of my head).

[lamilanomagazine]

Pistoia: Cinema sotto le stelle, i film nel mese di agosto

Pistoia: Cinema sotto le stelle, i film nel mese di agosto. Il programma è a cura di Mabuse Cinema in collaborazione con il Comune di Pistoia. Gli spettacoli avranno inizio alle 21.20 al costo di 6 euro (biglietto intero) o 5 euro (ridotto per bambini da 3 a 14 anni, adulti sopra i 65 anni). E' possibile abbonarsi con 5 ingressi a 25 euro e 10 ingressi a 45 euro. Per quanto riguarda la sezione dei film "Cinema revolution" - CR (pellicole italiane ed europee) il biglietto costa 3,50 euro. Di seguito i film in programma dal 1° al 31 agosto. Martedì 1° agosto Guardiani della Galassia vol.3 (Usa, 2023; 150') di James Gunn, con Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista. Mercoledì 2 agosto Ritorno a Seoul (Francia-Cambogia, 2022; 117') di Davy Chou, con Ji-min Park, Kwang-rok Oh. Giovedì 3 agosto Il piacere è tutto mio (Gbr, 2022; 97') di Sophie Hyde, con Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack. Venerdì 4 agosto The Whale (Usa, 2022; 117') di Darren Aronofsky, con Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau. Sabato 5 agosto Le otto montagne (Italia-Francia-Belgio, 2022; 147') di Felix Van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch. con Luca Marinelli, Alessandro Borghi, Filippo Timi. Domenica 6 agosto La quattordicesima domenica del tempo ordinario (Italia, 2023; 98') di Pupi Avati, con Gabriele Lavia, Edwige Fenech, Massimo Lopez. Lunedì 7 agosto Emily (Gran Bretagna, 2022; 130') di Frances O'Connor, con Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Fionn Whitehead. Martedì 8 agosto Spider-man – Across the Spider-Verse (Usa, 2023; 140') di Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson. Animazione Mercoledì 9 agosto Animali selvatici (Romania, 2022; 125') di Cristian Mungiu, con Marin Grigore, Judith State. Giovedì 10 agosto La stranezza (Italia, 2022; 103') di Roberto Andò, con Toni Servillo, Salvo Ficarra, Valentino Picone. Venerdì 11 agosto Everything everywhere all at once (Usa, 2022; 139') di Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, con Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan. Sabato 12 agosto Rapito (Italia, 2023; 134') di Marco Bellocchio, con Enea Sala, Leonardo Maltese, Paolo Pierobon. Domenica 13 agosto L'ultima notte di Amore (Italia, 2023; 120') di Andrea Di Stefano, con Pierfrancesco Favino, Linda Caridi, Antonio Gerardi, Francesco Di Leva. Lunedì 14 agosto I peggiori giorni (Italia, 2023; 116') di Massimiliano Bruno, Edoardo Leo, con Antonella Attili, Claudia Gerini, Edoardo Leo, Ricky Memphis. Martedì 15 agosto Indiana Jones e il Quadrante del Destino (Usa, 2023; 142') di James Mangold, con Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen. Mercoledì 16 agosto Una relazione passeggera (Francia, 2022; 100') di Emmanuel Mouret, con Sandrine Kiberlain, Vincent Macaigne. Giovedì 17 agosto Stranizza d'amuri (Italia, 2023; 134') di Giuseppe Fiorello, con Gabriele Pizzurro, Samuele Segreto, Fabrizia Sacchi. Venerdì 18 agosto Barbie (Usa, 2023; 114') di Greta Gerwig, con Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling. Sabato 19 agosto Last Film Show – anteprima (India-Francia, 2021; 110') di Pan Nalin, con Bhavin Rabari, Bhavesh Shrimali. Domenica 20 agosto Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Parte Uno (Usa, 2023; 163') di Christopher McQuarrie, con Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames. Lunedì 21 agosto Il corsetto dell'imperatrice (Austria-Francia, 2022; 105') di Marie Kreutzer, con Vicky Krieps, Florian Teichtmeister. Martedì 22 agosto Super Mario Bros (Usa, 2023; 92') di Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, con Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day. Mercoledì 23 agosto Forever Young (Francia-Italia, 2022; 126') di Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, con Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Sofiane Bennacer, Louis Garrel (vietato ai minori di 14 anni). Giovedì 24 agosto Le otto montagne (Italia-Francia-Belgio, 2022; 147') di Felix Van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch. con Luca Marinelli, Alessandro Borghi, Filippo Timi. Venerdì 25 agosto Jeanne du Barry – La favorita del re – anteprima (Francia, 2023; 116') di Maïwenn, con Maïwenn, Johnny Depp. Sabato 26 agosto Il Sol dell'Avvenire (Italia, 2023; 95') di Nanni Moretti, con Nanni Moretti, Margherita Buy, Silvio Orlando. Domenica 27 agosto Barbie (Usa, 2023; 114') di Greta Gerwig, con Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling. Lunedì 28 agosto Decision to leave (Corea del Sud, 2022; 138') di Park Chan-wook, con Hae-il Park, Wei Tang. Martedì 29 agosto La sirenetta (Usa, 2023; 135') di Rob Marshall. Animazione Mercoledì 30 agosto Delta (Italia, 2022; 105') di Michele Vannucci, con Alessandro Borghi, Luigi Lo Cascio. Giovedì 31 agosto Denti da squalo (Italia, 2023; 104') di Davide Gentile, con Tiziano Menichelli, Stefano Rossi Giordani, Virginia Raffaele, Edoardo Pesce.... #notizie #news #breakingnews #cronaca #politica #eventi #sport #moda Read the full article

[elizabeaufort]

✘ ╱ margot robbie + female + she/her ╾ better keep an eye on NIKITA BELOVA whenever they are around. Some say the TWENTY-EIGHT year old made their name by being a(n) ASSOCIATE for THE CONTROL. Feared by their MOODY + ALOOF tendencies, however, their OPEN MIND + ADVENTUROUS side helps maintain the facade. Can be easily found in THE LEVINE HOTEL working as OWNER. ( ooc allie + 29 + she/her + gmt )

Full Name: Nikita Irina Belova

Nickname: Nikki

Age/Date Of Birth: 2nd, July  

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Gender: female (she/her)

Place of Birth: Moscow, RU

Current Location: The Levine Hotel

Sexual Orientations: Heteresexual (lil bi-curious idk)

Occupation: Heir

FAMILY

Parents:  Ivan Aleksei Belov (alive), Dasha Belova (deceased)

Children: Aleksander (Sasha).

Status: Divorced.

Tw: child abuse, death, betrayal, pregnancy, drugs, age gap

Nikita was born in Moscow, RU. Unfortunately, the day she breathed for the first time was the day her mother passed away. Since that day, life had been tough for her. Ivan Aleksei Belov had very difficulty raising his daughter, mostly because she was a reminder of the last day he saw his wife which he loved dearly, it was safe to say he died a little on that day too.

This is when everything starts, he wasn't really a good father to Nikita, always getting himself in trouble and abusing her. The more she grows the more she looked like his deceased wife, and the more he avoided looking at her. She starts to do odd jobs since he always comes home drunk or high, using his money for gambling or else. She passed through some difficulties at home, sometimes she had nothing to eat for days, and also trying to care for her father.

One day appeared to Ivan an opportunity for a better life in America, but of course, he moved with Nikita to there. Little by little, he started to grow there, and the income comes from his illegal business and gambling. In spite of whatever it was Ivan was doing, Nikita continued studying and graduating promising herself she would whatever it is to work on her own business, without being affiliated with her own father.

But the best part was when she met Massimo. She never fell so hard on someone like him, he was somebody that captivated her heart, although she is a bit young than him, she was mature enough from everything she had been through in life. Eventually, they quickly got married. All the good things have come to an end... Nikita found out her husband betrayed her after 4.5 years of marriage. On this day, she also received the news that her father died, and she has forced to pay her father's debts by joining The Control, she never really wanted to join in any kind of this thing it was this or her life was in danger.

Soon she assumed the role of Ivan's work by being the new owner of the hotel and living there and now divorced. Ivan's body never was found, but one year later he appeared and confessed his death was fake because he wanted her to be part of the gang (and he knew she would never join them, considering how hard she was trying to have a normal life).  And to complete her life, there is one time she met with her ex husband Massimo by chance after the divorce, in which resulted in a pregnancy. Now she is living her of a single parent and managing the hotel.

[anongalactic]

@carryingstarlightinherwake thank u for wonderful additions to this post!!? this part in particular sprouted some more thoughts so I'm gonna use this as a jumping off point. This does start delving into spoiler territory, so i highly recommend you and anyone reading this to read PHF if you haven't yet! It's an amazing read and I'd love to see more indepth conversation about it.

Something i don't think people who haven't read PHF don't know about is that one major part of the novel is pointing out Giorno for his hypocrisy, as well as his less than stellar morality. It's something I've seen no posts about when it comes to PHF discussions, and I think looking at the last few of these highlighted tags does a great job at showing that. Ofc I wouldn't expect people who haven't read the book to know what happens in it, but this is also something I see people who HAVE read the book seemingly never bring up either!

Giorno, realistically, would not have let Bruno or anyone retire from their duties. He would not have put Trish's well being as a priority, and him being involved in her life at all even in an ideal "everyone lives AU" would still be a huge problem. In the text there are numerous moments comparing Giorno to Diavolo, particularly in reference to his conduct as Don and his actions during Part 5 to reach that position. There's a passage very early on that talks about how Giorno's rise to power is nearly identical to what Diavolo did, targetting one specific issue to gain trust and slowly gain his authority. My particular favorite passage talks about how Giorno makes no efforts to refute Diavolo's actions,that the leading rumor amongst the ranks is that Giorno has been don the whole time. They think the reason The Boss ™ hid his identity is because of Giorno being so young. That no one has noticed any significant changes within Passione's functions aside from it just getting insanely more powerful.

It's also revealed towards the end that the Speedwagon Foundation has been working with Giorno solely to keep an eye on him, especially once Massimo's plans with the stone mask are uncovered. They dont trust him, no one does. Ultimately, Giorno's motivations fall perfectly in line as a combination of his fathers, Jonathan's "everything for the greater good" + Dio's "attain power at all costs" attitude = Giorno's "I must attain power at all costs because it's for the greater good." Giorno believes in the ends justify the means, that no matter who has to die for his golden dream then it will be noble and worth it.

All this aside, the original point im trying to make here is that Giorno truly doesn't have as much compassion for his former teammates as some would like to think. I think the most telling thing i could share here is this excerpt from the very beginning of the book.

Fugo has been dragged into a stadium and held at gunpoint by Mista, on Giorno's orders, to give him one chance to redeem himself. The issue is not that he betrayed Passione, it's that by leaving that day he betrayed Giorno. Mista even taunts him at the beginning, claiming he's trying to see if he'll snap so he can just kill him then and there. Fugo is wanted either loyal to Giorno, or dead. Fugo is the final loose thread, and either he'll conform or he'll be cut-off. I think thats pretty on the nose about how Giorno treats his former teammates.

Shoutout to Trish for getting the fuck away from Passione IMMEDIATELY in PHF. She was arguably the most victimized by what happened and she said "Fuck this I'm out!" Cut contact with everyone and finally got to live her life away from that endless cycle of violence and abuse. Which makes me even more frustrated when I see posts about her interacting with members of the gang afterwards, cause its always her being super outright friendly to them. It just feels so out of character! Let her be angry! Let her be resentful! Hell, just let her be awkward and unsure, let there be tension there. It doesn't matter that Bruno's gang protected her when really the only ones who were actually invested in her directly (no ulterior motives, Giorno im lookin at you) are gone. PHF does an amazing job at pointing out the flaws in every character, but the only one who doesn't have anything to criticize IS Trish. She can finally live her life freely, and the farther away she is from the gang the better. Let her have that closure, let her be free.

[nasirsagron]

And when we send Massimo Ranieri to Eurovision then what

[klowns-oc-sthuff]

⚠️ Trigger Warning ⚠️ - Abusive Father, Self-Amputation.

‘I wasn’t as smart as my father, but that didn’t mean that I was nothing…

…Right?…

With posters of my image around the world, radios and apps filled with my voice… any father would be proud of their son for becoming so famous, so adored, at such a young age…

But my father? Of course not…’

“Papà, I don’t approve of this…” The Italian teen says with worry in his tone, crossing his arms as his blue eyes gaze at his overworked father

“Since when have I ever asked for your opinion, Massimo?” The father says, slamming his hand against the lab counter, causing Massimo to flinch lightly.

Swallowing, the young Italian takes a hesitant step toward his father “That arm, that mech… it’s a weapon that needs somebody with determination as it’s owner… not somebody-“

“Like you.” The father cuts Massimo off, his own black eyes showing nothing but coldness.

Massimo freezes, his black eyes widening with sadness and shock, his tone faltering “L-like me? I-I built my music career from nothing but-“

“But your own laziness to do nothing but sit in a chair and screech that annoying voice of yours!”

The cold eyes of his own father, the harsh and untrue words coming from that cold and vile man sent Massimo to tears.

The teen scoffs shakily, trying to search for words to defend himself, but his father’s cold and uncaring eyes give him more reason to run off in tears.

‘My father’s new invention made a hit in the engineering world, so much so that Vishkar Corporations contacted him, telling him that they saved a spot in the higher-ups for my father.

Being a teen at the time I was forced to follow him, even if I cared nothing for Vishkar and their views… I just kept making my music, kept my image the same, kept my identity… even if I became an outcast…

Just like him… only he made everything better…’

“If word got out, our families would leave us, Max…” The young Thai inventor says, his tone worried yet loving, his white hair draping over his shoulders as he wraps his arms around the singer, burying his face in his stomach.

Massimo chuckles softly, moving one hand to his partner’s hair and gently brushing it in his fingers, his tone calm and loving, despite the painful words “When has anyone truly been here for us, Bua?”

Niran peaks up at Massimo, a light frown on his lips from the truth of those words.

Sighing, the Thai inventor shifts to sit on the Italian singer’s lap, wrapping his arms around Massimo’s neck and leaning his forehead against his, his hazel eyes looking into Massimo’s blue eyes with the same sad glint “I’m here for you… don’t forget that, Max…” Niran says, his sincere tone above a whisper.

Massimo chuckles lightly, placing his hand on Niran’s cheek with a light smile, his thumb caressing his soft skin “I couldn’t be more grateful for that, amore mio…”

‘I knew that the owner of my father’s invention was going to be no less of a brainless puppet and much to my disappointment, I was right.

The guy had no care for the responsibility that came with the mech, all he cared about was how many people fawned over him, all the fame he got just because “He was so brave to step up”.

I knew that, when the time came, he would run off like the coward he is.

I knew Italy wouldn't be safe with him.

I knew the people would all die with him as our ‘protector’.

I knew I had to make a change to this, but I also knew my cold father wouldn't listen to me.

So, I did something… frankly, something stupid, but it was the only solution…

I could feel the blood stopping. I could feel the coldness settling in.

I could feel my arm dying.’

Massimo’s painful scream cuts Niran out of his casual stroll in the hallways, dropping his device to the floor and whipping his head toward the lab doors with wide worried eyes “Max?!” He shouts, his heart beating in his throat as he runs towards the lab’s opened doors.

His stomach dropped at the sight; Massimo crouched down, holding his left forearm now turned blue, tears in his eyes with a pained frown.

“What happened?!” Niran raises his worried voice unintentionally, rushing toward his lover and crouching down beside him, looking down at his blue forearm with the same wide eyes “I’m sorry! It’s the only way!” Massimo’s pained and shaky words make Niran’s breath get caught in his throat, yet his movements didn’t falter, albeit a bit shaky.

Reaching his right hand to the nearby cabinet, Niran opens it, grabbing a syringe and taking its cap off, ready to inject it into Massimo’s arm; he hoped it wasn’t too late to save his beloved’s forearm.

Massimo’s right hand wraps around Niran’s wrist, shakily pushing the antidote away

“I can save the arm! Just-“ Niran says with a shaky tone, his glazed eyes confused amongst the sadness, looking at Massimo.

“No! Let it die! Please!” Massimo screams, tears pouring down his blue eyes.

Niran froze; what was he to do now? He knows his lover too well to know there’s no debating, too well to know he can’t force him.

Too well to know he won’t listen.

‘I knew my plan would work.

My father is too much of a proud man to let me live without my left forearm. I knew that he wouldn't hesitate to give me his invention, despite me being “lazy and stupid”.

That’s exactly what he did; with no hesitation he gave the mech to me and kicked the guy to the curb.

I knew my father would treat me the same way he always did, and I was sick of him and his ways.

He was no dad… he was barely a father.

So, I left…

I left my father, I left Vishkar and its fake, holographic life; I never felt better.

But, I had to leave behind what I loved as well; no more live shows, no more meet-ups with fans, no more performances, no more music…

And my love… who parted ways with me…

Who I parted ways with, as well…

How I miss him…’

“I-I can’t lose you…” Niran’s breaking voice is above a whisper, a frown on his tear stained face; a frown that looks so misplaced, a frown that Massimo hates to see.

Placing a gentle and loving kiss on Niran’s lips, Massimo sighs shakily as he pulls away, his blue eyes glazed as they peer at him “I can’t lose you either…”

“Then let me come with you. I’ll help you defend Italy… just please, I can’t say goodbye…” Niran responds, leaning his forehead against Massimo’s, his teary hazel eyes glued to Massimo’s glazed blue eyes “No, you know you can't…” The Italian man says with sorrow, his tone shaky as he speaks “With your biolight… Arcology needs you. The world needs it… and you with it…” He continues, his glazed eyes now pouring down the tears he so hard tried to hold back.

Niran swallows the lump in his throat, sniffling “Just like Italy needs Pietra…” He says in the same hushed, broken manner.

The two lovers keep their gazes into eachother’s teary eyes; they both knew this was their goodbye.

“In another life, amore mio…” Massimo says, breaking away from Niran with a forced smile.

Reaching his mechanical hand to his white horned mask with blacked out eyes, Massimo places the mask on his face, stealing one final glance to his adored one before activating his mech by raising his mechanical arm to the sky.

Niran stood there, looking at his beloved with a broken heart as he zoomed away in his mech; this wasn’t how things were supposed to go…

‘With my newfound weapon, mask and name I traveled back to Italy with the determination to fight for her.

The war was difficult, but I knew I made the right choice, because in the end, the smiles of my people are what warms my heart, bringing an unseeable smile on my face.

But I also know that despite Italy being safe now, the world still needs help…

With a weapon like mine, it would be a waste to go back to being Massimo forever…

But sometimes I can’t help but wonder what could have been… of us.

What if we would have never parted ways, 13 years ago?

But dwelling on what could have been only brings tears to my eyes; tears that I know that he would hate to see…

What other choice do I have than to push forward?’

Here it is! His origin story!

I spent way too much time on this! Hopefully, you enjoyed it!

Once again, questions are welcomed!

Stay tuned for upcoming content for Pietra!

[canzonidimassimoranieri]

[thebadboyfanclub]

Fire and Water (Massimo x Reader) Pt.1

So I told you guys I want to start a series and honestly as soon as I started I couldn't stop so I really hope you like it cause I have so many ideas for this. Please let me know if you liked it!

-

"This is the second time they were able to get to us"

Marios voice was stern, cold, angry some would say. Massimo leaned further back to his leather chair, his left hand reaching up to his temples so his fingers can gently rub in order to give some relief to this mild migraine. 

After Laura's safe return his enemies were testing him, they found his Achilles heel and they would not stop unless one of them died.

"Why don't you ask for her, the (y/l/n) family-"

"They won't agree, she will not approve it" the last sentence was barely above a whisper. Massimo was in much need of an alliance, however he was smart enough to know that asking the (y/l/n) to protect his wife was disrespectful to say the least, he couldn't possibly do that to her.

"Let's just try, if they find out we have that type of protection they will retreat… let me talk to her"

Mario loved (y/n), how could he not? He was there for her birth, baptism, birthdays and any type of celebration. Her father- god rest his soul- was good friends with Massimo's dad, she was the second child but she was the smartest, sure her brother was the muscle but she was the brains, her gaze was as sharp as a knife, the determination she had was written all over her face ever since she was a toddler.

Massimo huffed, questions racing through his brain, if Mario got through her then that would mean two things, one is that his problems will be over, second is that he will have to come face to face with her and that made his blood run cold.

"Fine, make the arrangements for your trip to Albania, leave today if you can"

"Already done, I fly in an hour"

Massimo smiled. Of course Mario knew Massimo would agree, at least he let him have the illusion of choosing which Massimo was grateful for.

"Let me know how it goes"

-

A knock interrupted (y/n)'s train of thought, she didn't bother to raise her gaze from the papers scattered across the well polished wooden desk.

"Come in"

She spoke as she flipped through another page, she insisted on reading every single piece of paper for everything, finances, real estate, payments, whatever was written down had to be approved and signed by her and only her. Her secretary entered the room and made sure to close the door behind her.

"Mario is here to see you, says it's urgent"

"Mario? As in Mario from Italy? My dad's friend?"

The girl nodded, it was maybe the first time her boss looked surprised. (Y/n) let her pen down gently and spun her chair around, facing away from the door.

"Take him to the garden, take care of him for me until I come down"

"Right away miss (y/n)"

As the door shut (y/n) took in a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly. He wasn't hurt, the news would have reached her by now if he was harmed, Mario came alone so most likely it has something to do with business. So many possibilities of this unexpected visit came to her head, although she knew there was only one way to find out. She let out her breath slowly and got up for her seat and before she touched the golden handle she fixed her pastel pink button up silk shirt. As she walked towards the garden she felt like the belt from her pencil skirt tightened more and more.

"Mario, what a surprise"

"Gioia! Let me take a look at you"

Mario held her hands and stretched his in order to observe her. She was always beautiful but she was a woman now, it had been almost 7 years since he saw her, she was not the little girl full of happiness and ambition anymore, she was a delicate lady.

"My goodness you have grown such graciously"

"I can say the same about you nonnino"

She started calling him grandpa at a very young age, she never met her grandpa from her dad's side, so in her young mind she thought that he was it, she would see him only a few times and he would always bring sweets and gifts just like her other grandpa so he must be one as well.

"Oh say that to my squeaky back, come here"

He said as he hugged her tightly. (Y/n) hugged back with the same energy, she adored him a lot and seeing him after such a long time felt so comforting. Mario rubbed her back before he leaned a bit towards her ear.

"I'm really sorry gioia, I should have been here for the funeral"

"It's okay, I understand"

She said before she pulled away. Her father passed away about 4 years ago, of course someone had hired a hitman to take him out. At first she didn't think anything of it, he had been shot before she was almost certain that he was going to be fine. Unfortunately she was wrong.

"Come on, let's go for a walk, it's such a beautiful day today"

She told him as she lead the way, her heels clicking against the shiny white marble floor, her father had made sure their house had a big garden, her mother almost demanded it since she grew up on the countryside, in order to please his wife her father looked through so many houses before he bought this one.

"How's business"

"Excellent I must say, we finally made a deal with the Serbians. You know how difficult it was due to the politics of our countries"

Mario nodded and they stayed silent for a few more moments before (y/n) stopped to lean on the balcony and face him.

"But I know you are not here to just see me and apologize"

"Massimo send me"

"I figured that much, why?"

"We figured that maybe it's time-"

"For me to help him? He got attacked two times in one month"

She started to get defensive, word gets around in this type of business and Massimo now looked weak and vulnerable, she was expecting him to try and seek for help yet she did not think he would come to help.

"You know how much he respects you"

"Really? Then why isn't he the one that's here? Like a man"

She crossed her arms in front of her torso and looked straight into Marios eyes. Mario knew that this was a delicate subject so he had to dance around on thin ice with her, it wasn't just business between her and Massimo, it never was.

"You know him (y/n), he was too ashamed to come here"

"But he wasn't ashamed to send someone? Let's forget this for a moment, what will I gain from helping you?"

"The torricelli family has been friends with your family before you were even born"

"Exactly, so imagine my shock after none of you showed up for my father's funeral, Lorik is probably tossing and turning on his grave as we speak"

She stood up straight and uncrossed her arms in order to express more emotion with the motions of her hands.

Mario took in a breath before he smiled at her once more.

"He fucked up, you are hurt and you have every right to do so, trust me he didn't get away so easily from skipping such an important thing. Do this for the sake of his father, for my sake"

"I'm sorry Mario, but I can't keep running whenever Massimo needs it"

(Y/n) started to walk away from Mario as she was desperately trying to control her emotions with all her strength. The nerve of this man to come and ask her for help, after everything that happened.

"He might die (y/n), they won't stop until he is out of the picture"

She stopped dead in her tracks, if it was humanly possible her heartbeat would be heard around the mansion, the thought of Massimo being six feet under crushed her and Mario knew it.

"That's none of my concern anymore, for me he died 4 years ago along with my father"

Part two

[callmefitz]

fine. fine I did it. luca fic where massimo is trying to be a good parent for his teenage fish son. yes its the painfully awkward i know you’re gay talk. i wrote this at 2 am while projecting so this isn’t shakespeare, just a vibe. set sometime 3-4 years after the film but i think it’s implied enough.

—————————————————-

Alberto ran up the stairs, threw open the door, dropped his hat on the table and hastily washed his hands at the sink.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said breathlessly, wiping his hands on the front of his shirt, “I got caught up in, uh, well-“

“Showing off?” Massimo offered, turning from his workstation in the kitchen. Alberto laughed nervously and nodded- then paused- and shook his head while looking away.

“Well, I prefer the term ‘sharing with the community’” Alberto offered, before pulling out a large pot and placing it on the stove.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Massimo returned to the cutting the fish, “It’s a nice bike.”

It was a nice bike. Nice enough that the kids in Portorossa frequently begged Alberto to let them sit on it or ride it around the plaza. And who was he to say no? It was the coolest thing he had ever set his eyes on, let alone owned. Of course he let them use it. Alberto had been saving up his tip money from fish delivery all winter to buy it: a shiny, brand-new, red-hot Vesta. Just like the one Erocle used to parade around town on. Giulia and Luca were going to be so excited.

Alberto began pouring cups of water into the pot as he raised the heat, waiting for it to hit a soft boil. “So how much time do we have?”

Massimo glanced out the window facing the countryside, where the distance etchings of train tracks were visible, “About an hour. Luca’s parents will meet us at the station. Then, dinner.”

“An hour. Right. We can work with that,” Alberto said, mainly to himself, as Massimo continued with his fish. They both fell into a steady rhythm, as they stirred and simmered an outrageous amount of food.

While his hands were lost in repetition, Alberto’s mind wandered to Luca. Massimo liked to joke about how Luca never truly left, with all the letters and phone calls sent, but Alberto couldn’t disagree more. Words couldn’t capture the way Luca would say things, like how he yelled when he was excited and talk quickly when he was nervous. And sure, Alberto could read between the lines, and infer things, like how scrunched up words meant Luca was happy or excited and messy letters and wonky lines meant he was tired, but it wasn’t the real thing. And phone calls, while better, were fewer and far inbetween, and couldn’t capture the way Luca would move when talking, whether it was the way he walked or gestured, or the faces he would make and the way he would touch your shoulder or grab your arm to make a point. So no- Luca had truly left, and while Alberto had seen glimpses and pieces throughout the months, he preferred the whole Luca he got during the summer.

One hour. One hour and Alberto wouldn’t have to rely just on letters and voices. It would be just them again, like it was every summer, whether it be sleeping under the stars in Giulia’s hideout, or swimming out to the island to watch the sunsets, or spending afternoons filling up on gelato and playing futbol on the hot pavement. Giulia would be there too, and the trio would finally be complete. Just like how it was that first summer, and just how it was now.

Had Alberto mentioned he was excited?

“The pasta is boiling over,” Massimo provided helpfully, and Alberto was thrust back into reality.

He swore under his breath, moving the pot to another eye and turning the stove off. He sighed and grabbed for a towel to wipe the sides of the pot. Turning his back to Massimo, he began searching for a strainer, but was interrupted.

“Alberto.” Massimo put his knife down and turned slightly. His face was drawn so that his eyes peeked out from under his eyebrows and bore down to Alberto (no matter how tall Alberto got, Massimo was always, well, massive).

“There is something we need to talk about before the train comes in.”

And there it was. Or, rather, there it wasn’t, because those words never came out of Massimo’s mouth. Maybe it was because, despite everything between them, Massimo just wasn’t a big feelings guy. He was a man of few words who would rather hand-paint signs, mend hats, and hand-make pasta than say “I love you.” Not that Alberto cared much, about that, he couldn’t complain honestly, but the point was that Massimo never “had talks”. If something was serious to discuss in private, it was always “Alberto, a word”. Because Massimo was a man of few words. So it was understandable, then, that that string of words elicited panic in Alberto. Because never in a million years, not even when Massimo first asked Alberto to stay with him, did they ever have something they needed to talk about.

Good thing Alberto was good at handling panic. He was basically an expert.

“Yeah, like what?”

He held his elbow out to lean against the counter in a calm manner, but missed and instead landed on the red hot stove eye. All while maintaining a smirk-turned-grimace. Yep. Expert.

That was going to hurt later. A lot.

Massimo looked at Alberto, searching for something in his face, and, upon finding it, sighed, and turned to the window where the train-tracks were. Absentmindedly, he turned the faucet of the sink on, and letting it cool for a moment, held a rag under it. Once it was wet enough, he handed it to Alberto.

“Luca is a... good kid, no?” Massimo led after a moment of contemplation. Alberto took the rag, but his face scrunched up in confusion as he held it to his elbow. Faintly, he felt the familiar tingle of flesh-turning scale as the coolness took the edge from the burn. But the beginnings of a frown was settling on Alberto as he followed Massimo’s gaze to the train tracks.

“Yeah?”

Massimo nodded. “He is very smart. He writes often. He knows fish... but not as well as you do.”

Alberto inched closer to Massimo, “Yeah, he’s pretty cool. One of my best friends but... I think you know that.”

“He is a very good friend,” Massimo said, but something felt strange about the way he said it, “Handsome, too.”

Alberto’s body froze and his face heated up. Before he could say anything contradictory, however, Massimo continued.

“I know the way you two look at each other. Young love. It’s a good thing, especially when it’s between friends who have known each other for so long.” Massimo said slowly, “And if you ever want to take Luca out for some gelato on your Vespa... then I will be very happy for you, Beto. He’s a good kid. Good for you.”

Alberto wasn’t going to lie. He had thought about it, once or twice. In his head it always played out so incredibly natural, that a part of him assumed it would eventually happen. Giulia would be busy, either delivering fish or volunteering for the cup, and he and Luca would be on their own for the day. Maybe they bike to the top of Portorosso, or maybe they went out to the island or climbed a roof to watch the stars. Sometimes it would be just them having dinner together, and something would give- one of them would brush hands with the other, lean in just a little too close and stay there... then... well, it would be just like it to was. But more. And selfishly, maybe if they were more, Luca wouldn’t leave at the end of the season.

But Alberto couldn’t think like that. Luca loved school more than anything. Well, almost anything. He would never want to take that from him.

But Massimo was right. Luca was handsome. Summers in Portorosso had been kind to him, and they’ve both put on some healthy weight and muscle over the years. Even if they hadn’t been friends, Alberto had no doubt he would have been fond of Luca regardless.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon,” Albert said candidly. “But... Thanks. For that. I guess.”

Massimo shrugged. “You’d be surprised. Giulia tells me a lot.”

Impossible scenarios ran through Alberto’s head. The wheels were spinning so fast that smoke was practically spewing from his ears.

“Like what?”

Massimo glanced out the window again, “I guess he’ll just have to tell you when he gets here.”