#the bellic one. yeah

[godidontgaf]

I love roman so much!!!!!! aaaaahhh!!!!!

[divyasoup]

I want everyone to know that I wish the Cullen's had fangs btw. Important feature that should have been included.

part one

[mayormeinotknowme]

The Edge of Reason

The neon lights of Liberty City blurred into a streak as you sat in the back of the taxi, your heart pounding with anticipation. This city, with its cold, unforgiving streets, had become your refuge—your escape from a family that had never understood you, a family that saw your schizophrenia as a stain on their pristine reputation. The mental hospital they'd forced you into had been a cage, one you'd broken free from years ago.

Now, at 26, you found yourself entangled in the shadows of the city's underworld. The money, the danger, and the power had become your new way of life. You had learned quickly, kept your head down, and made a name for yourself, staying far away from the riches and judgment of your past.

Tonight, though, was different. You were meeting someone important—a man you'd only heard whispers about in the criminal circles. His name was Niko Bellic, and he had a reputation that preceded him. War-hardened, a survivor, and as ruthless as they came. But there was something else about him, something people couldn't quite put into words. A sense of loss, of something broken beneath the surface.

You didn’t know exactly how your paths would cross, but you felt drawn to him, like two sides of the same coin. Both of you had been betrayed by those you should've been able to trust. And tonight, for better or worse, your lives were about to collide.

The taxi stopped at a dimly lit bar in Broker. You paid the driver and stepped out, the chilly night air biting at your skin. You pulled your jacket tighter around you, taking a deep breath before stepping inside. The smell of smoke and cheap alcohol hit you instantly, and the low murmur of conversation filled the room.

Your contact had told you to wait here, that Niko would find you.

Sitting at the far end of the bar, you ordered a drink, the weight of the past and the future heavy on your shoulders. Would this be just another job? Or was something bigger at play?

You didn’t have to wait long. A tall, broad-shouldered man entered the bar, his face hard, but his eyes—those eyes told a different story. He scanned the room, and when his gaze locked onto yours, you felt a jolt. There was no mistaking it. This was Niko.

He walked over, his footsteps heavy and deliberate. Without a word, he sat next to you, motioning for the bartender to bring him a drink.

“You’re the one they sent?” His voice was gruff, with a slight Eastern European accent.

You nodded, your heart pounding. “Yeah. Name’s [Your Name].”

Niko took a sip of his drink, eyes still on you. “You don’t look like the type to get mixed up in this kind of business.”

You laughed bitterly. “Looks can be deceiving. What about you?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared into his drink, as if searching for something in its depths. “I’ve been through worse,” he finally said, his voice quieter now. “And I’ve learned that people do what they have to in order to survive.”

You nodded in agreement, a sense of unspoken understanding passing between you. In that moment, you knew that whatever came next, you and Niko were more alike than either of you would ever admit. Both of you were running—from your pasts, your demons, and the people who had betrayed you.

The world around you might have been falling apart, but in this fleeting moment, in the dim light of the bar, you found a strange sort of peace in the presence of someone who understood what it meant to be broken, yet still fight and survive

[tvitr]

A Little Treat

Part One

Words: 3,012

Pairings: Grusha/Katy

Synopsis: On the morning of her divorce, Katy finds herself daydreaming about her handsome colleague. On a spur of the moment, she invites him back to her place later that evening.

AO3 Version

Well.

That was that then.

It certainly had been nice whilst it lasted, Hell, had you asked her ten years ago how she thought this would pan out, she'd have said they'd be together forever. Till death do us part and all that.

But of course, nothing ever ran smoothly, and here she was now, three years after it all started going wrong.

Divorced.

She’d secured the day off from her gym work, Geeta had honestly been surprisingly understanding of the whole situation, but the bakery still needed to be tended to. Not that it bothered her much; baking always helped her relieve stress, it’s why she’d pursued it as a career after all, and usually she’d cherish a day where she wouldn’t be dragged to the gym every half hour...

Katy just wished today’s circumstances were... different.

Today was at least busy enough to semi-distract her. Honestly, it was busy to the point that she’d have taken time off from the gym regardless. They’d acquired a backlog of orders somehow (“somehow”, she tried to convince herself this wasn’t down to her absent mental state recently), and though it wasn't enough to affect their reputation, it was certainly enough to ensure she'd be cutting her breaks short.

She'd decided to man the tills today, just in case any of their customers today decided to get ratty over their order being delayed, or the service being slow. It was not her favourite job, honestly it was probably nobody's favourite job, but she'd rather take the heat for any shortcomings than make any of her employees handle it. After all, they were perfectly capable of manning the kitchen without her, and most of them were talented bakers in their own right anyway. She was merely the face of the business.

Katy was good at diffusing customer rage anyway, she didn't know how but they always seemed to calm down the moment she stepped onto the scene. Perhaps it was her minor celebrity status, she didn't know. But it was useful, at least.

Thankfully she hadn't had to exercise her special talent today. Despite their backlog and the ever-growing queue at the till, everyone she’d dealt with thus far had been perfectly civil. None of the staff had said anything for fear of jinxing the calm, but the relief in the air was tangible.

“Who’s next?”

To her surprise, a familiar face stepped forward. "Hi, I'm here to pick up-" His voice trailed off, something apparently interrupting his thoughts.

She smiled. "Good afternoon, Grusha."

She could almost see him reeling in his wayward thoughts. "Is it bad I completely forgot you worked here?"

"One of those days, huh?"

"Not even, took today off because I had some stuff to do and-" He ruffled his hair loose from its ponytail. “Guess it’s just been a long week. Lots to do, you know?”

“Yeah it’s been… it’s been long for me too.” She snapped herself back to reality before she got too lost. Despite being colleagues, Grusha was still a customer at the end of the day. She couldn't quite justify burdening him with her life issues. At least, not here anyway. “Anyhoo, your order’s under Ibáñez right?”

“Wouldn’t be under anything else.”

Perhaps it was down to him having been the first real celebrity she’d ever baked an order for, or perhaps it was just down to his uncommon name, but she’d always been able to remember every order she’d made under the name Ibáñez. She could still remember that first order, from his parents it seemed, to celebrate him being selected for the Paldean team for that year’s Winter Bellic Games. From then on, she’d apparently been his family’s go-to bakery, to the point she knew the names and birthdays of his parents and two siblings, his parent’s wedding anniversary, that his older brother was now pursuing an acting career in Galar, that his sister had recently graduated college…

It was a nice feeling, having a well-known regular, and it had certainly helped with publicity back in those early days of the business. Perhaps she should surprise him with a thank-you cake sometime. She’d baked enough orders for him now to know what he liked after all.

“So who’s this for?” She dropped the cake box onto the counter, readying the PIN machine. After all, it wasn't anybody's birthday soon, and his sister had picked up the anniversary cake last month-

“Oh, it’s just something for my old coach. It's his fifthtieth soon, thought I might surprise him."

“I see!” Come to think of it, he’d never ordered something for his coach before. Honestly she was surprised he’d remained in touch, though admittedly she’d never been the sporting type. Perhaps it was common to remain in touch after one's retirement, though something told her it was probably best not to pry. “Just tap your card there-”

As he rooted in his pockets for his card, Katy felt herself daydreaming again. It seemed odd to think about, but she'd never paid attention to how… fit Grusha was. She'd seen him out of his winter sports garb many a time at League meetings or nights out, and of course on any official League trips, but she'd never properly… studied his physique. He was beautifully built, with a broad, muscular chest that slimmed into a trim waist, and by God his arms were massive. And his face! Oh he had such a pretty face; big, long-lashed eyes, high cheekbones, and plush lips, gosh, what a wonderful little specimen of a man he was. Pretty and extremely fit, such a rare combination indeed!

What would it be like… to kiss those plush little lips? How would it feel if he held her tight with those big, powerful arms? What if they… what if they…

I can now.

I'm single.

The very thought sent a shiver through her. Her, and him! She knew women who'd kill to even be around him as much as she was, let alone able to spend a night with him-

… Did she really want to do that? He was younger than her after all, she didn't know by what margin, but would he be… up for it with an old divorcee like her? Should she risk him turning her down?

You won't know if you don't try.

That was true.

You deserve it.

That was also true. These past few years had been awfully hard for her after all.

Perhaps she was due… a little treat tonight?

"Your card machine's broke."

Katy jolted back to reality, shooing her daydream away (for time being). "Sorry it's been funny with me all day, uh-" Customer handling mode engaged. "Do you have cash?"

He looked around, raising his arm to point towards the nearby PokéCentre. "Not on me, no, but I saw a cash machine on my way-"

An idea suddenly hit her. "Oh, our till’s not working either, I know it's been an absolute nightmare all morning, are you free later by any chance?"

Grusha side-eyed the clerk next to her, apparently working the till with no problem. "I mean, I was going to hit the gym when I got back home, but after that-"

"Oh perfect, so you'll be free then?"

He shrugged. "I guess so?"

"Good, call back later. You know my address I’m sure." She sent him off with a playful wink.

***

What have I done.

Katy hadn't known what had come over her earlier, honestly. Inviting a colleague over! Thank goodness she hadn't said anything suggestive to him, she might’ve winked (oh God, did she really wink at him?), but she could at least hope he didn't see that.

Maybe he wouldn't even show up. Maybe he'd text her and say it's too much hassle and he'd just send her the money instead. She should've asked him to do that, really. In fact, she should probably just message him now, save him the trouble of coming all the way down to Cortondo just to hand over whatever he owed her. How much did he even owe her anyway? She hadn't taken note. It was too late to go find the receipt now.

Or maybe he would show up, and she could just take the money and send him home. It was an awful long way for him sure, but she was fairly certain he had a solo fliers licence, and she knew he had that Altaria, hopefully it wouldn't be too much bother for him, or hopefully he wouldn't even bother coming-

There was a buzz from the hallway.

Now or never.

She held her breath as she walked to the door. Maybe it wasn't him. Maybe it was her neighbour, wanting to borrow some sugar. Maybe it was a delivery guy, knocking on the wrong door. Maybe it was the boy next door, asking if he could retrieve his football from her garden again. Maybe it was-

She opened the door.

Grusha stood on the porch, still sweating and flushed from his evening workout. Or maybe he'd just showered, she didn't know. Either way, his shirt clung to his frame, showing off his chiselled muscles, and his long hair was damp and held back in a messier than usual ponytail. A sports bag was slung over his shoulder.

"Came here straight after the gym. The human gym I mean, not the-" He took a deep breath and laughed breathlessly, hand running through his hair, tousling it further. "You know what I mean."

Katy didn't know how, but somehow he was even more attractive than he was earlier. It was probably the shirt, the way it hugged his frame, showing off his toned body underneath. Or maybe it was the fact he'd been working out, how he glistened with sweat in the evening sun. She wondered how he would smell right now, or even how his skin would taste, so warm and salty, like a summer's sea breeze-

She shooed her thoughts away, for now. "Do you want to come in for a bit? You're looking very flushed."

He seemed to think for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah, that would be… that would be nice."

He stepped in, dropping his bag by the door with a loud thud. Following the bag to the floor, her eyes passed over his lower half; his ass and thighs were currently shrouded by his shorts, but if his calves were anything to go by…

“Sorry, my shoulders are aching-” He flexed his glorious arms and back with a satisfying series of clicks before hoisting his bag up again.

Katy mentally shook herself to avoid staring for too long. Lord knew she'd die if he caught her ogling. “The kitchen’s just over there, make yourself at home.”

As she watched him enter the kitchen, and heard his bag thud down a second time, she took the time alone to gather her thoughts once again. Was she doing this or not? How did she even go about asking him? Should she test the water first? What if he was already taken? Goodness, she hadn't even thought of that-

"Katy? Where are you?"

"Just having an issue with the door, I'll be with you in a second." She slammed it a few times, fiddling with the lock and handle for extra effect.

“Need any help?”

“Nope, it’s fine.” With one last (hopefully convincing) slam, she hurried over to the threshold of the kitchen door where he'd disappeared to.

Here we go.

Katy took a deep breath, thankful that Grusha at least had his back to her right now. That at least gave her time to plan her next move. Perhaps she should’ve put something nicer on? Or even showered?

It doesn’t matter now, just go for it.

She sauntered into the kitchen. He didn't seem to notice it, instead rooting around in his pockets. "So how much do I owe you?"

"Oh, nothing actually." She tugged at the buttons on her dress, trying to loosen them to flaunt some cleavage before realising they were purely decorative. "Though you could say I could use a little…"

Goodness, what was the word?

"Fun, tonight." Yeah, that was it! Fun. A bit of fun. Just a bit of fun. A nice bit of-

“What?” To her mild horror, Grusha was staring at her with his mouth slightly agape and a look of abject confusion on his face. “Katy, what are you talking about…?”

Oh no.

“I mean you can…” Her nervous hands fumbled with her braid, trying to release it with no success. “Pay me in other ways, perhaps?”

The staring continued. "No offence, but have you been drinking? You're being… weird."

“Baby, I’m stone cold sober.” She tried to hoist her leg up onto the countertop, before realising that it was both far too high, and that her skirt couldn’t stretch enough for it.

It was safe to say Grusha was looking veritably dumbfounded by this point. "Listen, how about I just give you the money and leave, I promise I won't tell Geeta about this. Swear on my Cetoddle’s life."

"Don't you get it?” She marched over, trying to corner him in his chair before again realising her skirt wouldn’t allow the stretch. “I want to make love to you, I’ve been thinking about it all day, I don’t know how else to say it so I might as well just be upfront about, I… I…"

An aggressively awkward silence fell between them as the bemused stare off continued. No, no, no-

A loud sigh. “... Alright, where’s Iono?”

Katy blinked. “Wha-”

“She’s set you up to this, right? This is all part of a prank for her channel?”

“I don’t under-”

“Okay so…” He rubbed the bridge of his nose, letting out another, more annoyed, sigh. “This is a bit embarrassing, but one time when we were watching you battle and you said something like, ‘oh, let me knead you into submission’, and I said to myself ‘man I wish she’d knead me into submission’, and I thought I was being quiet but it turns out Iono heard me because of course she did, and ever since then she’s basically… blackmailed me by saying she’ll tell you I said that if I don’t give an interview on her channel.”

He took a deep breath, ruffling his hair till the tie keeping his ponytail in place was only clinging onto a few stray locks and static. “So where is she? She's gotta be hiding somewhere right? Ready to jump out and embarrass me, yeah?”

Katy stumbled back, hand behind her reaching for a countertop which never came. He thought this was a joke. He thought she was leading him on for a joke. She should probably play along, save her all that embarrassment, act like Iono was hiding in her pantry or something, after all if word of this got out, then her gym job and even her patisserie could be in jeopardy, and-

"Hey, you alri- Hey!” She heard him bound over, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders and holding her steady, those big eyes of his looking deep into her with an unusual amount of concern for his usually miserable face. "Man, are you okay? You've been acting real weird since I got here."

“Yeah, I-I’m fine.” The room felt like it was spinning, and she teetered even in his firm grip. “I’ve just…. I’m just…”

“Hey, easy, easy…” He guided her to the chair he’d been sitting on, kneeling down next to her and taking her hand. “Just breathe, okay? I don’t know what to do if you faint or something.”

"I'm not going to faint, I promise." She said that with a lot of confidence for someone who felt like she was leaning sideways. "It's just… I've really embarrassed myself here, haven’t I? Inviting you out here for no reason and giving you all that, and… and now you think it was all just a joke and I’m leading you on and-”

“Breathe, breathe...” A hand landed gently on her back, rubbing a circle in between her shoulders, whilst his other hand gave hers a reassuring squeeze. “Sorry, I don’t really know what else to say, just like… try to stay calm. I won’t tell anyone about this. I promise.”

"Okay." Something in his voice told her he was being sincere. That was one weight off her mind at least, and her breathing began to slow to a less erratic pace. "Okay."

"Good, good." With one last affectionate pat on her back, he stood up, hands diving into his pockets. "So uh… why did you invite me here anyway? Don’t say it was for the cake because I know your cash till was working earlier."

Katy dried her eyes “Guess I have to come clean then, eh?”

“Did you really invite me down here for… you know…” He pumped his hips jokingly, eyebrows bobbing. That got a weak laugh out of her at least.

A deep breath. Just admit it. "Yes. I did."

He paused. "Huh. Never knew you thought about me that way. I mean, I'm not offended or anything but still, it's surprising."

“It was… a spur of the moment thing." Goodness, what a situation this was. At least he wasn’t going to blab about this. “It’s been really, really rough for me recently what with the divorce and all, and I saw you earlier when you came by the bakery, and I thought I'd maybe treat myself to-"

She realised too late how that sounded. “Oh, goodness, I’m so sorry, you must think I’m such an old-”

“Pft, don't worry about it. I've heard worse. Trust me." He bit his lip, swaying on his heel. "So… you still down? It's okay if you're not, I can just go home."

Katy thought for a moment. "Are you?"

Grusha raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Weren’t you paying attention earlier?"

Oh no. "What... what do you mean?"

He leaned in close, lips barely gracing her ear. "I've fantasised about making out with you for a long time."

[tommytranselo]

i think we gloss over the fact that roman got shot for niko when they first meet faustin like. god DAMN that man has... been through a bit of a wringer for niko (also. idk why but i wish he'd just slip up and call him + niko "the brothers bellic" bc i think. that's rlly what they are at the end of the day)

YEAH LITERALLY especially in the stomach, and at close range no less...that easily could’ve been fatal, and if not, at least the kind of injury that leaves permanent damage.  and i kinda forgot about it for a bit tbh and then was like.  wait holy shit.  (doesn’t he use the phrase bellic brothers at one point?  i could’ve sworn he did in the car at one point)

[official-brennivin]

[poplinn]

short king

[kchasm]

Ryu Number: Phil Collins

Phil Collins is a musician well-known for his work with the band Genesis, which doesn't help me with how I keep confusing him with Peter Gabriel. He definitely has a Ryu Number, but how large it is depends fully on the level of hinkiness you're willing to swallow.

Aight, in order of reverse hinkiness:

In the 2018 video game Spider-Man, a side mission sees Spider-Man catching a casino heist in the prep stages. The apparent ringleader of the heist group (carefully balaclavaed) is named Niko, and makes reference to Roman being the driver—a clear reference to the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto IV and his brother, if nothing else.

Interestingly, the dialogue in Spider-Man identifies Roman as Niko's nephew, not his brother—but Grand Theft Auto IV ends with (among other things) the birth of Roman's son, so if you accept that Roman's kid might also end up being named Roman (Roman's that kind of fella, unless he isn't, in which case the kid might end up called Roman for a different but still cromulent reason), the Spider-Man appearance doesn't necessarily not jibe with Grand Theft Auto canon.

Following this route—hinky though it may be—through Grand Theft Auto character Lazlow Jones' recurring appearance as a radio host gives Phil Collins a Ryu Number of at most 3.

(Oh, right, yeah—Phil Collins is in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. His manager owes money to the mob, and it's the player character's job to make sure Mr. Collins doesn't end up with a bad case of hematic exosomosis. Once you're done with all of that, you can trade in a big wad of dough to watch him perform In the Air Tonight in late-noughties PlayStation glory. He does that thing where he walks all dramatic slowly down the stage till he gets to the drums to drop the beat and everything.)

Now, if you're leery about counting that as Bellic (which, fair), there's an alternate route of the same length, with the caveat that it requires the use of Grand Theft Auto Online, and I have no idea how that works. I've been informed that a content update called "The Contract" allows one to hear the melodious sound of Snoop Dogg playing guest host over the radio, but if you began a new game tomorrow, would you eventually be able to access to Contract-exclusive content? Are all the little fizzbangs and widgets of this level/mission/content/update kept sequestered away from the player unfortunate enough not to play this update when it first came out? Again, my knowledge of Grand Theft Auto Online is minus nil, but if this does work, then Phil Collins' Ryu Number is at most 4 again, except this time more cleanly.

(Yes, Snoop Dogg is in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. He's in the stage that's also called "Snoop Dogg," Snooping upon his Snoopish throne. You don't get to play as him, unfortunately. Try True Crime: Streets of LA. Or Call of Duty: Vanguard.)

Finally, just to cover my bases in case we must, after all, remain Snoopless: It's a longer route, but the cleanest one of the three, facilitated by Grand Theft Auto's tendency to staff its radio stations with real-life musicfolk. In this case, it's Funkmaster Flex to thank, giving Phil Collins a Ryu Number of at most 6.

...Yes, yes, "Frankenstein's Monster." They call him "Frankenstein" in the games. Blame Konami. And, um... *wikis frantically* ...Big Ape Productions.

[delafiseaseses]

Let’s talk about Niko Bellic

Yeah, let’s talk about Niko Bellic of GTA IV real quick. Because I’m remembering things that always really annoy me about how some people see Niko Bellic.

So, you’ve probably heard the rubbish I’m about to mention before. Some people seem to think Niko Bellic’s character and the idea of player-driven rampages don’t match up and don’t make sense.

This is wrong and is part of a purely surface level understanding of the character. Niko Bellic is a man who clearly hates what happened during his time in war. He is often quite philosophical and, famously, claims at one point after killing a man that he promised himself he wouldn’t kill people in Liberty City.

Now, all of this is true for Niko, but you know the funny thing about that promise (apart from the fact Niko in that very mission had already beaten two other men to death)?

He knew that promise wasn’t going to happen before he even entered Liberty City.

Of course he did, he was there on a quest for revenge. It is impossible for Niko Bellic to have actually thought that he wouldn’t kill people when he came to Liberty City to hunt a man down for revenge. Hell, his reaction is one of annoyance more than anything.

So, the question is: why did he pretend like he wasn’t? I mean, he says this to himself while he is alone.

And the answer is simple: He wanted to pretend that was true for a moment. A few farcical days of pretending that he wasn’t going to kill anyone. But he knew that it wasn’t going to happen. It’s like making a new years resolution and breaking it before January ends. 

You can pretend that you actually tried.

As for out-of-mission rampages. Well, Niko has a real nasty temper and there’s a line that always sticks with me about it:

“I grew up in a war, this means nothing.”

For all his supposed virtues, Niko isn’t virtuous. He’s an angry, sad man who lashes out at the world and justifies his actions as out of his control using a number of excuses. Revenge is the big one, but there’s those other ones. Ones he happily lists along with the revenge one to Ray Boccino:

“Because I need the money and because I can’t do anything else. And because I’m good at it.”

Those are the big excuses. The second one is an interesting one ���because I can’t do anything else.” is code for I’ve resigned myself to this so I won’t have to improve myself and the “I’m good at it.” line is a sign of his pride. Niko would never directly admit it, but he’s proud of his ability. 

Too be fair, he does have impressive skills. Niko’s a GTA Protagonist. Yes, he’s good at it, but is being good at something a reason to do it? No, of course not! It’s an excuse.

What I’m trying to say is that while Niko is a complex bloke, he’s also a very simple bloke. He’s a man who knows violence is wrong, but indulges his tendency towards violence with nothing more than a few dumb justifications, but he doesn’t even need those if he’s in a bad mood. 

When is Niko in a bad mood? Whenever the player does standard GTA stuff with him. Hell, you probably don’t know this, but if you get 6 stars while working with the United Liberty Paper Contact he calls Niko and scolds him. Niko’s responses include (there’s like 3, but the 3rd one doesn’t actually address why like these two):

“Hey, sometimes I just can’t help myself”

“I’m sorry, I’m excitable.” (in response to being told to ‘be calm’)

So, yeah. That always bothers me when I think about it. This stuff is in the bloody game. Is it so hard to understand the actual words said in the actual game? The entierity of That Special Someone happened, you know.

[romancemoved]

                    ✨ a follow forreal volume 1 for the babezzzzzzxxxoxox that really hold it down and make me happy. i'm not gonna waste words here, let's just get to it. don't ask me about the graphic, i saw at least 5 japanese magazines today and decided to copy all of them at the same time. 

@dxspereaux / years of shenanigans... you’re the only person who can make a muse and virote will hate them instantly and will eventually beat them up and spit on them. i love that... i love our Enemies™ and the awful ways they get to each other. but i also love our lovey-dove ships. can you believe donvi have been at it for years!!! lochlan, dude, and a bonus gerry... and i love the friendships :) didi and virote are gonna burn down the entire state of new jersey one day. don’t even know why but best believe its coming anyway dex omg ur a wonderful writer. full of humor and emotion and i luv u wtf heehee. im sorry virote makes fun of your italian muse so much for being italian.

@splittingpaths / ur on discord now mainly but that’s kind of where all of our stupid shit happens anyway. love our little connections and plots and shit... love how highly inappropriate the humor in them can be sometimes i know with you i can cut loose and have a laugh lolllll. my luv for u never changes, unlike tommy’s race... our multi-latino, spaghetti italian headass, irish on wednesdays headass... love ur muses. luv u and ur journey in life.... i wish mi-cha would get therapy tho maybe u should let her have that. glfdjgldfgjfd.

@emptyvictory / you already f*cking know what time it is rory. its pizza time. like yeah we havent been partners for years but it feels like it... three brilliance. u rly made me into a gta4 stan... cant wait til its massacred in a remaster. anyway. i already told u my best writing these days comes w. u. omg niko bellic and virote srisati... two emotionally stunted men that just deserve to love each other and not scream internally all the time. niko’s such an easy muse to fuck up. ive seen it happen lol. hes ur masterpiece tho. as far as im concerned, rockstar games can fuck offf. :) hes ur character and gta 4 is ur property.

@maximuses​ / the drama we’ve written omg... the michaelvi saga which has left vi a mess still i think but only because he’s embarrassed by the whole ordeal... vi and trevor...... vi hasnt tried to kill steve haines yet but i think we should make something of that soon. like vis not gonna kill him but maybe hitting him really hard w. a tennis ball will do something. anyway... ur gta 5 muses are yours really... i love the depth you’ve given michael and i love that u made him a divorcee. king shit!! and ur so nice and wonderful and i’ve always loved talking to you on discord and seeing u on my dash omg ilyyyyyyy.

@vendettacanons / u and jason kinda come in a package deal like a cheeseburger and fries. ur so fun!! and i love that uve taken up the gta5 muses that others wouldnt like lamar and lester :))) let’s do some frankji soon...... dont get me started on andreas. rockstar dropped the ball with not giving him any sort of backstory but youve made him his own person and hes so interesting. and i absolutely love your writing and how much you enjoy character building. u love what u do and it shows.

@blightceo / ur going here because we talk a lot on discord. and i root for ur growth and i want the best for u!!!!! i want u to go out and beat a bitch’s ass!!! pull a weave. go out and achieve ur dreams and get famous from ur art cuz u deserve that tbh i luv u so much im very glad ur just here and letting me witness u it truly is a gift. :)

part 2 is coming whenever.

i don’t ever wanna look at photoshop ever again.

[mercyxkilling]

[ ♛ ] send me a url and i'll tell you...

@emptyvictory said: ♛ + my url if we're copying each other? Lol

[ ♛ ] send me a url and i'll tell you the following;

my opinion on;

character in general: oh my god. niko bellic. i can’t explain to you the love affair that i have with this sassy ass motherfucker of a man and how much i want to hold him close and tell him that he’s good enough, though i bet he’d shove me away and tell me to never do that shit again and that i’m weird for doing it at all. he’s got such an amazing duality to him that i am in love with because like. yeah, he’ll fucking kill a buncha dudes, but then he’ll have a conversation in the car with a buddy about how he’s okay with saving some lives or some shit. he’s known to play peacemaker for some, but he’s also willing to smash a cameraman’s face in by kicking his foot through his skull because he doesn’t want to be on manny’s show. then when manny dies he says some callous ass shit about it and then goes about his business like nothing happened. niko is such a good man, he really is, but he’s also not at the same time, and is capable of doing such awful things. characters like that have always had a special place in my heart, and niko is no different. that accent helps an awful lot, too, lemme tell ya. it gives ya girl the vapors. *fans self* which is funny because i don’t actually find the man to be conventionally attractive, but all of that stuff i mentioned above? i mean... i’d let him touch me. i can’t lie.  how they play them: now, rory, i know we’ve had this discussion before, but i’m going to say it again (to fuel your ego because i absolutely love doing that because i want you to feel as special as you truly are, and just because this is how i actually feel and i want to keep being honest about this stuff because secrets don’t make friends!!): if there were anyone else behind the wheel here taking charge of this slavic badass, i’m not so sure i’d even be interested in trying to have a thread with them at all. you bring such a take to this man that i cannot truly explain with words in an adequate way that could do you and what you do with him any justice. it’s just... an experience. and it’s an experience that i have loved from the moment we started all the way up till now, and i know i’ll feel the same way (and still quite as strongly!!) with anything and everything that we do in the future, be it with threads or asks or things in discord or just nonsensical little back-and-forths that we share once in a while when the mood strikes us. i love everything that we’ve done/are doing/will do, and i cannot fully describe to you just how much more i still want to have with you. i’m like mercy is with niko apparently; i’m fucking insatiable with these two. they’ve somehow become my OTP and that’s truly saying something since the last one i had lasted forever (all the way up to this point tbh--the one i told you about with my RDR verse where mercy and jack were supposed to get married? like, it’s managed to override even THAT one in my heart, that’s how much these two mean to me). i will never tire of niko x mercy content, i will ALWAYS want to hear your ideas about them, i will ALWAYS want to hear any ideas that you have for them--no matter how big or or how small they might seem, i will ALWAYS want to hear any ideas you might have for AUs with these two... i mean. i think you get the picture, yeah? BUT IF YOU DON’T COME FIND ME ON DISCORD AND I’LL GLADLY ELABORATE EVEN MORE IF YOU WANT, BECAUSE I COULD TALK ABOUT THESE FUCKERS FOR HOURS. I MEAN, YOU KNOW THAT I ALREADY HAVE, SO DON’T THREATEN ME WITH A GOOD TIME HERE, LMAOOOO. the mun: oh god, rory. ohgodohgodohgod. there are so many things that i want to say here, but i feel like you’ve heard me say them a thousand times already. i just... i want to make sure that you know that i love you, first and foremost. a lot of folks seem to think i throw the word ‘love’ around far too freely, but i very much beg to differ; i only use it when i truly mean it and when it truly means something to me. do with that knowledge what you will. you are such a treasure to me, and i can’t tell you how happy i am that you’re apart of my life and how much i wish we lived closer to one another so we could be silly together and i could actually ruffle your hair and give you platonic forehead smooches and wish you a good day at school each morning and then see you after classes and ask you about your day and talk to you about anything and everything as we sat side by side and watched some garbage like ancient aliens or played some ridiculous video games together while coming up with scenarios, both of us being like “oh my god, could you imagine if niko and mercy ____ together???” and things like that. but even if we aren’t closer, it doesn’t make me value your time that you give to me any less, and it doesn’t make me love the time that we spend talking with one another any less, either. i adore you so fucking much. i just... i just really, really, really love you, and i wish i could show you that better than just with some writing or a crappy doodle here and there you know? you deserve such good things. all the good things in life, in fact, and i wish i were capable of giving them to you. but i hope that you know that i truly am grateful for your presence in my life, i can’t imagine my experience here (or away from here and over on discord instead!) without you, as you’ve become such an integral part of my experience on this hellsite. niko and mercy are my OTP, and i’m yours for as long as you’ll have me, and you are very much stuck with me!

do i;

follow them: bitch, please. of fucking course i do. i can’t imagine not following rory. rp with them: as much as i possibly can and hopefully then some; i can’t get enough of niko and any other characters they want to introduce me to that they think mercy could mesh well with... or that she couldn’t mesh well with and yet could still make an amazing dynamic all the same. :P want to rp with them: are... are you illiterate? YES. ALL THE TIME. ALL DAY, ERRYDAY.  ship their character with mine: one more time, for those in the back, and with feeling!: YES, YES, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES. i am so, so, so grateful that niko is part of mercy’s narrative (and honestly, i may even make it so that he’s part of her actual main backstory, that’s how much their relationship means to me and how much it’s allowed me to see her in so many different ways).

what is my;

overall opinion: holy shit i love you and i love niko and i love the way you play him and i love the way you really show his duality and i love the way he learned to respect mercy and how that respect turned to admiration and the way that admiration turned to full on attraction and how that attraction turned to awkward dating but not dating and how that awkward dating but not dating eventually turned into actual dating and how that led to mercy finally kissing him and how that kiss made him feel relief more than anything else but then how all of that turned into something even more awkward and how that led to mercy realizing finally how much she actually truly loved him despite never having been in love and despite the hurt that it caused and the way they both dealt with it (two hardened killers acting like BABIES omggggg) until finally, finally they were able to come to terms with it and are now left wondering where they’re supposed to go from here since they’ve never done anything like this before... AND ALL THE AUs WE COULD HAVE AND HOW THAT COULD END UP FOR THEM BOTH HAS ME SO FUCKING EXCITED BECAUSE WE COULD GET A CHANCE TO SEE THEM BEHAVE IN A DIFFERENT WAY LIKE WHAT IF THEY START OUT HATING EACH OTHER BUT HAVE A MUTUAL ATTRACTION BECAUSE NIKO’S LIKE ‘GODDAMN THIS BITCH IS STACKED BUT SHE’S GOT SUCH A MOUTH ON HER UGH’ OR MAYBE THE RDR AU COULD HAVE SOME STRIFE BETWEEN THEM SINCE MERCY RUNS WITH HER POSSE AND COULD POSSIBLY END UP HITTING A TARGET THAT HE PLANNED TO OR OR OR OMG THE POSSIBILITIES RORY OMFG THERE ARE JUST SO FUCKING MANY and i just can’t wait to experience them all with you and your interpretation of niko because it’s just so fucking good and they’re such a good couple and have such an amazing dynamic that have them both behaving in ways that sometimes are predictable but in others leave me reeling for days like ‘holy shit that actually fucking happened??’ and THAT, my friend, is the sign of a good writing partner. and that is exactly what you are to me, amongst many, many other things. <3 i love you so very much and while i know you’ve had a rough go of it lately, i wish you all the best with it, know that i’m here for you if you should need me for ABSOLUTELY anything you might need (whether it’s to talk/vent, write you silly drabbles, or draw you things), and know that you’ll always, always, ALWAYS have my support through whatever you’re going through. though part of me knows that you know that you don’t need it because you’re so fucking strong and capable of absolutely anything that you put your mind do.

i love you, boo. never forget that. please.

**Note: Mun’s answer are all to be completely honest. Don’t send url if you don’t want brutal honesty.

[swiftsaltsweet]

Taken from the Lexicon website, it was from the Personal Correspondence #9 which was copied over from a MySpace interview it seems (waybackmachine no show-y ;w; so I can’t 100% verify) back in 2006 of all things (the repost was in April 2006, not sure when the OG interview was, but like.... NM the book wasn’t even out yet yo). 

According to SMeyer(?) apparently gay vamps exist (which means other LGBT ones probably do too, in retrospect obviously). But yeah if this really is SMeyer (which from how the other stuff is written, it sounds like her giving an interview), it’s interesting how she didn’t shy away from it esp in 2006. I mean the bar isn’t high but it was cleared. 

So I guess “Meyer is mormon so of course she’s against gay vamps blah blah” argument is kinda false, but how I choose to look at it is that Bellice (and other gay vamp ships) are now 100% plausible. So I’mma take it as a win.

[goth-albino-angel]

Honestly, Twilight sucked. There was the racism, the borderline pedophilia, the romanticization of behavior that is creepy, stalkerish, and should not be rewarded, the sexism (holy fuck the sexism), the way it treated mental illness. It’s a pretty shitty series all around. 

However, while Twilight wasn’t good by any standard, it did present a few things that are actually pretty nice. Bella as an independent teenager, capable of cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, driving, and still making friends. Alice as the hero of the last story (let’s be real, Alice is the hero of books one, two, and four and no one can say otherwise), portmanteau names that Stephenie Meyer clearly thinks she created. Honey, you didn’t, but thank you for making them mainstream anyway. 

Also, on a less canon and more personal note, it gave me Bellice and Esmetoria. Alice is perfect for Bella. It’s pure fluff 100% of the time. I don’t know why I ship Victoria with Esme, but hell yeah I do.

[smuggsy]

Prompt: Value Me | A drabble about one character telling another how they feel about them. Nandor/Guillermo, for @jonaskaahnwald

It’s been a particularly tough week for Guillermo. In between his house cleaning duties and body-burying duties and grocery duties... well. He’s managed to catch a pretty nasty cold. Undoubtedly from his time spent outside under the heavy falling of snow trying to draw the corpses out of the house.

Out of the main entrance of the house.

He almost tripped over one of those students as well when he first got in today, packs of gardening supplies for Laszlo blocking his view of anything that wasn’t the ceiling.

Because apparently he’s Laszlo and Nadja’s little servant now, as well. Because they aren’t competent enough to procure themselves a decent familiar that doesn’t end up butchered one way or another in the span of a week. And they can’t even be bothered to leave their corpses lying somewhere they don’t turn into a death trap, either. 

Of course they don’t care.

They’re vampires.

Can’t die of a broken neck, a vampire.

He, on the other hand...

”Come off, come off you little-- pleeease!” he scrubs and scrubs, feeling cold and hot all at the same time, kneeling down and holding onto that little piece of now carmine-coloured fabric a little bit too enthusiastically.

He can’t hold in a nasty cough as he wipes what’s left of the blood from the wooden planks. He thinks he hears Nandor’s voice coming from the dormitory, but he stays down and ignores him.

Hell, the sun has barely gone down and he feels like shit.

He can’t deal with his master’s childish predicaments when he’s barely holding himself upright.

“Guillermooooo!”

Yeah.

As if.

“I’m coming, master!”

And he pushes himself up with a heave and walks his way to Nandor’s room in auto-pilot.

He could do it with his eyes closed, probably.

Ah, if only he could just close his eyes, lie down in bed... Just have a little nap.

“Guillermo! It smells funny in here,” Nandor barely spares him a look as he drags his feet into the dim-lit dormitory, where his master’s barely rising from his coffin.

Guillermo swallows through a dry throat and pushes his glasses back up his nose. He hasn’t been in here today. 

“Ah, that’ll be the... dead body in the corner, master,” he provides, hoarse voice low enough that a normal human being would’ve probably asked him to repeat himself. 

There’s silence, and then Nandor turns to stare him down with a frown.

“I’ll get rid of it in a minute,” Guillermo says, “I was just wiping down this huge pool of blo--”

“Guillermo!” 

The familiar stops in his tracks at the accusatory tone.

“Ye--,” another cough, except he manages to stifle down this one with the crook of his arm, “yes, master. Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up, as I said, there was a bit of a mess in the--”

Guillermo trails off.

He trails off because Nandor is still as a corpse himself, and he’s looking at him with a new expression. 

He’s never seen him scrunch up his nose like that.

Right.

He probably smells quite uninviting himself, what with all his body juices and runny nose and one or two strangers’ blood all over his apron. Probably under his nails as well...

“Guillermo...” Nandor coos.

Nandor never coos.

The familiar swallows again through a painfully dry throat. Suddenly drier.

“What do you think you are doing? You are sick! You need to go to the hospital!”

Guillermo blinks. He fights down a smile.

“Oh, no, it’s fine master. It’s only a cold, I can--,” a sneeze. “I’ll get the--,” another sneeze. Another scrunch-up nose from his master. “Get the body.”

And he turns around to go do just that and he’s not sure if it’s his lethargic and delayed reaction span due to the cold, but Nandor’s next to him in the blink of an eye, so fast that Guillermo almost sways on his feet at having him so close all of a sudden.

“You will do no such thing!” Nandor exclaims, “look at you! You look half-dead! You will spread the germs all over my sleeping quarters!”

“But... you don’t get infected,” Guillermo mumbles, and next he lets out a very silly laugh, fever-induced, that one, “you’re dead.”

“That is not the point, Guillermo!”

“Sorry, master.”

“Shoo, go get yourself one of those paraceta-moles, I can’t have my familiar dying of the flu?!”

Guillermo lets himself be pushed outside. He’s got no energy left in him.

“It’s not the flu,” he adds. Nandor doesn’t listen, as per usual.

“Damn those Spanish people, bringing pestilence with them... I was never too fond of the likes of them.”

“Actually, you know that’s a common misconception, right?” 

“Ughh, no,” Guillermo grunts. He can’t help the grunt. Not today. It sounds a bit more like a whine as well, and less like an actual grunt. 

Colin ignores him too.

As Colin does.

“It being referred to as the ‘Spanish flu’ has nothing to do with it being Spanish at all. It wasn’t! In fact, it’s just that as Spain remained neutral during the bellic conflict of the First World War -- which lasted from 1914 to 1918 for those of you less history-savvy -- their press naturally took on the job of reporting the spread of the disease because the rest of the involved countries just wouldn’t do it. It was a question of keeping up the morale, you see. They still don’t know where the flu originated, in fact...”

Guillermo feels light-headed. 

He doesn’t hit the floor upon fainting only because Nandor’s behind him. Of course, when he wakes a couple of hours later, he’ll think he’s imagined it, him being carried bridal-style and his master hissing intently at their resident energy vampire and demanding he go get A-spirins.

“Colin Robinson! Look what you’ve done!”

[wonderfulcinderella]

Oh! So you're also a fan of Niko... Mind to explain to me why, exactly? It's a genuine question! He bullies Roman and Brucie, as well as Patrick to some degree, betrays pretty much everyone he's ever worked with (killing a McReary brother and then coming to his funeral, just to score Sensitive Guy™️ points with Katie was the most cruel thing I've ever seen in media ever), plays the victim all the time-- At some point I literally started rooting for Dimitri :-/. Please, tell me why you like him!

Okay so listen, this took me a while to answer 'cause I actually had to think about this for a bit -

First of all, thanks for asking, I really do love talking about GTA IV, since it's my fave GTA :)

Sooo let's talk about mah boi Niko. I fell in love with Niko literally the second I saw him. Well, that's not exactly correct. I fell in love with him while playing The Cousins Bellic when he was talking to Roman about his past (since you said Niko was bullying Roman - Roman literally fell asleep when Niko was talking to him?). I know Niko has his flaws, I'm pretty sure R* makes sure their protagonists have quite a few flaws so you can identify yourself with them. Anyways.

Considering the bullying, I don't think that's what it is? Sure, you can read a lot into it, but tbh me and my siblings do "bully" each other quite a lot, too. You have no idea how many times I told my sister she was raised by fucking wolves before we found and adopted her - she usually answers with flipping me off and telling me that I was adopted (which is actually true, that's why it's funny). I don't think Roman nor Brucie nor Packie would be as close to Niko as they are if they actually felt bullied? I mean, I wouldn't risk being shot just to support my cousin taking revenge for his dead girlfriend if I actually felt bullied by him? But it's a game and you can read into it whatever you want.

I also don't exactly know what you mean by betraying? 😂 who exactly did he betray??

Sure, he kinda DID betray Francis or Derrick (whoever you picked, I usually shoot Francis), but I don't think he wanted to work for Francis in the first place and he also didn't have that much of a choice, and yes, no matter if you kill Francis or Derrick, Niko will attend the funeral, which is kinda shitty, but what was he supposed to say? Sorry Packie but I'm the one who killed your brother, I don't think it would be appropriate to come? And if you mean Playboy X and Dwayne (the first time I played GTA IV I shot Dwayne and I never ever did that again), he did betray one of them, sure, but again, he could've said no and then they would've gotten someone else to do it.

Considering the victim part - well, he IS a victim. Based on a lot of conversations ingame Niko was very young when he had to fight in the Yugoslaw wars (I don't know where you're from or what you know about european history, maybe you wanna look that up yourself), it's implied his father was an alcoholic, they didn't have electricity in their house until he was 12, so yeah, he seems like a victim because he IS a victim. At least he's more of a victim than most other GTA protagonists (for example, Michael). I think maybe that is why I like him so much? I don't really know.

And now, last but not least, how the fuck can you even consider rooting for Dimitri? God, I hate that rat so much 😂 but I have to admit, he was a brilliant antagonist.

[cloudauditorefair]

Alright I'm on ao3 and am 100% a grumpy old man about it

Cloud_Auditore_Fair

Back up on my bullshit and yeah I'm just moving oneshots over until I get But I Miss You started there, but I'm gonna see about a Bellice one shot to get me going, Idk