"HESITATION" — [Money Inc. x Vice City AU, 182 words]
Another deal to oversee. Routine. I take my place, and he takes his. It's all the same— Ted hands them what they ask for, and they give us what they owe. It's all routine. It's safe, he's safe....because I make sure of it.
I go through a couple packs a week; that's how busy we are now. The cough is starting to bother me when I'm off-- I've been making mistakes at the office. White out in one box turns into a new sheet. I shake. Coffee makes it worse. Still I light up because it keeps me steady, alert, but--
Lately, It's been hard to breathe. I can feel myself getting tired. I shake.
A break would be nice---
If only he would listen; he never does. He used to.
So I take my place, and the thought crosses my mind again. "What's it like to be free?"
Maybe....
Today is the day I find out.
If I can just-
If I could just..........
......The deal went well. He's safe; we're safe. I made sure of it.
Hello Lux! Would you be so kind as to indulge us with any varsity Mike headcanons? Some of your tags on posts with varisty era Mikey have been *chefs kiss*
✨ He’s so rancid and handsome, burdened by prestige and a burning desire to prove his worthiness. ✨
LONG explanation, media, and headcanons underneath the cut. Let’s go, orange!! 🧡
So to start off , I'd like to take everyone with me back to the early 80s, because the evil jock seeds were planted then and sat dormant until late 1987. I'd rather not do a whole history of his career and instead just highlight some important events that I believe were so important to his heel turn.
Before even entering his first major feud in the Mid-Atlantic territory, Mike has made it clear in his pre-match interviews that he's in wrestling for the money and the championships and that he'd do all he can to achieve that goal. He's very blunt about this, almost like he's not trying to play his role as a face, that's just him. Very clock in, clock out, go home.
One key event that comes to mind is his first major win in the Mid-Atlantic area, winning the Television championship from Leroy Brown (on Christmas, by the way!). Mike would often be alone when facing Leroy who had Sir Oliver Humperdink is his corner, always waiting to interfere in their matches. (I think it's important to keep in mind that Leroy used to be a "blue-collar" relatable face who was then tempted and turned by the promise of a "fast, luxurious lifestyle", trading work overalls for fancy suits. )
Mike was the underdog, undergoing abuse and treated unfairly every time he'd face Leroy. Although he was alone in his corner early on, Bob Caudle, other wrestlers, and the fans (shout out to the "let's go, Mike!" girlies) would always be there with encouragement-- Bob would always hype up Mike's amateur/college background, his body (😏😏😏), and most importantly his hard-working, never give up attitude. Mike was kinda shy, humble, and would often stumble over his words during promos (which is very cute!!!!!!) but ultimately, it didn’t really matter because he was a hell of a worker. You can’t just…not cheer for the guy, literal boy next door.
Back to the Leroy Brown feud, here's Mike post-TV championship win from January 1st, 1983 (11:28) :
" I had a lot of good friends in the area [Brisco Bros., Roddy Piper, Bob Orton Jr., Jimmy Valiant] and these guys really stood behind me and they said 'Mike, you can do it'.....[Jimmy Valiant] took me on the road a little bit and show me a different style of life. He showed me how to fight these [mean] guys in the area. I knew this when I first came down to this area, but they showed me the light and told me the way to go. I got on the bandwagon and followed. This is where it ended up; this is just the start right now."
What Mike is referencing here is this very soft-spoken promo he gave that happened a couple weeks prior:
MACW Mike Rotundo-era can be summarized by: " the greenest, goodest, young all-american realizes that you can't win by always following the rules and fighting fair." Even the faces take liberties when the situation calls for it, but naturally Mike doesn't have this instinct to bend rules, instead he has to be taught how to do so.
Like look at him here! THAT'S just a baby boy, would never hurt a fly, he WILL offer to mow your lawn--- and that's not a threat; that's a guarantee. He's so soft that even though he has the power of catch wrestling that can land you in the hospital, he'd never hurt you or throw his weight around. So the HUGE takeaway here is Mike's willingness to learn and follow advice from those who are further along and whose personalities are stronger than his.
With this in mind, something wonderful happens eventually when Mike heads to Florida in mid-83 because this is where he starts to cross paths with Kevin Sullivan. SUPER abridged version is there's an all out war between Dusty Rhodes, Blackjack Mulligan and his family vs Kevin Sullivan and his Army of Darkness and other heels like One Man Gang, Cowboy Ron Bass, J.J. Dillon, etc. What I want to focus on here is Blackjack Mulligan and his family which, of course, includes Barry. Barry and Mike tag with one another during Florida and MACW before US Express-ing it and heading to the WWF in 84.
A lot of shit is happening in Florida right now and quite honestly I'm still trying to catch up and piece together this over-arching headcanon of mine. By associating with Barry, Mike essentially becomes part of Blackjack's family (literally outside as well) which makes him a target for Kevin Sullivan, who ultimately wants to defeat Dusty Rhodes and all those who align themselves with him.
There's an episode of CWF that sticks out to me in particular: 5/5/1984
At 10:49, there's an excellent match between Mike and Kevin. Important to note that both men share an amateur background and it's evident early on after the bell rings; Gordon even mentions it right as Mike pushes Sullivan against the ropes. Mike Davis joins the commentary team alongside Buddy Colt and Gordon Solie.
Some gems from the commentary table include:
"It's going to be a pretty even match."
"Sullivan has a lot of respect for Rotundo."
"[Sullivan] possesses a strange, mystical power [he's] able to manipulate the minds of others...always out to do damage to others, always out to injure them."
And what does Kevin do at the end? Exactly that-- he delivers a chair shot to Rotundo's head as Mike Davis freezes while trying to intervene.
__
Skipping ahead to 1988 to this magazine article that I have. In it, there's an interview with Mike-- who at the time is still being introduced as "Rotundo" despite fully switching to "Rotunda" once he comes back to the NWA in 1987. In some JCP WCW episodes, he's still billed as Rotundo by the graphics or even by the announcers themselves.
Mike's answer in this Q&A is interesting. When asked about Kevin Sullivan interfering in Varsity Club matches, Rotunda has this to say:
"What I meant was that Kevin is able to virtually hypnotize our opponents into weakness while simultaneously augmenting our natural gifts. Through him, I've learned a lot about the mysteries of the seen and unseen world and various natural phenomena. In short, Kevin has made me a stronger wrestler."
That sounds familiar, echoing his time in MACW where he was also influenced by other wrestlers, often taking after them. Now to headcanons...
__
Based on all of this, which is really just scratching the surface, my overall headcanon of Varsity Club!Mike is that he's the **real** Mike that was just laying dormant underneath; unmet needs and anger issues wearing a dark blue and orange singlet.
I often think about how kind and mild-mannered he was and how he'd carry himself in dress and in attitude; there was an air of dignity and sportsman-like behavior that, if you didn't really care, you'd blink and miss him.
Like look at this:
It just screams "regular man"...unassuming regular man who you might accidentally mistake as part of the commentary team 💀.
And then once we get the heel turn:
It's really subtle, can you smell the difference? Because this Michael STINKS.
Mike even contorts his face in away that gives off that something inside him has fundamentally changed. After making Syracuse a core part of his personality, he became more outgoing. No more quiet Mike, this Mike is loud as fuck. And I think, emboldened by Kevin's influence and guidance, this Mike knows that he's hot shit and he's not afraid to showboat or brag about it. You WILL be hearing from this Mike and he will butterfly suplex you into oblivion. You will be reminded that Syracuse is better than Michigan and that he was a 2 (two) sport athlete and that he should get more respect.
It's so funny to watch a match with the Varsity Club because sometimes Tony Schiavone or David Crockett will say: "Mike used to be such a nice guy!" literally lamenting the death of the goodest boy in pro wrestling.
If it weren't for the man that gave Mike that chairshot to the head, Varsity Club Mike would have never seen the light of day.
As Kevin Sullivan said in a CWF promo: "To be a king, you have to kill a king. You kill the head, and the body dies."
__
And while Varsity Club Mike might seem like a confident man who has agency in his life, free from societal pleasantries, it is all contingent on the Gamesmaster's favor.
There's a lot more that I can say about Varsity Club Mike, but that might have to be for another day as I'm still compiling matches, interviews, and magazine clippings.
So ultimately, to me, Varsity Club Mike is ego with no checks or balances, a destructive force that has the illusion of free will. He needs to be tethered to something that can ground him because he can't do it alone, he's tried that. He's a regression, a version of himself that is so hungry to prove his worth. An empty receptacle for ideas and ulterior motives, a huge tool in all sense of the word. He went to college, goddamn it.
Irwin doing that thing where he gets tally mark tattoos for each person he's killed on his back
RECEIPTS (164 words)
Art, thoughts, and headcanons below the cut:
I mentioned previously that I think it would be hot if I retconned Irwin to have a tattoo simply just because. As I thought about it more, I began to think that having the tattoo *mean something* might add more weight to the AU.
If Irwin were to get any tattoo, I think it’d have to be American traditional style + eagle themed (inspiration from his logo during his early WWF run) because it represents: 1) -his eventual- freedom, 2) him having an “eagle’s eye” since he’s a great marksman and a stickler for details etc.
His mentor had the same tally system, except his was a lot more literal: 10 tally marks on his back shoulder. Perhaps Irwin wanted to keep his receipts in a way that seemed more decorative— his tally marks would eventually become one with the overall design in the hopes of him forgetting his deeds as life goes on.
I’m a big sucker for folks who have tattoos that peak out of their sleeve, almost like it’s a bit of a secret, something you’re not supposed to see. Irwin would want it on a place he can see it easily, so shoulder and chest area.
In the beginning of the AU, Irwin was supposed to kill Ted, hoping that would free him from ever accepting any other job, but we know how that goes.
Having Ted being Irwin’s intended tenth tally/ticket to freedom and then joining him in the end is SOOOOO heavy…I think having that aspect makes Irwin’s constant regret of not going through with the original hit more impactful.
This coupled with Irwin’s incomplete tattoo serves as a reminder of how he’s essentially stuck. In joining Ted, his life has become more tumultuous. Ten is no longer Irwin’s cap, and Irwin has lost count of the amount of people he’s killed in this partnership.
It does Irwin no good to even keep track of it anymore, the limit is gone, because no kill matters except for one. The Problem (tm) then becomes: is Irwin even willing to pull the trigger on Ted? Yes, the thought always crosses his mind, but it’s the action that matters the most. There’s the dilemma.
Ted has never seen the entire tattoo before until Irwin is injured and has to be without a shirt while on a job. He thinks it’s cool, commenting on how it fits Irwin.
An unintended curse disguised as a compliment. Ted is really good at dishing those out.
”Is that a tome of miracles you’ve brought me? Come, let’s learn together…”
The text is in braille. You, the Ashen One, watch in awe as the man flips open the tome while his ample fingers brushes over the page. Despite having his full sight, Irwin closes his eyes—- as to mimic the blind whose faith would be instilled in such words.
He looks up to you with a wistful sigh. “This text is from my home land, Carim.” The sound of the book closing echoes throughout the Firelink Shrine. “It’s been so long since I’ve performed these miracles…but you, Ashen One, may have use for them yet.”
Archdeacon Irwin of Carim— (part 1 of the money inc x dark souls au)
⛓"Chained dog, so sure of its master coming to rescue it."⛓
- ~300 words.
-Summary: Irwin is captured and Ted runs to Tommy for help. Based on the Deathrow mission.
"Christ Ted, stop fidgeting! It's distracting!!"
Tommy arrived at the junkyard where Diaz's men held Irwin hostage. Ramming their car into several henchmen and their vehicle barricade, Tommy stuck his hand out and unloaded at the men aiming at their car, instructing Ted to duck for cover...
Lifting his head, Ted's eyes went to the passenger's side mirror; more men were coming.
"Behind---!!!"
A close call averted as Tommy twisted his body to shoot through the rear windshield.
Reloading, Tommy unbuckled and turned towards Ted who was visibly shaken up. He ordered him to stay behind as he infiltrated the junkyard to find where they were keeping Irwin amidst the trash heap.
"Irwin has to be in that building over there..." Ted climbed into the driver seat as Tommy exited.
Tommy didn't pay much attention to the dynamic of Irwin and Ted's relationship. He had his own problems to worry about and really, it was none of his business. Regardless, Tommy couldn't afford to lose either of them. Not when he's in this deep.
Still, it struck him how Ted's behavior changed in the past 24 hours. No wisecrack comments, no swagger. Emptiness...concern....as if a part of him went missing.
Finally, after mowing down a wave of men and forcing his way into the garage area, Tommy found Irwin hanging from the ceiling, his wrists bound by chains. There were some lash marks on his back and cuts of various sizes scattered on his torso.
Irwin weakly opened his eyes and saw Te-- Tommy - frantically finding a way to cut him loose..
"C..chain cutter...next to the chair." Irwin directed.
Tommy climbed on as he struggled to position the cutter.
"Sorry about the drop." Tommy warned.
Irwin scoffed as he heard the cutter snip through the metal, abruptly falling to the floor afterwards. With an unnatural second wind, Irwin began freeing his wrists, the skin a nasty shade of purple and blue from the unforgiving restraints.
"Can you use a gun?" Tommy preemptively held out an extra firearm. "Diaz's men are hot on our trail. No doubt they'll be pissed to see you free."
Irwin stood up. "Y-yeah, I can. Where's Ted?"
"Keeping the engine running. Let's move."
A half-hearted smirk formed in the corner of his mouth. It soon disappeared as disappointment rushed through Irwin's body at the thought of Tommy being sent in Ted's place and what implications it dragged along with it...
Codename/Alias: The Kangal. The Kangal is a breed of dog renowned for its protectiveness and shepherding qualities, but most importantly, the Kangal is feared for having the strongest bite force. Ted lovingly gives Irwin this nickname. Initially hesitant in being likened to a guard dog, Irwin starts to warm up to it...
Irwin, by day, works as an accountant in Downtown Vice City's business sector (mainland). At night, he works as a hitman/bounty hunter, accepting jobs from clients on both the Mainland and Beach/Nightlife area. Most of his clients come from the more affluent sections of the city. Once he starts working with Ted exclusively, he stops all contract work but still keeps his job as an accountant.
Famed (or infamous, depending on who you ask) for having an amazing work ethic in both jobs.
His last contracted bounty job didn't go as planned.... (x) (x)
Used to have a mullet; cuts it off once he joins Ted.
His original kit included the following: Col .45 (handgun), Ithaca 37/Chromed Shotgun, and his trusty Remington Model 700 (sniper rifle).
Ted gifts him with more weaponry, specifically a submachine gun (MP5), and an AR (the M4)-- for those tougher jobs.
Favorite radio stations: Emotion 98.3, VROCK, and VCPR. He enjoys listening to talk radio on the way to work.
Favorite vehicles: PCJ-600 and the Sentinel XS
His apartment is located in Vice Point (away from the mainland/downtown area). Although his apartment is a mere minutes away from the prolific Malibu Club, he prefers quiet nights at home watching Yuppie and the Alien or Just the Five of Us.
Doesn't smoke during the day, only when he's on the job--especially if there's a lot of waiting. It calms him down, allegedly.
After work, you can catch Irwin at Umberto Robina's cafe in Little Havana enjoying a coffee. Considers Umberto a friend and likewise Umberto considers Irwin a real man with "big cojones."
"Balances" the books for Ted's other money laundering businesses.
He also balances Ted's boisterous personality-- Irwin is very cool, calm, and collected. The poster child for the strong, silent type.
Has been known to crack a smile at times-- Ted can vouch for it.
During a meet up, Irwin acts as Ted's back-up if things go south. He is often seen carrying a briefcase- filled with either money or "goods."
If Ted insists on going to a meet-up alone, that doesn't necessarily mean that Irwin isn't there. You may not be able to see him, but he can see you....
Is a superior marksman. One shot to kill if necessary, never maim- he makes sure all of his shots are clean. If someone gives Ted a hard time, Irwin gives them a corpse worthy of a closed casket funeral.
Often refuses Ted's other lavish gifts like expensive suits, cologne, watches, etc. Will take the gifts after much insistence, but will be shy to use or wear them. Plus, Irwin feels like if he does wear any of Ted's gifts at his day job, he'd stick out like a sore thumb. What's an accountant doing with a $75,000 Rolex, anyway?
List of Money Inc. x GTA Vice City AU things I'm currently working on:
10 track playlist + video teaser. (spotify and youtube links provided soon)
Incorporating Sherri Martel as the owner/operator of The Pole Position and how her relationship with Ted is already ruined by the time Tommy arrives in Vice City.
A proper fic based on one of the earlier missions of the game. Tommy accompanies Irwin as an extra hired gun overseeing a deal Ted is involved in.
Ted's loading screen + headcanons (see Irwin's here)
Two asks from last year. One of which is in regards to the AU's ending (which is already in progress )
and on top of all this....an inbox filled with prompts that are also in progress. Apologies for being so cryptic and writing in the tags for a lot of these entries, they function as little puzzles and clues for the overall AU....
hi again lux!! Ur local Vice City DJ coming in with another hit for the Money Inc AU ... Blue Morning, Blue Day by Foreigner!! Would love to hear ur thoughts :3c
"Somehow We Keep It Together"
[Money Inc. x Vice City AU- 1019 words]
Summary: Ted doesn't realize how much he's been pushing Irwin until the latter starts becoming increasingly hard to get a hold of.
[6:38 am, Ocean Heights Apartments, Ocean Beach, Vice City]
It was unlike Irwin to mess up on a job.
A shaky hand, a twitch in his trigger finger.
Recently, deals have been going south and Irwin hated to admit how it was starting to affect him. He always fancied himself as a machine, or something close to it– unrelenting, unstoppable, averse to mistakes other people would make.
But still he needed rest.
His head turned, shying away as the morning light hit his eyes; it served as a reminder that he too can bruise, hurt, and fail.
Three cups of bitter coffee were gone; a couple of cigarettes were reduced to smashed filters in a crystal ashtray. His gun sat beside the pristine white mug and saucer. Unused in three days, it looked so odd laying down on the table. The handle caught a bit of the sunlight and reflected onto his glasses. It was practically begging for something to do.
He took a long drag from his third morning cigarette, sighing through his nostrils. Ruffling a hand through his tousled hair, he looked down his balcony beyond the palm trees to observe the citizens of Vice City start their early morning routines. Joggers, rollerbladers, and tourists started to populate the sidewalks. God— so many tourists…
Irwin thought about taking a vacation, but then the pressing issue of a potential destination escaped him. He was technically already in paradise– Vice City: the place where you could do and get anything your heart desired. His desire was simple: a night of uninterrupted sleep. Just one.
He settled on a week-long “staycation”. He just needed to retreat, be away from demands, prying eyes, and—-
*click*…*creak*
Irwin grabbed his gun as soon as he heard his door open, pointing it at the door and squinted, ready to kill whoever stepped foot inside. His cigarette was rigidly clamped against his sealed lips.
”Whoa…hey, big guy, it’s just me.”
Irwin still had the gun pointed forward despite registering the gruff low voice as Ted.
”Is that how you greet someone in the morning? You’re not picking up your phone, I feel like you’re avoiding me.” Ted held his hands up in a half-hearted surrender. He knew Irwin wouldn’t kill him. Maybe.
He wore his white linen suit and a collared shirt with buttons that were there as a suggestion– his worst Sonny Crockett cosplay yet.
There was an uncomfortably long pause before Irwin set the gun back down on the coffee table and scoffed. Irwin cursed himself; he had forgotten that he gave a spare key to Ted months ago. Damn it. He’d have to cross out wallowing alone in self-pity off of his day’s to-do list.
”What do you want?” Irwin inquired without moving out of the corner chair. Lighting another cigarette was tempting to him…
”Blech. You look horrible.” Ted cooed as he sat in the chair opposite Irwin.
His eyes scanned the disheveled accountant up and down. As the sun continued to rise, Ted was able to see more of his face. Dark circles, days old stubble, the messy hair. Despicable…yet, still handsome. There was something so endearing about Ted’s bluntness that Irwin couldn’t help but appreciate.
“You could use some sunlight...” Ted waved a hand in front of his nose, trying as hard as he could to direct the smoke away. “…and some fresh air.”
”No. Leave.”
”You’re still mad about the meet-up? You shouldn’t be. I was able to retrieve most of the product.”
”It’s not that. I don’t care about your arms dealing.” Irwin scratched between his eyebrows with the back of his thumbnail; he felt a strong headache coming on. “There were more casualties than necessary, Ted. You just had to…provoke them.”
”They were going to cheat me. I would have lost a sizable fortune—“
“They could have killed you—“
“—-I knew you were watching me.”
There was a pause. Irwin wasn’t expecting this curveball of a reason.
”You…shouldn’t abuse that.” Irwin stammered, looking away from Ted’s stare. “Luckily Tommy was able to back me up but-…fuck it, whatever. Profiting from an embargo is worth more than your stupid life, I guess.”
”Watch it.” Ted hissed.
”…”
Whenever Ted dragged his tongue along the insides of his cheek, it meant that he started to get ticked off. Ted hated it when he felt like his money making dealings were dismissed and belittled, as if he wasn’t trying to make enough for the both of them.
Irwin would sometimes trail off in a way that highlighted his regret, like going after Ted’s bounty was the correct choice and he wasted it. Irwin’s life might’ve stayed consistent, stayed sensible if only he just—
Ted stood up. He reached his hand into his inner breast pocket and pulled out an envelope. The corners were bulging, stressed and ripped from the stack of cash stuffed within. Dropping the envelope carelessly onto the table, almost knocking over the mug, Ted scowled as Irwin looked up at him.
”Your cut. A little extra thrown in for saving my ass. Again.”
Irwin blew smoke in his direction. A displeased look washed over his face.
”What? Not enough?” Ted crossed his arms.
”This plus a week off. If you want to work, that’s your choice. Ask Tommy if can play guardian angel for you. But leave me out of it until then.”
Ted’s shoulders slumped. “A week? I already told Carrington that we’d—“
Irwin turned his head away, uninterested in whatever job Ted booked for the both of them. The sun shined brighter, lighting up more of Irwin’s appearance– he looked so tired. So worn. Those sleepless nights were starting to manipulate his features. Ted noticed a slight tremor in Irwin’s right hand…
”Fine.” Ted conceded. “One week. But you better—“ He paused as he saw Irwin bounce his leg up and down in annoyance.
“Just…take it easy. Take care of yourself.”
”…”
Having enough of the silent treatment, Ted turned away. Already guiding the door closed, a small “…because I need you” escaped his lips and echoed in the hallway.
