So I read a post about needing more Fredo content in the Fredo tags, and it got me thinking... what *is* Fredo up to in the Fully Documented universe?
Not much at "present", for sure--I'm just before the wedding, having stalled on a big spread I'm working on for the occasion. BUT my planning has been moving much faster than my cartooning, so--in pursuit of Freddie content, why not skip ahead?
The year is 1951. Tom Hagen has moved to Nevada in disgrace, being demoted from consigliere and handling solely the family's legal concerns as they wrap up their New York City businesses and expand their investments in Las Vegas casinos.
Gino's whole thing is paperwork, so he gets sent too. Even receives a promotion! "Compliance Officer." Moving expenses, too. So... he can live by himself in an apartment for the very first time in his life, with absolutely no idea how to take care of himself.
So I figure he goes around, collecting paperwork, entering the proper data into the proper forms, filing suspicious activity reports on people that absolutely nobody wants him filing a report on, pestering everyone for extra documentation, trying to get Dr. Jules not to bill for imaginary patients, and in general making an absolute pain of himself.
So where does Freddie come in?
Clearly, he's one of the people Gino's collecting paperwork from. And maybe that should have been the end of it.
What on earth does some random minor paperwork gremlin have in common with other remaining scion of the Corleones? Why should Fredo know he exists?
...then I realized: because Fredo sees this tiny, uncertain stick of a man, just *oozing* an aura of "I don't belong here please help me," and decides he has a spiritual chum.
Fredo: "Look, kid, it's just that you remind me a lot of me when I got here. Totally alone, in disgrace, humiliated."
Gino: "I'm not--"
Fredo: "Given a complete makework job under a rival who, can I say, didn't like me very much."
Gino: "My job's not makework--"
Fredo: "Sending Sonny's side piece to spy on me..."
Gino, Internal: "...this isn't about me, is it"
Fredo: "Anyway, I turned it all around. And you know what did it? Girls. Maybe all the men in your life don't think you're worth shoveling garbage, but this city is just full of pretty ladies who know how to make you forget about all of that. And how!"
Gino: "Mr. Corleone I promise Mr. Hagen respects what I do very much--"
Fredo: "Please, it's Freddie. And Gino, I am going to show you what this city is good for."
(...I also began to realize that my "Gino changes his look when he moves to appear older"--cutting his hair and growing a mustache--puts him way too close to Fredo's look for my cartooning comfort. But I think I can keep them distinguished.)
Now, Gino is a deeply nervous, twitchy nerd and an actually-believes-this Catholic--who, moreover, remembers every piece of paper he's ever set eyes on. And Fredo's convinced that all of Gino's problems will solved if he can just get laid.
...so here's the comic that came from that. @drc00l4tt4, I realize this has an awful lot of OC-babbling, but--I still hope you enjoy this contribution to the Fredo tag :-)