#|| giovanni

[badmusejail]

[Modern AU] Public Knowledge of Giovanni's Crime Family

It may be expected that knowledge of Giovanni as a Mafia Don and the family as the Marianelle family is generally restricted to the family and close, trusted associates of the family.

That being said, a lot of people know or at least suspect that Giovanni has connections to the Mafia, despite not knowing the exact details. (The vast majority of those people are smart enough to not ask or discuss said details.)

The people that tend to scrutinize their activities more, however (such as police forces or other criminal organizations) have generally recognized that Giovanni, Archer, Petrel, Proton, and to some extent Ariana make up the leadership of the family, though are uncertain to the exact roles that each play. Most tend to guess that Archer is the boss, with either Petrel or Proton as the underboss, Giovanni as consigliere, and Ariana as either a hired hand or one of their wives, though other structures have been proposed. Generally, they find Giovanni's public demeanor unbefitting of the ruthless reputation the boss is known to have, or more specifically, find Archer's demeanor the most fitting.

Historically, namely when Giovanni first came into power as boss, he was most commonly referred to as Azrael, and though the name is still used in certain circles today, it, and the majority of his reputation, has faded over the years.

(Giovanni never particularly claimed the name as his own; it was started by the Mafia family in Sacramento and spread throughout the criminal underground. He doesn't reject the name either; mostly finding it amusing that a Mafia boss gained the nickname of an angel.)

Following that topic, when Giovanni inherited the family from Don Fabrizio over a decade ago, he quickly made a name for himself. Quickly and violently bringing order to his city; eliminating his competition, yet always being fair and loyal to his people. Known for being aggressive, ruthless, violent; protective and steadfast, and never once losing the cold, steely logic that guided every one of his actions. Giovanni of the Land, others called him; as steady as the earth itself. Indomitable, unmovable, and inevitable. Many feared and respected him, and the ones he took under his wing loved him. A master of manipulation, cunning, loyal, and fierce, many looked up to him as a model of a proper gentleman criminal.

But that was years ago.

Even if Giovanni's iron control of the city remains, to such a degree that even the public can tell it's safer now than it was years ago, the lack of bloody conflict of late has brought increased scrutiny to the family. Enemies, new and old; people who have forgotten or are to young to remember Giovanni's rise to power, searching for weakness, waiting for an opportunity.

They aren't the first, of course. Many over the years, believing Giovanni to have gone soft, have found out the hard way that he's still just as cold and ruthless as he was long ago.

But times have changed.

With the rise of technology especially, with ever tightening constraints on the law; there's less and less room to move. More and more people are watching, at all times, thanks to the connected world, and maybe shooting someone in broad daylight isn't the best course of action anymore.

That doesn't mean his empire is any weaker than it was before. It just means it changed to reflect the times.

After all, those that fail to change are doomed to wilt.

So next time he offers you a grin and a handshake, and offers to buy you lunch, ...

maybe it's best to not ask any questions.

[badmusejail]

MINDFUL + 4 for Giovanni + 27 for Gaster

Mindful Muse Questions 4. What are you proud of?

"Pride? What an odd concept. Perhaps I could say I'm proud of my son for breaking away from the environment he was raised it.

"But it's not as if you'd believe me regardless, fuahaha!"

27. What is a lesson that you’ve learned the hard way?

"Maybe that extracting parts of my SOUL is an extremely painful process.

"Or maybe that weapons developed to literally kill can in fact kill.

"Or maybe that I should check that there's floor on the other side of a door before walking through it.

"...any and all of the above, really."

[badmusejail]

“It’s nothing personal.”

It’s a line uttered so frequently, chances are that virtually everyone who has engaged with Giovanni has heard it one time or another.  

It’s the truth in all but the rarest occasions; Giovanni’s motives are rarely emotional, rarely fueled by the individual he’s targeting, and almost always a matter of pragmatism on a higher level.

It’s not about you, it’s not about hurting you, it’s about getting to whatever assets you have, claiming whatever knowledge you have, adding your resources to his own.

This is obvious if you observe his interactions--sometimes going so far as to complement, apologize, or console his victims, and many times possessing a great respect for the ones who stand up to him.  If you’re willing to surrender what he’s after, he’s more than happy to move you out of the way and take what he wants without injury.  Hell, if its research or the like he’s after, he’d even be kind enough to take a copy; after all it’s not useful to him if it stagnates where it is.

It’s nothing personal, it’s just business.  

What people don’t realize is that this extends deeper into Giovanni’s mindset.  Since he was a child, virtually everything has been neatly ordered into these boxes.  Mother, father:  Caretakers.  Brothers:  Bothersome.  Librarian:  Knowledge resource.  All are simply roles or figureheads in his life with little to no real connection to the actual person underneath.  

Persian:  Companion Pokemon. Friends:  Allies, companions. Pokémon:  Tools; companions.  

This mindset easily blends into the concept of ephemerality and replaceability.  His parents are no longer in his life?  He can take care of himself. His brothers?  Unnecessary.  Persian, other Pokemon?  Replaceable.  Friends?  Can find new people to fill the missing dynamics.  

Archer?  Supplementary commander.  Replaceable.  Proton?  Security and reconnaissance?  Replaceable.  Petrel, Ariana?  Executives designated for specific tasks.  Replaceable.  

Wife:  Lover.  Replaceable.  

Himself?  Leader.  REPLACEABLE.

It’s a result of the distance he was raised with.  The fact that he really had no friends throughout childhood and even sparingly through young adulthood.  The first person he really started feeling close to on a personal level was Champion Oak and, well; we know how that ended.

And ultimately, that’s why it was so easy for him to walk away from Team Rocket.  The idea that they were loyal to him as a person and not to the leader as a figurehead was incomprehensible to him.

Because it’s not personal.

(It never was.)

[badmusejail]

Shipping Status / Availability

Most people love shipping, right? Here's a quick summary of each muse and their interests! All ships are built on chemistry and while I don't mind you saying you'd be interested upfront, I will not force any muse into a situation that doesn't suit them. The muse ultimately decides what does and doesn't work. Please note that even if it isn't explicitly stated I will not ship adult muses with minors and it's a shame I have to say it.

Gaster: Although Gaster considers himself an aromantic asexual, he'd be happy to engage in such activities for the right partner and, in fact, is quite vulnerable to 'romantic' gestures. The exact type of partner he seeks is unclear, given that he's burdened by a heavy amount of trauma and anxiety and feels wrong sharing that with anyone, but he does appreciate empathetic, loving people that still know when to stand their ground against him. Given the nature of monsters, he's able and willing to carry a child for a loving partner. Shipping with a human isn't impossible but would require a great deal of development. Will not ship with: Frisk, Chara, Asriel, Sans, Papyrus Unlikely to ship with: Toriel, humans Likely to ship with: Asgore, variants of himself

Giovanni: Self-proclaimed as straight but also self-proclaimed as willing to fool around with men if it's entertaining enough. Willing to have both one-night stands and longer relationships and doesn't believe that a long-term relationship should be based solely on sexual attraction. Seems to be attracted to confident, intelligent types that are emotionally independent and respectful of Giovanni's choices and need for space. Will not ship with: Protagonists Unlikely to ship with: Members of villainous teams, including members of Team Rocket Likely to ship with: Professors, neutral parties

Surge: Straight. May participate in one-night stands but unlikely to ship long-term.

Oak: Generally unavailable as he's married.

Gaevano: ??? Probably not but I genuinely don't know.

Iroh: Straight; available, but more likely to simply goof around with the ladies rather than engage in any long-term relationship.

Ozai: Generally unavailable. Uninterested even with his canonical partner. It just doesn't end well. Arranged marriages / etc. are possible but don't expect anything other than disdain.

Weird Octopus: No.

Gemuse: Biromantic sex-repulsed asexual. He tends to be extremely skittish in regards to romantic situations (ask his primary ship partner) and shipping can be especially tricky given his job but it can work out in the right situation.

Giothornéc: Maybe?

Quentin / Major: Both are best described as demisexual but also more than willing to just fuck for the sake of it, with impressively low standards. They tend to prefer women but shipping with men isn't impossible. That being said, they're both incredibly traumatized borderline psychopaths, so ... I guess that's your choice. Will not ship with: Peter

[badmusejail]

Giovanni had lived most of his life on his own.

But it wasn't until after the war that he felt truly alone.

The doctors were nice, of course. Polite and respectful, but with a certain glimmer of pity in their eyes as they explained the situation.

Sir, you were very badly injured. We've done our best but you'll need to rest so your body can finish healing.

No--no, I understand. Please don't apologize.

The nurses, too; but he could barely stand to look at them; how disgusted and humiliated he was, needing help to do anything from rolling over to cleaning himself and he could see the exhaustion in their polite smiles. Just how many people were they scrambling to take care of?

He was lucky enough to have his own room. Whether that was fortune or misfortune--he hadn't decided.

He had the television, of course, and a powerful concoction of drugs to help aleviate his pain and take his mind off the numerous needles and equipment invading his body.

The television only seemed to repeat the same five stories. Broadcasting that the war was over; Kanto had lost. Lance was formally in control now, and advised any remaining parties to surrender.

How awful that his home seemed to be cowed into silence that easily.

He should be out there. He should be fighting; or at least helping--but even the angry trembling, fists balling into his sheets, was enough to send shockwaves of pain through his body and he cried.

It was a maddening, self-fulfilling cycle. Perhaps he could have turned the television off. Perhaps he deserved to have his failures perpetually broadcast.

Nurse in, nurse out. Breakfast. Stare at nothing. Nurse in, nurse out. Lunch. Try to sleep a while. In. Out. Tremble. Breathe. Cry.

He kept expecting Oak to show up. Maybe he was busy. There was a lot going on, but... What could a humiliated ex-champion really have to do right now? And yet, any time he's tried to think about his champion, the only image he could conjure was that impassive look Oak gave him before Lance attacked. He kept hoping. Oak never showed up.

Surge did, though; it was unexpected and the singular visitor he had that wasn't medical staff.

Giovanni didn't even know how long it had been. Nearly delirious and quite possibly medicated to forcibly calm his growing anxieties, he could only stare blankly at his arrival.

Surge told him to suck it up.

(Oh, that's not true, and a disrespect to a great man. Certainly, it was the final message he had, but he delivered it with a degree of tact and sympathy that Giovanni didn't expect the man capable of.)

Sorry it took so long. Shit's fucked out there.

Some time ago, Giovanni might have laughed. But not now, not after everything that happened, and not with the distant grimace on the man's face that implied he wasn't making a joke.

It was awkward and humiliating to a degree Giovanni had never felt--burning shame creeping through his body, pulsating with every beat of his heart.

He should be dead.

He should have been killed.

Whatever words he might have said to Surge died on dry lips and he just looked away.

Maybe he preferred being utterly alone.

Maybe he deserved it.

Still, Surge returned; the closest he had to a friend during this hellish time. It was shameful and he hated it; no matter how desperately he needed that contact, some sort of life in his grueling existence.

And it was a stark reminder that he had been completely and utterly discarded.

Clearly, the doctors weren't prohibiting visitors.

Oak? Agatha? Everyone else he served with, everyone he went out of his way to help?

Simply chose not to visit.

It's fine. They're busy. They have other things to worry about. Even Surge shouldn't be here, wasting his time. He didn't need to be visited; he was strong enough to get by on his own. He'd be fine. It was fine.

He didn't know which visit it was; but Surge held out a PokeBall. With a single word, it was clear he wasn't allowing the gift to be refused. A flash of light and a Magnemite appeared, hovering near the bed.

Giovanni stared at it.

Well I know you ain't in any condition to take care of any Pokemon. But this guy doesn't need to eat or drink or much of anything. Just be kind to him alright?

Giovanni decided he didn't like the thing very much. But if he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend the weight on the bed was Persian.

Being cleared for rehabilitation was a mercy he never realized he needed. A reminder that this state was temporary; that he'd be free once more, that he wouldn't be stuck in this bed forever.

But even as the physical pain faded; as the wounds healed into scars he couldn't look at in the mirror, the burning emotional anguish only grew stronger; bitterness, hatred, rage, despair.

He knew he needed to stand up. He knew he needed to keep fighting. He would never accept Lance and his men in his homeland, and he would fight until the man finally killed him.

He told Surge of his plan.

Giovanni. It's over. Let it go.

Six simple words that stunned him into silence.

He didn't discuss his ideas with Surge anymore.

But he kept that Magnemite by his side; if nothing else, it helped support him while he learned to walk again, kept him company as he felt the walls of the hospital were closing in on him.

He had been abandoned, wounded, discarded, and forgotten.

But when he walked out those doors, he had a purpose.

Celadon.

The facility he owned there would be the perfect starting point for his mission; a sort of queasy place where despair and shattered hope gathered.

The people there were desperate; many feeling the same betrayal and hatred that Giovanni did. They listened to his pleas; they rallied at his call.

Broken, destroyed, discarded, unwanted--but they were still strong and they still had purpose in this damned world, and they would stand and take their freedom, whether the world liked it or not.

And really--the fact that Giovanni was in charge was arbitrary. He just happened to be the first to speak up, so it was agreed that it made sense that he was the leader as the group grew larger.

As it grew into something entirely unexpected.

As it became Team Rocket.

[badmusejail]

F - Friend - What kind of friend are they? How do they judge potential friends? Where do they draw the line between platonic and romantic relationships? How far would they go for a friend? How do they handle conflict in relationships?

G - Growing - How have they changed over time? How has their self-image changed? Are they more or less of a risk-taker? Has their approach to romance changed?

For Giovanni :D

Headcanon A-Z F - Friend - What kind of friend are they? How do they judge potential friends? Where do they draw the line between platonic and romantic relationships? How far would they go for a friend? How do they handle conflict in relationships?

I've talked a before about how Giovanni has problems forming meaningful relationships. It's not really something he's consciously aware of, but he has a tendency to think of people as roles rather than as the people themselves. This is why he was able to lead Team Rocket with such ruthless efficiency, but it's also a tendency that goes both ways--he struggles to bond with the actual person behind the traits and struggles to believe that people actually bond with him instead of just what he represents.

Ergo, he was able to abandon Team Rocket so easily because he never believed that the people's loyalty was to Giovanni and not to The Boss of Team Rocket.

This is important because it really highlights how he interacts with the world and is the background for any potential friendships; because to Giovanni, people are inherently replaceable, and that's both the people he interacts with, and himself to them. This makes it extremely difficult for him to truly bond with people as friends, to the point that he's not sure if he's ever had someone he'd consider a real friend.

It's probably not much of a surprise that Giovanni doesn't go out in the world to make friends. Even back when he was a better person, he was more of an independent person, wo avoided close relationships when possible, again because he had no real comprehension of what a friendship was like. Nowadays, he'll 'make friends', but its more for the purpose of networking and for the chance of being able to use someone and get the favor returned if he ever needs them for something.

Sometimes, though, Giovanni will hang around with someone because he genuinely likes them. After all, he's still human and believes he should live life to his fullest enjoyment--he just fails to bond with people on a deep level or believe that anyone would ever truly bond with him.

As a friend, he's very much irritating in a calm, charming sort of way, the sort of friendly insults followed immediately with a grin and 'you know I love you.' He pokes and prods for reactions and prefers company that can withstand the full force of his personality and even take a few swings back.

He prefers companions that can think independently and understand that there's more complexity in the world than simply good and evil. They don't necessarily have to agree with him in his pursuits, but the respect and understanding that Team Rocket is more than just a strictly evil organization is necessary for any sort of strong bond.

Platonic and romantic are meaningless words to him, and he finds the world's obsession with the distinction to be childish. Sometimes interactions are more platonic; sometimes they lean more romantic; ultimately it doesn't matter so long as everyone involved is happy.

He's a highly empathetic man who and he'll go to great lengths to appease those few he considers his friends. Though it might seem counterintuitive given Giovanni's character, its important to remember that it's less that he's looking out for their best interests, but more that he's protecting his interests. When his friends are happy, he's happy, and that's what's important to him. Giovanni is more than willing to throw his outrageous wealth at his friends, and more often than not, he's a 'silent problem solver,' that is, problems that his friends have tend to mysteriously resolve themselves.

However, perhaps tragically, the one thing Giovanni would never give up for a friend (or partner) is his ambition. He'll always strive for more in life, he'll always be wanting the next thing. This doesn't have to mean Team Rocket or any criminal activities, but he's a restless, opportunistic individual who will always be moving onto the next target, and if that means leaving behind the people he loves, then so be it.

Giovanni believes that a certain amount of conflict is healthy; that without some degree of turmoil, life grows stagnant and that which is stagnant risks dying off. He's a masterful problem solver, and even though his behavior is mostly self-serving, his charisma and empathy make it easy for people to think he genuinely cares and works well for smoothing over issues. He has no qualms admitting fault and apologizing when he's done something wrong, even if its only to keep peace.

G - Growing - How have they changed over time? How has their self-image changed? Are they more or less of a risk-taker? Has their approach to romance changed?

In many ways, Giovanni is a muse that embodies change, he represents and embraces change and the differences it brings, and this is especially apparent when he's alongside Professor Rowan, who tends to represent tradition and consistency.

And yet, in many ways, I think it's inaccurate to say that Giovanni himself has changed, but rather his relationship to himself and his place in the world has changed.

His time as an Elite Four was incredibly unhealthy for him, as he forced himself to strive for standards that were difficult at best and impossible at worst that in many cases he didn't even personally believe in.

Creating Team Rocket gave him a chance to break away from those expectations, a chance to figure out who he was outside of the Marianelle's star child, the Elite Four member.

He began to see and respect himself for who he really was rather than the person he was trying to force himself to be.

Then again, when he was defeated by Red, he changed again, reevaluated his decisions and the fact that he was holding onto his hatred and existing in a way that was not only unhealthy but also unfulfilling.

So he allowed himself to step away and be free.

Over the years, he's become much less of a risk-taker, as he began to value his life and became less willing to sacrifice himself for something he felt was foolish. He learned how to be calculated and precise, to maximize efficiency.

Finally, romance. His approach to romance has changed a lot, too--to the point that when he was in the Elite Four, he wouldn't really get involved in it at all, as he felt his own desires were less important than the world as a whole.

Then, when he created Team Rocket; he felt almost as though he had to do so; he rushed into it; married someone that wasn't the perfect fit for him. That's not to say he regrets it or thinks poorly of Ariana--it's actually quite the contrary; he thinks that change and growth is natural, and thinks that divorce shouldn't have such a negative connotation. Again, he acts in his own best interest in health; creating and breaking relationships as needed. Nowadays, he's a lot more casual with his relationships.

Change is inevitable; challenge is a necessity for growth, and Giovanni has learned to embrace it.

[badmusejail]

Team Rocket + Interpol

I had a similar post about this on my old blog but since I shifted about canon it needs to be rewritten.

As per usual, none of this is mandatory, but simply a look at what the default background lore is like.

The easiest way to summarize is that Interpol views Giovanni as a necessary evil.

Unlike Team Flare, or Galactic, or Aqua and Magma that have very specific goals and mostly disperse when defeated, Team Rocket is a more generic gang of common criminals--whether it's Team Rocket in some form or some other gang, they'll always exist in some manner as a byproduct of society and human nature.

But, at least, when Giovanni’s in charge, they have a general idea of what he’s up to and how he acts.  If they were to take him down, they’d just end up with someone else in the position, and an unpredictable danger instead of a known danger.

(They already saw this happen once with Goldenrod.)  

That’s definitely not to say they like Giovanni and give him a free pass.  If anything, it’s a sort of a precarious operation--they both know of each other, have a fragile, informal truce with each other, and are reluctant to do anything to provoke the other.  Just as Interpol could never truly destroy the crime empire that Team Rocket represents, Team Rocket could never truly destroy Interpol, but they could both do serious damage to each other, and both parties are very wisely trying to prevent that from happening.

But in all honesty, when the other gangs in the world are trying to rewrite reality, cause a climate collapse, or destroy the entirety of the earth, Team Rocket actually becomes a relatively low threat on their list.  

In other words, just being a reasonable, predictable, guy that’s not actively trying to destroy the world gets him pretty far in life.  

In fact, it hasn’t been unheard of for Interpol to work with Team Rocket on occasion (much like how the FBI and the Mafia have been known to cooperate), especially given that Interpol prefers to remain out of the public eye.  Paying Team Rocket off to do dirty work is a convenient arrangement for both of them.  Interpol remains away from the eyes of the public; Team Rocket already has the reputation of a terrible organization; the work Interpol needs done gets done, and Team Rocket gets a little more leeway for their non-violent crimes.  

It’s a working relationship. 

[badmusejail]

3 9 and 11 for the mun questions!

QUESTIONS FOR MUNS. 3. whose writing has impacted your writing style the most? (you can choose anyone! famous writer or not.)

So the unfortunate thing is that for as much as I write, I don't actually read all that much; certainly not enough to really say that I have any particular author(s) that I take as inspiration.

Though if I have to say there's a standard I strive for, it's probably George Orwell.

9. when you look at a new blog, what is it that makes you press the follow button? is it the muse, the aesthetics, the writing–?

Truthfully? It comes down to two questions:

Do I think this muse will work with my muses?

Do I think this mun will write with me?

I have to admit that I'm usually not here to admire other people's writing, or to read fanfic; I'm here to write interactions of my own and my dash is usually specifically tailored to people that I hope to do so with.

Unfortunately, this does mean that if I think the mun is too intimidating, standoffish, rude, etc. (based solely on the blog's aesthetics, their rules pages, and ooc posts--you absolutely do judge books by their covers, and I'm not going to pretend I don't) then I probably won't follow.

11. describe your ideal outcome/endgame for the muse you are currently writing. if you are a multimuse blog: do this for your current favorite muse, or the muse of the last reply you posted.

I've mentioned throughout this blog that Giovanni doesn't really have a "Good End." He makes peace with his role in society as at best a chaotic entity and at worst a criminal terrorist and he enjoys life to the fullest, but strictly speaking, he's not happy with this life and hates the fact that he's so damn good at being evil.

Rewind the tapes--before Team Rocket, before the war...

Had he chosen to move to Sinnoh and disregard the chaos in his home region, maybe he'd be happy.

Ha. Ha. Quite a ongoing theme we have, isn't it?

[badmusejail]

giovanni’s 200+ year old ancestor is more literate in technology than he is

gaevano be over here like “i upgraded my phone to be 5g compatible but there’s still no news of fiber optic lines being brought into my city so i can stream my favorite shows at 4k”

and giovanni just like “the fuck are you talking about”

[badmusejail]

Meta Mun

Send in ‘Meta Mun’ and the Mun will give commentary about the blog!

I have a tendency to either develop or take up characters in pairs--in order to have them act as narrative foils to one another.

Some past examples of this were Cyril and Simon (for the people that have been around for a whiiiile), Ozai and Iroh, and to some extent Gaster and Asgore.

The newest one, however?

Giovanni and Oak.

This one is even doubly interesting because it holds whether Oak is in his standard verse or his evil verse; Giovanni stands at a very solid morally gray compared to Main Oak's morally white and Evil Oak's morally black.

A lot of their history was designed with this in mind; both being distant with their parents, being skilled at battling, leaving for their travels at a young age, and being heroes to the people.  Having a similar history helps highlight the differences in how they engage with the world and see things around them.

So you have Main Oak, who has always been good and chose to remain good in the face of adversary, Giovanni who used to be good but chose a path of evil instead after the war, and Evil Oak, who has always chosen to be evil.  

They have very interesting ideals and thoughts that in many cases overlap but more often divert drastically.

For example, Oak’s belief that the world is meant to be understood and lives for the pursuit of knowledge vs Giovanni’s belief that the world will never be understood and lives solely for his own enjoyment.  

Oak’s belief that no matter what happens, the person’s true self will shine through vs Giovanni’s belief that drastic events shape and change a person’s self.  

Oak’s tendency to be picked on by Pokémon despite being a professor (usually) working in their best interest vs Giovanni’s tendency to be very good with Pokémon despite only looking to exploit them.  

Oak being rather clumsy with emotions and people vs Giovanni’s phenomenal ability to understand and connect with people.  

Oak’s calm logic vs Giovanni’s passionate emotion.  

Oak’s insistence that the elite and champion needed to hold back until a critical moment vs Giovanni’s decision to immediately fight on the front lines.  

Virtually any topic that you throw at them will have some interesting contrast between them.

It’s a shame that I can’t have any thread with them both without Giovanni immediately resorting to violence, though.  

And if you want to go another level; Giovanni’s relationship with Rowan is endlessly fascinating to me because they mirror each other on a smaller scale; Main Oak’s white vs Rowan’s light gray vs Giovanni’s dark gray vs Evil Oak’s black.  

Basically ever since I’ve learned of the concept of a literary foil in high school literature, I’ve been fascinated by it and virtually always incorporate it in some way; sometimes as enemies, sometimes as friends, sometimes as lovers.

[badmusejail]

the muses as kids in school

(modern earth setting)

group 1:

Gemuse.  Shy kid; keeps mostly to himself with maybe one or two friends.  Can be energetic or reclusive depending on the situation.

Quentin.  Resident cowardly bully, picking on people verbally because he’s too afraid of getting his ass kicked.  Thinks he’s the smartest.  Regularly picks on Gaster, taking advantage of his general inability to speak and usually calling him derogatory names like “flathead.”

Gaster.  Actually the smartest.  He was a sweet if reclusive kid, at least until the accident that killed his parents and left him scarred and mostly mute.  Now, he’s just trying to get through each day; avoiding people like Quentin.

Ozai.  Bold and arrogant, but because of his youth comes off as more cute than annoying.  He’s noble but aloof; unlikely to intervene in anything that doesn’t directly involve him.  Already kicked Quentin’s ass for insulting his hair.

group 2:

Giovanni.  Much like Ozai, his lofty ideals and words tend to be more adorable than annoying.  He’s a good kid, albeit a bit opinionated.

Surge.  The Cool Kid ™️.  With a rebellious streak and confidence to match, a lot of kids gather around him.  But he’s still a decent guy; just tends to ignore those not in his circle.

Oak.  Friendly and outgoing, the star pupil, who coincidentally has a lot of friends that want help with or to copy homework.  He’s mostly loved by kids and teachers alike, though there are some who envy his intelligence (specifically the fact he shows it off so much.)

Iroh.  Very similar to Ozai, actually, although a bit less likely to resort to violence.  (He will, though.) He still has a nobility / arrogance to him, but it’s mostly hidden behind his friendly demeanor.  

[badmusejail]

Playtime: for Oak and Giovanni

Starting a Family Headcanon Asks! Playtime: Does your muse enjoy playing with their kids or do they simply observe them as they play?

The sad part here is that neither Giovanni nor Oak really know how to "play," at least not in the way that children do.

They grew up in a period of extreme turmoil and fear with relatively distant family members.

Oak passed his time by pretending to research the Pokémon around him while Giovanni passed his time by pretending to be a trainer.

The parallels (which are intentional, yes) continue into adulthood; with both being extremely busy men that were badly impacted by the war.  

But--Giovanni is much more charismatic and empathetic than Oak, who’s rooted rather firmly in rationality and science.  So much so that Oak--well, jealous isn’t quite right; but he’s definitely wished that he had a bit more of the people skills that Giovanni does.  

Such that Oak is much more likely to brush them off if it’s not science or Pokémon related; he tends to be aloof in that way; he knows neither of them will really enjoy it; so might as well just send the child off to play with their mother or someone else.  Of course, it doesn’t usually come across well.

On the other hand Giovanni will at least hang around.  He has no idea what they’re actually doing but will watch and confusedly hold whatever things are handed to him.

They’re both terrible parents.

[badmusejail]

Giovanni very, very rarely punishes people for displays of emotion.  In fact, more often than not, he’ll validate the emotions being expressed, a very powerful manipulation tactic that regularly diffuses a situation while increasing the bond the individual feels towards him.

This is especially common with the various runaways that end up in Rocket’s ranks; the ones that had nothing but expectations thrust upon them and were expected to grin and bear it.  Anytime it seems as if someone is repressing their emotions; Giovanni takes a moment to tell them that no matter what anyone else may say, their emotions are valid and there’s no shame in feeling them.

(It’s sad how many people have never heard a variation of that.)

That being said, he doesn’t appreciate being yelled at and will generally refuse to engage with someone until they check themselves, usually with some variant of “You don’t need to yell for me to hear you” or “Talk to me once you’ve collected your thoughts.”

He doesn’t tell people what to think about him.  They’re more than welcome to have a negative opinion of him and welcome to tell him to his face.  He’s well aware that some members of Team Rocket think poorly of him after he abandoned them, and isn’t going to demand that they change their opinion.  

More often than not, he simply nods and says “I understand how you feel.”

[badmusejail]

Honestly one of my favorite parts about writing Giovanni is that he really wasn’t born as a smooth, charismatic, evil genius; that his experience and wisdom was quite frankly hard won and there are many, many incidents in his past where a logical response to his actions is “why the fuck did you do that?”

[badmusejail]

I think I’m like, idk, 3 months late to this topic?  but here we go.

Giovanni has a variety of scars on his body from a long history of various conflicts, wounds, and stupidity.  He’s not bothered at all by them, and you can catch him shirtless without shame if the situation calls for it.

very vague mentions of surgery, injuries, and self-harm below.

nick, under his chin.  botched shaving when he was younger. 

chest, right side. vertical scar stretching starting from his collarbone, stopping halfway down his stomach.  seviper; in the war.  first close call with death.

left shoulder, scar tissue, surgical scars. three noticeable jagged lines curving down towards his heart.  lance’s dragonite at the war’s climax.  claws.  second close call with death.  

left hip, surgical scars.  same incident as previous.  iron tail.

arms, faint burn scars.  run-in with entei during the war.

arms, horizontal self-inflicted scars.  nothing to do with self worth.  he just has a weird obsession with blood.  don’t ask.

right arm, jagged scar about halfway down the back of the forearm.  jumped off the roof of his family’s estate and broke his arm.  again, not suicidal, just a moron.

back.  various circular scars.  pissed off a beedrill and got pin missiled.  

left hand, back, scratch.  courtesy of persian when they first met.

right thigh, cut.  attempted to ride a tauros.  got bucked off and landed on a sharp rock.  

miscellaneous pale scratches.  courtesy of persian.  

[badmusejail]

The fact that in other worlds Team Rocket was created by his mother or someone else higher in the family instead of himself is a concept that would immediately throw Giovanni off.  

He could barely imagine the concept; his older brother is too ill for such a life; his twin brother too much of a coward to ever stand outside of the law; his sister a tad too dead for the life; his father too much of an uptight citizen, and he knows for a fact that his own mother would beat the shit out of him (affectionately) for the shit he’s pulled.  

Still, he wonders what it would be like--would he have been closer to his family?  Would he actually feel like a part of it, rather than a black sheep?

Team Rocket has always been an organization about shedding expectations, standing alone, doing what they want regardless of what any government has to say about it.  

The idea of inheriting it from his mother is...  entirely contradictory to that idea.  Rather than a position of freedom, it would then be a burden weighing upon him.  The very reality of what Team Rocket is would be different, even if they are both still lead by a man named “Giovanni.”

So very odd how the more things change, the more they stay the same.