#�� ❝ The Godfather ❞ ▻ modern au: mafia v.

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"I'll kill him, but how much is it worth to you?" Vital paused, a brow raised and feline-like disposition curling the corners of his mouth in a smirk. "Then halve that and offer me something that isn't just boring money."

How much is it worth to you?

Life was priceless, but it was priceless only if it was his OWN. The lives of others... they were a transaction, a business cycle. A customer while alive, merchandise while dead. Sometimes both at the same time. A tool for Doflamingo to use, exploit, and benefit from, regardless of the cost. Once there was a cost he wasn't willing to pay, a leverage to use against him — a WEAKNESS. Carved from the same flesh as him, and the warmest of blood running through veins. Blood which now stained the earth, had ran deep towards the root of all evil and was powerless against it. The greatest cost had already been paid, painted RED by his own hands, still leaving the faint metallic smell in the air whenever Doflamingo thought of the memory.

Sometimes, he even wanted to relive the memory. The anger, the hatred from someone once so beloved, the CALM which overtook his whole body as he aimed, the pull of the trigger and how easy it felt, its weight after the gunshot, the SILENCE when the last breath left lips. It felt as if he was breaking from the CHAINS and had become limitless, yet later did he realise he only swapped them for new, different ones. The IRONY.

❝ If putting a price tag on something universally considered priceless doesn't clue you in, Vital, I'm disappointed. ❞ Doflamingo was aware he and Vital were cut of the similar cloth. Doflamingo had no morals when it came to others, and he suspected Vital still possessed FRAGMENTS of humanity in him. Whether those fragments were mere masks he wore for the sake of blending in or were Vital's REAL feelings didn't matter. He was, just like many hitmen, ready to be TRUE to himself or DOUBLE-FACED enough to swallow it all down. ❝ Two hundred thousand dollars. ❞ More than enough for the trash he wanted taken out. A clean job, no witnesses and nothing traced back to him. The standard.

Lips quirked up at the counter-offer, seemingly AMUSED. It was a rare occasion to pay LESS than the offered amount, not that Doflamingo would complain. The amount to satisfy the hitman mattered little to him, and so long as he had his price ( EVERYONE did ), Doflamingo would get what he wanted too.

He rose from his chair and made his way to the cabinet with drinks. Doflamingo poured himself whisky, and ONLY for himself. He never served others. Tangy, citrus-like flavour of Macallan slid down his throat, and as he approached Vital, the smirk never left his lips. ❝ Do you believe yourself worthy of something other than money? ❞ Savouring the moment and the taste on his tongue, his smirk was equally devious as it was provoking. ❝ If yes, prove it. ❞

[viperdove-if]

I already know I'm going to be playing Alistair's route. The complexity of his romance from the intro alone is too tempting. I'm such a sucker for the advisor types. :')

I was wondering if you had any media that inspired you while writing this story, whether in plot or vibes. (I'm talking anything from art to music to books)

Complex romance is exactly what I'm aiming for!

Shakespeare is the most obvious one. The 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet was a big one, but also the dark renaissance-era art that I use for my aesthetic was a huge one. It's not exactly what I imagine Viper & Dove to look like, but the melodrama, the morbid/terrible beauty of it all is sort of what I strive toward for V&D. Also, historical c-dramas and k-dramas. The Godfather, Kill Bill was another one! Edgar Allan Poe's works, The Romantic Period, stuff like that.

The vibes I go for lean very historical. IDK I do love mafia works but I kind of didn't want to do anything modern. The idea of feuding familes in ancient times was interesting to me. I don't have a specific time period as V&D takes place in AU but I think it'll make a lot more sense when people read the setting and the depth of technology that they have!

[thatsnotcanonpodcasts]

Dr Stone, Brain Circuits & G2A

Well once again we have an amazing show for your entertainment, DJ brings us news of a new anime series, Buck has news about brain circuits, good and bad decision making, and finally the Professor brings us news about fraud and scams. But first up we wish to just say welcome ad thank you for joining us once again.

Now the new anime series is called Dr Stone, set in a post-apocalyptic world where everyone has been turned into… Statues and society is to be rebuilt using science. So the premise is looking interesting, the promo gives some comedic content to look forward to. It looks like it will be worth checking out for a laugh. We wish to advise that no DJ’s were harmed during the recording of this and he was ok, just a bit stranger than normal. Which in itself is quite remarkable really, but we digress. Dr Stone has 24 episodes at this point and aired from 5th July on Crunchyroll. So, check it out and let us know what you think.

Now, have you ever wondered why people continue to make the same silly decision repeatedly? For example, people repeatedly using harmful drugs, voting once again for moronic politicians, and reality television shows still being watched. Seriously who watches that stuff, can they just stop it please so we can get better content that doesn’t make us want to claw our eyes out! Umm, yes, bad decisions, well a recent study has been conducted and shows support for the hypothesis that three particular regions of the brain are involved. That’s right, it is not just the frontal lobe, it bounces between various sections and is actually quite involved. If one section is not working right then the result is an individual with a predilection for bad choices, like the foolish nut job mumble rappers like lil stump, or is that bump, whatever, no one cares really. This is when Buck starts to get technical with some of his explanation and has to pause to calm down.

Professor tells us that game developers would rather we pirate games from something called file sharing, whatever that is. They urge this be done instead of using G2A due to a constant amount of fraudulent activity causing problems for both consumers and developers alike. That’s right folks, game developers are apparently tired of nasty vermin cheats who are ripping off everyone, this is a very interesting topic that has a number of issues involved and hits at the heart of our gaming recreation. So check it out and see what exactly is happening.

As usual we have the shout outs, remembrances, birthdays and special events of interest for the week. We also wish to say that a surprise mechanism is a trap, and so are loot boxes, so please EA, stop treating us as morons. But other than that, please remember to take care of yourselves, look out for each other and stay hydrated. Also check out the folks at Off with the Fairies and tell them we said hello.

We will return next week at the same Nerd time, on the same Nerd podcast channels, and at the same Nerd place (preferably over a cup of Earl Grey, hot). Catch you next time.

EPISODE NOTES:

Dr Stone anime Series - https://comicbook.com/anime/2019/06/30/dr-stone-anime-tv-promo/

Brain Circuits - https://scitechdaily.com/three-distinct-brain-circuits-lead-us-to-make-bad-and-good-decisions/

G2A piracy - https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-07-02-developers-call-for-players-to-pirate-their-games-rather-than-buy-from-g2a

Games currently playing

Buck

– Mafia 3 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/360430/Mafia_III/

Professor

– Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy - https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/crash-bandicoot-n-sane-trilogy-switch/

DJ – Apex Legends

- https://www.playstation.com/en-au/games/apex-legends-ps4/

Other topics discussed

Mannequin Challenge (viral Internet video trend)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannequin_Challenge

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995 anime series)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion

Mobile Suit Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans (2015 anime series)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam:_Iron-Blooded_Orphans

Tartarus Sunspot

- https://matthewreilly.fandom.com/wiki/Tartarus_Sunspot

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies (Psychology term)

- https://study.com/academy/lesson/self-fulfilling-prophecies-in-psychology-definition-examples.html

The Secret (2006 book)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_%28book%29

Mozart Effect

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_effect

Oprah Winfrey moments

- Oprah shuts down her book club - https://ew.com/article/2002/04/08/oprah-shuts-down-her-book-club/

- Oprah gives everyone a car - https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/how-oprahs-iconic-you-get-a-car-moment-ended-on-a-sour-note/news-story/46646a3fbf54acc210354304c9910490

- Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah’s couch - https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/11-years-ago-tom-cruise-jumped-on-oprahs-couch-lost-his-mind_n_57436ab1e4b0613b512b05ad

You Wouldn’t Steal A Car (Anti-piracy advertisement)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Wouldn%27t_Steal_a_Car

Take Two CEO: Loot Boxes are freedom of speech

- https://segmentnext.com/2019/06/27/take-two-ceo-look-boxes-are-freedom-of-speech/

EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson’s take on loot boxes

- https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2019/06/20/ea-loot-boxes-discussed-by-the-companys-ceo-andrew-wilson/

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014 game)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle-earth:_Shadow_of_Mordor

Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018 game)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyro_Reignited_Trilogy

Mario (Nintendo character)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario

Donkey Kong Country (1994 Super Nintendo game)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Country

Monkey island (adventure game series)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_Island_(series)

Wattson (Apex Legends character)

- https://apexlegends.gamepedia.com/Wattson

Shoutouts

2 Jul 1839 - Slaves aboard a Spanish schooner La Amistad revolt to secure their freedom while being transported from one Cuban port to another - https://www.history.com/news/the-amistad-slave-rebellion-175-years-ago

2 Jul 1900 – LZ-1 (Luftschiff Zeppelin 1) made its maiden flight, the first flight lasted about 18 minutes and covered about 3-1/2 miles over Lake Constance at Friedrichshafen in Southern Germany, not far from the Swiss border. The first flight of LZ-1 was the culmination of years of planning by its creator Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. - https://www.airships.net/zeppelins/

4 Jul 1776 - Independence Day (colloquial: the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776. The Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject to the monarch of Britain and were now united, free, and independent states. The Congress had voted to declare independence two days earlier, on July 2, but it was not declared until July 4. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)

Remembrances

2 Jul 1850 - Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British statesman and Conservative Party politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and twice as Home Secretary. He is regarded as the father of modern British policing by founding of the Metropolitian Police Service leading to a new type of officer known in tribute to him as "bobbies" and "peelers”. He is also reforming and liberalising the criminal law. He died from a horse-riding accident at 62 in Westminster, Middlesex. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Peel

2 Jul 1999 - Mario Gianluigi Puzo, was an Americanauthor,screenwriter and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-Americanmafia, most notably The Godfather, which he later co-adapted into a three-part film saga directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the first film in 1972 and Part II in 1974. Puzo also wrote the original screenplay for the 1978 Superman film. His final novel The Family was released posthumously in 2001. He died of heart failure at 78 in West Bay Shore, New York. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Puzo

2 Jul 2008 - Elizabeth Spriggs, was an English character actress. Sprigg's roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company included Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Gertrude in Hamlet and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. In 1978, she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for Arnold Wesker's Love Letters on Blue Paper. She received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. Her other films included Richard's Things, Impromptu, Paradise Road and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She died at 78 in Oxford, Oxfordshire. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Spriggs

Famous Birthdays

2 Jul 1877 – Hermann Hesse, German-born poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include Demian,Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in Calw, Württemberg - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse

2 Jul 1908 - Thurgood Marshall, American lawyer, serving as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from October 1967 until October 1991. Marshall was the Court's 96th justice and its first African-American justice. Prior to his judicial service, he successfully argued several cases before the Supreme Court, including Brown v. Board of Education which held that racial segregation in public education is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause. He was born in Baltimore,Maryland - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurgood_Marshall

3 Jul 1935 - Harrison Schmitt, American geologist, retired NASA astronaut, university professor, former U.S. senator from New Mexico, and, as a crew member of Apollo 17, the most recent living person to have walked on the Moon. As Apollo 17 was the last of the Apollo missions, he also became the twelfth and second-youngest person to set foot on the Moon, and the second-to-last person to step off of the Moon. Schmitt also remains the first and only professional scientist to have flown beyond low Earth orbit and to have visited the Moon. He was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Schmitt

Events of Interest

2 Jul 1843 - An alligator falls from sky during a thunderstorm in Charleston, South Carolina - https://www.onthisday.com/photos/the-day-an-alligator-fell-from-the-sky

2 Jul 1956 – Elvis records hound dog & Don’t Be Cruel during an exhaustive recording session at RCA studios in New York City - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Be_Cruel

3 Jul 1938 – World speed record for a steam locomotive is set in England, by the Mallard, which reaches a speed of 125.88 miles per hour (202.58 km/h) - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/only-in-britain/mallard-set-world-speed-record/

Intro

Artist – Goblins from Mars

Song Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)

Song Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJ

Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/

Email - Nerds.Amalgamated@gmail.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamated

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrS

iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094

RSS - http://www.thatsnotcanonproductions.com/topshelfnerdspodcast?format=rss

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More Random/Useless Muse Facts

Did they believe in Santa?: Not for a single moment. He questioned the reality of the man’s existence since first hearing about it, and had conducted experiments to prove his theory. When he told his parents what he wanted, he got it. When he kept it a secret, he never got what he truly wanted. Doflamingo didn’t gloat about it, though, as to not take away the joy of his younger brother.

Were they a dinosaur or rock kid?: Dinosaur. He enjoyed everything history related, and they looked cool.

Bugs or slimy critters?: Bugs.

Do they fidget? How?: No, almost never at all. Doflamingo tends to always keep his composure, however, or rare occasions when things aren’t going his way and the plan will blow up in his face, he bites his nails. It’s a habit he developed in early teens and had broken, but in extreme stressful situations, it resurfaces.

What were they frequently in trouble for as a child?: All kinds of things. Doflamingo was a troublemaker with curiosity to explore things deemed illegal or immoral by society, so fights, theft and underage drinking were only to name a few.

What underwear do they like?: Boxer-briefs and boxers. He will switch them around depending on his mood or activities that day.

Designs on clothing or no?: Doflamingo doesn’t care about designs on his clothing and also doesn’t mind them at all. If he likes it, he will buy it.

Birthmarks?: None.

Do they have good self control?: A quite good self-control. For the most part Doflamingo will remain in full control of himself, but he is able to get shaken out of it. If his buttons are pressed and he’s angry, that control starts slipping away. He’ll always try to get back to full control, though, the moment he feels himself slipping.

Favorite franchise?: None. He doesn’t watch many movies or TV shows. He’s more keen on reading books.

Do they re-enact scenarios in the shower?: Sometimes. He will either have a partner with him so it won’t be needed, or if he’s alone, he may simply think of it and chuckle to himself.

Do they tell the waiter that their order is wrong?: Yes, absolutely. He doesn’t play pretend and act like it’s his order to not hurt feelings. He straight out says it as it is — that they’ve fucked up.

Stairs or elevator?: Elevators, be it for the comfort, to not waste energy going to a higher floor, to tease the person with him and create sexual tension, or for the sex. Some elevator sex is always nice, even though rare.

Are they an exaggerator when telling stories?: Yes. He makes all the stories a drama play. He’d fit in well in Ancient Greece.

tagged by: @distopea (thank you Miho ❤️)

tagging: @taiixuan ( muse of your pick! ), @goreburdened ( dealer’s choice! ), @feufist, @solbeaming, @regensia ( your pick! ), @picavecalyx​ & anyone seeing this on their dash! I’d tag you all individually but it would take a lot of space so if you’ve read this, you’re tagged!

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🎲 / from Valeria 🔪

𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 “🎲” (𝐨𝐫 "𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐞") 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 (still accepting!)

➤ an old church

He wasn't given much information, a mere TEXT MESSAGE ( how dare she just message him? ) asking him to come over to PRAY with her at a church outside of the city.

Doflamingo DIDN'T believe in a god other than HIMSELF, and he knew his daughter didn't believe in another one either. He knew whatever she had done implied SECRECY and a call for HELP. She didn't need him to save her, not physically. She probably needed help with LEGAL side of things. Something he was more than able to give her.

Vergo dropped him off at the given location, asking whether he should accompany him. Doflamingo told him to remain in the car, as he was sure he and Valeria would be returning soon.

Branches snapped under his weight as he made his way towards the crumbling church ahead. Broken windows, unsteady structure, chipped off wood from the doors, 666 graffiti all over the outer walls and overall profanity directed at something IMAGINARY. As he finally reached the door, he could see the faint light of CANDLES inside, and his daughter next to them. In a circle of candles was someone ELSE.

He dialed his best friend before he lost the signal. ❝ Join me and Valeria in this shithole. ❞ Doflamingo didn't intend to wait on Vergo to arrive, he walked himself right in.

Valeria awaited him with a smile on her lips and a hug upon his arrival. The man in the circle was dead, MORE than dead. Mutilated. She was having fun. His lips kissed the top of her head, a PROUD smile on his lips. ❝ Next time, leave them alive til I arrive, alright? ❞

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🎲

𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 “🎲” (𝐨𝐫 "𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐞") 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 (still accepting!)

➤ the driver and passengers seats while driving for the past 2 hours

From what Doflamingo could tell, she had NO IDEA what had gone down few hours prior. There was some confusion upon their meeting ( from both sides ) and there was a bit of tension when she let him into her car. While he did remain SILENT for a good portion of the ride—despite her attempts at some small talk, he pondered as to WHY her number was the only one in the phone procured to him.

He was meant to meet LUKURRA, and while the guy made sure to be secretive, he had already met with Doflamingo once. The unexpected encounter with Smoker would've gone fine were it not for illegal substances in his car (which Doflamingo didn't place there). He knew when someone betrayed him, and he knew what it was to frame OTHERS. It wasn't often he found himself with tables turned.

He didn't like it.

❝ What did you say you do for a living, Melody? ❞ She hadn't said yet. Despite his disinterested behaviour prior, Doflamingo HAD paid attention to everything she had shared. Information was power, and he had way too many questions and little to no answers.