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I need some support. I dazed off while working on something, and had the most disturbing day dream. Well, night dream since it's night over here, but that's beside the point.

I was in this really dark and warm place, probably a dungeon now that I think of it, and I looked exactly like my avatar. I could hardly see a thing, since the only light came from a dimly lit torch. I felt so scared, like I was abot to either die or go mad from the unbearably loud silence.

Then I could hear footsteps. I turned around and saw Johnny K. Gambino. Even though I'm a supporter of Mr. Gambino, I couldn't help but be completely terrified by his presence. And the way he was staring at me unnerved me. We exchanged a few words that I can't remember, and he said that he'd been watching for a while. Watching me closely.... And I couldn't stand looking at him so I turned away from him, but I could still feel his eyes on me. He walked up and grabbed me by my upper arms, and rested his head on my shoulder. I was shaking I was so frightened, and whimpered slightly. I hate being touched, even by my own family out of affection. So this was really scary, cause I knew exactly what he was thinking.

I asked him to let go of me, and he just began to nuzzle my hair. And despite my fear, I couldn't help but feel.... turned on by this. And he knew it. I kept denying it, but he simply called me a liar and wrapped his arms around my waist. I told him that I didn't want my first to be out of lust, and that that was all this was. He seemed surprised that I was a virgin (which made me a little angry that he thought I wasn't), but it didn't stop him.

Then trying to divert his attention, and out of my own curiousity, I asked him what happened to Gino, and that made him stop and say something along the lines of "So that's it huh? You want to ******** with my son." I tried to protest that that wasn't what I meant, but then I felt his body changing, and I heard Gino's voice (which is weird since I don't know his voice) saying, "Is this better?" And he continued to try to seduce me, and I could feel myself getting more turned on as I started to cry. All I could think was that I was completely helpless, and I couldn't stop this. He was going to have his way with me and, as shameful as the thought was, I might just give in. And that's where it stopped.

I feel so.... disgusted with myself. I feel like a freak. Please tell me I'm not the only person who had this kind of dream.

Gambino vs. Von Helsons

For a while now I've been interested in the intense rivalry between Johnny K. Gambino and Anne-Corina & Marie Von Helson. You see, even though I had an account on here since 2004, I wasn't into Gaia and therefore wasn't there for the "war." I came in when the tower fell and the three most powerful people on Gaia were killed (supposedly). I felt upset that I had missed out on this, and everyone else was well-opinionated about the issue. I felt like a newbie. So a few months ago I came up with this idea. I'd find out as much as I could about this so I could so that I could understand it better. So I visited several fanthreads/guilds, interviewed supporters from both sides (who shall remain anonymous unless requested otherwise), and came up with two different perspectives of the war. The Gambino post will be longer not due to preferences, but because there wasn't much to write about the Von Helson, since not much information was given about them and they weren't around as long.

Johnny. K. Gambino

Johnny K. Gambino, the most powerful man in Gaia, was a mountain of a man, physically and otherwise. With his son Gino they were the first rich family introduced to Gaia. Many Gaians had controversial views of this man. As with most rich men filled with power, he appeared to some as conceded, pompous, and full of himself, which was very true to some extents. Yet you never saw him condescending those who can across him, and graciously gave out items during the celebrations held as his mansion, saying that he hoped that we enjoyed them. He had an outgoing personality and a laugh that isn't easy to forget.

We know nothing of his wife, and she is presumed dead. His relationship with his son was unknown to the majority of Gaia, and from what some saw most assumed that he was an abusive father. An example was at the first Gaia Olympics, where Mr. Gambino had helped his son cheat, which still resulted in Gino losing, for which he was scolded by his father. Yet others saw this as the result of a stressed out man who had a lot to deal with since he owned an entire island and took the liberty of hosting almost every celebration. They also say that Gambino wished to give the Gambino business, G-Corps, to his son when he dies. And the need to prepare Gino for such a responsibility became an obsession with making him the perfect heir.

Nevertheless, everything changed on Halloween 2k4. The doomed Halloween party held at the Gambino mansion that resulted in the deaths of Gambino's LabTech employees, the zombification of many Gaians, the explosion of the Gambino mansion, and the loss of Gino, which had hurt him dearly. As Christmas came, Gambino, who by now was a shattered shell of the pride filled man he once was, discovered evidence that Gino may've been alive. He'd searched all of Gaia for Gino, and when he saw everyone else's happiness compared to his cold loneliness and growing hopelessness, decided he could no longer go on. He didn't even care about his lost wealth, all that mattered to him was that he'd never see his dear Gino ever again. But as fate would have it, as he was about to jump to an icy watery grave, Gino appeared, alive but with amnesia. Gambino seemed to be a changed man at that point. This proved that Gambino wasn't as cold hearted as many believed. He was willing to work his way back up to his original status, but now he seemed to have a new motive. Not for actual wealth or power, but to help his son.

Enter the Von Helsons, the most powerful women in Gaia. It was obvious that Gambino disliked them right from the start. He said something about knowing their father, Count Vladimir Von Helson, and that what they were doing would make him roll in his grave. What he meant exactly we don't know. He attended the party being held at the Von Helson's prestigious mansion in Durem. Several Gaians stayed by him, consoling him and telling him that they preferred him to the twins. Others, while sympathetic, told Gambino that he shouldn't mope around and take this, that he needed to reclaim his title. Spurred on by their words, Gambino declared that he would rise up against the Von Helson and reclaim his title with the help of his followers, giving them G Pins to show their support! Whether the Von Helsons were scared by this or simply didn't want to deal with Gambino, they kidnapped Gino and threatened Gambino. They would give him back his son, if he left Durem forever, which would prevent him from participating in any further Gaia celebration parties. Gambino was torn. Abandon his supporters, or save his son, his reason for doing all this? In the end made the right choice and chose Gino. He vowed that while he wouldn't appear in Durem again, this wouldn't be the last time the Von Helson heard the name Gambino.

Gambino and Gino returned to Isle de Gambino, and they began to collect donations from supporters. Even as the Von Helsons continued to grow in power and popularity, so did Gambino. Gambino rewarded those who donated later on by handing out Anti Von Helson Picket Signs to counter them selling Anti Gambino Picket Signs. With all the gold donations Gambino built a mansion over the ruins of his old home, then built a tower around that mansion that reached the heavens. It seemed that the return of his power was beginning to do something to him. And as with many great men with power, he was consumed by it.

Then on April 1st 2005, a day that will burn in the memories of every Gaian who was there to remember, a great tragedy befell Gaia. Gambino was on top of the large tower, basking in his power and laughing like a maniac. Gino was with him, watching him with curiosity. Then, something snapped within Gino's mind, triggering the memories he'd long forgotten. He remembered now. This power-hungry, corrupted madman.... was his father. As he called out to his father, Gambino seemed to snap out of his insanity when he heard his son call out to him. He was overjoyed to see that familiar look on his son's face. However, the joyous reunion between father and son was short-lived. At that moment, a shot was heard throughout all of Gaia, and somehow everyone knew that Gambino had been shot! Gambino fell from his tower, a man shot down in his height of power. And as Gambino fell, so did his Tower along with his son. Ironically, the Tower was so large that it fell right into Durem, right onto the Von Helson Mansion. So Gambino had his revenge on those who attempted to bring him down.

Marie and Anne-Corinne Von Helson

These pretty twins came rather out of the blue around the time of the Gaia Anniversary Ball. Like Gambino, Anna Corine and Marie Von Helson, daughters of Count Vladimir Von Helson, were the subjects of much controversy. Most of those who were against them were either Gambino supporters, who were appalled that these two came out of the blue and claimed to be more powerful, even though technically at the time they were, since by that time Gambino had lost everything but his son. Other didn't like how they insulted them, acted like "preppies" and treated them like they were the lowest form of existence, and to add to that, gave out "cheap crappy gifts." The rest of those that were against them based on their first impressions, calling them cheap sluts and Hilton/Olsen knockoffs. Either way, many believed that these girls were not good for Gaia.

But for every anti-force, there are those who support them as well. Sadly for them, they were in the minority. A lot of the supporters seemed to be more articulate and aware of the world as well. They claimed that the twin sisters had a better outlook on Gaia and it's citizens than Gambino ever did. They saw the Gaians for what they really were; A bunch of sheep who'd follow anyone who gave out gifts and had a lot of money. And in some ways, this was very true. The supporters of the Von Helsons also saw that these were strong women. Sure they were outwardly shallow, but they weren't ditzes, not at all. They knew about Gaia and the people. Quoting one of the interviewees, "They know that Gaian's materialism is turning them into mere pawns to me used as a commodity."

Other supporters simply supported the sisters for worse reasons. A shared view about Von Helson supporters is that they're only supporting the twins because:

a) They're beautiful.
b) They're not Gambino.

And while these are merely stereotypes, some of which I believed until I got a better view of the matter, some supporters do fit into one or both of these categories. Some of the supporters are simply horny men/women who wish to be apart of the Von Helsons' "harem." But for others, they admire that these women have beautiful outward appearances and strong personalities in one. They don't think that the Von Helsons are slutty or anything, they just think that the twins are very captivating outwardly and inwardly.

As for the other part, it does seem like the majority of the Von Helson supporters were Anti-Gambino long before the Von Helsons showed up. This brings up a lot of the "you all don't care about Gaia! You're just with the Von Helsons because you hate Gambino!!" argument that most supporters have to deal with. But most supports DO care about Gaia, and that's why they support them! They never thought that Johnny was a good leader, which is understandable. I'm not saying he wasn't a good leader, just that every leader will have people who don't support him/her and those people will think that someone else could do a better job. When the Von Helsons came, they saw in them what they couldn't see in Johnny. Two strong leaders who could bring great change in Gaia. They really do believe in their leaders and that they are good for Gaia, that they can bring something that Johnny Gambino couldn't.

The Von Helson's great leadership skills were shown at the first party held at the Anniversary Ball at their beautiful mansion in the town of Durem. When Gambino began to start a riot along with his supporters, the Von Helsons took action. Gambino had somehow managed to sabotage the mansion security systems, preventing the partygoers from receiving gifts, they managed to fix it over night and continue on. Their next action was another controversial matter. The sisters had kidnapped Gino while Gambino was busy with his supporters. When they confronted Gambino for the last time, they gave him an ultimatum: Leave Durem and never come back, therefore, never participate in another Gaia event, or he would never see Gino again. Of course, Gambino chose Gino, then left the mansion and Durem, vowing revenge.

After that, the Von Helsons were pretty confident that they'd stopped Gambino once and for all. But at the news of Gambino's rise for power, they grew enraged and passed out Anti-Gambino Picket signs and two sets of V pins (left and right) to all who supported them. Meanwhile they continued running the Gaia events, the last of which that they did was the Easter event. After that, everything came down upon them-literally! Gambino's tower had been completed, but as soon as he was assassinated, the Tower of Gambino fell with him. The Von Helsons were just relaxing in their mansion, laughing at Gambino and all of Gaia. When they looked out the window, the tower was the last thing they saw before "BKOOMM!!!"

My View

After writing all of this, and taking everything into consideration, I've made my decision. I've decided to become a supporter of the Gambino Family. Despite all of Gambino's past mistakes, and Gino's, Gambino was just a man. And even if he did get cocky at times, he had the interests of Gaia, and especially his son, at heart. He may have been power hungry, and yes he went overboard with it. But despite all of that, it's obvious he cares about Gaia, and that he loves his son. After reading some of his posts on past event forums, I also feel that he's a great man to know. He just has that feel to him, like an eccentric relative or neighbor who, while a bit into himself, will help you out no matter what trouble you get into and is always there to make you laugh if you feel down. And despite all those rumors of him abusing Gino, I can't help but get the impression that he's a good father. Maybe not the perfect father, but like I said, it's obvious he cares for Gino. If he didn't, he wouldn't have spent all of Christmas searching for him, or gave up his chance at the Ball to bring down the Von Helson sisters in exchange for his son's return. Some people might claim it was "for his reputation," but I don't think so. While it might be possible, I don't think it's true. I think he genuinely cares for Gino, and all of what he's done was to give his son a better life. So when it comes down to it, Gambino is just a father who cares deeply for his son, and who has made mistakes, like any man. It's just that because of his power, his mistakes had a greater impact on Gaia. I do believe Gambino's good for Gaia.

Opposing View

However, just because I support Gambino does not mean I'm against the Von Helsons. In fact, I don't think understand why they couldn't just settle their differences and worked together. They're both respectable families, and Gambino thought very highly of the twins' father. They probably could've been a great team. I respect the Von Helsons as much as I support Gambino. They are very strong girls with a realistic look at the world. They make good leaders, and know how to act under pressure. I don't know what they were up to that got Gambino so worked up, I don't know what would've "made their father roll in his grave," but the Von Helsons don't seem necessarily bad. Maybe shallow and a bit full of themselves, but not bad. So I will not think less of anyone who supports them and will not get into an argument about it. Though I might be tempted to call them "sheep." Haha, just kidding!

Conclusion

There it is, my long-over due essay about this matter. I hope those who've read it have enjoyed it. If not, I owe you a few minutes of your life back. I hope that both families come back, Gambino and the Von Helsons. They were very interesting parts of Gaia. And hopefully in a few days we'll get the answers that we've been seeking. Later everyone! Long live the most powerful people of Gaia!