#hangar 13

Credit goes to @melis-writes for the original coloured gif.

To Leo Galante, the Commission, and anyone who still calls me "one of ours."

Empire Bay

July 5, 2026

Leo,

By the time you read this, I'll already be packing the last box.

I figured I owed you more than disappearing without a word.

You once told me this life doesn't let people retire. That once you're in, you're in until somebody puts you in the ground. Maybe you're right most of the time.

But maybe I'm about to be the exception.

A few nights ago, Carlo Falcone died.

I'm not writing this to brag about it. You know what happened. You know why it happened. We both knew it was only a matter of time before one of us was standing over his body.

It's done.

There's nothing left here for me.

I've spent years doing exactly what everybody wanted.

The Vinci family. The Clementes. Falcone. The Commission.

I fought wars that weren't mine. Buried friends. Made enemies. Spent years looking over my shoulder wondering which alley would be my last.

For what?

Another envelope of cash?

Another suit stained with somebody else's blood?

Another promotion that only meant another target on my back?

I'm tired, Leo.

Not physically.

In here.

For the first time since I got home from Sicily, I realized something.

I don't actually want this anymore.

I've got something worth more than respect on the street.

I've got her.

She didn't ask me to quit.

She never gave me ultimatums.

She never tried to change me.

She just loved me long enough that one day I woke up and realized I wanted to become someone who could grow old beside her.

That's a hell of a thing.

She's shown me what mornings without gunfire feel like.

What silence sounds like.

What coming home actually means.

For years I thought I didn't deserve that.

Turns out maybe I do.

We're leaving Empire Bay.

Not because we're running.

Because we're done.

There's a difference.

We're moving to Liberty City.

Broker.

BOABO.

Apartment 204 on Creek Street.

Funny place.

Industrial.

Little rough around the edges.

Reminds me enough of home that I think I'll like it.

Giuseppe Palminteri owns the building now.

Apparently even master safecrackers eventually get sick of running.

Maybe there's hope for the rest of us.

I've already lined up honest work.

The Bank of Liberty in Algonquin.

Yeah.

Go ahead and laugh.

The guy who robbed, stole, smuggled and shot his way through half of Empire Bay is going to work in a bank.

Life's funny like that.

I'll wear a tie.

Clock in every morning.

Help old ladies with paperwork.

Maybe complain about traffic on the way home.

Sounds boring.

Good.

I've had enough excitement for one lifetime.

Joe's coming too.

Don't worry.

He isn't suddenly becoming a priest.

He's managing Honkers over in Alderney.

Honestly, it suits him.

He's happier than I've seen him in years.

You don't have to worry about us causing trouble.

Those days are behind us.

Tell the Commission they don't have to send anybody after me.

I'm not talking.

Never have.

Never will.

Every secret I know dies with me.

I've earned that much.

If somebody decides they still want me dead because they don't believe in retirement...

Well...

I've survived worse.

But I'd rather nobody make my wife watch that.

She deserves better than another funeral.

You once asked me what kind of man I wanted to become.

Back then I didn't have an answer.

Now I do.

A husband.

Maybe a father someday.

A man who comes home carrying groceries instead of a pistol.

A man whose biggest argument is over what to cook for dinner instead of which family crossed the line.

Maybe that sounds soft.

Maybe it is.

I don't care anymore.

I've spent enough years proving how hard I could be.

Now I want to find out how peaceful I can be.

So this is goodbye.

Not out of disrespect.

Out of gratitude.

You gave me opportunities when plenty of people would've put a bullet in my head instead.

I won't forget that.

Take care of yourself, Leo.

And if anybody ever asks where Vito Scaletta went...

Tell them he finally found something worth walking away for.

Respectfully,

Vittorio "Vito" Scaletta

﹙Analysis of the attractiveness of Sam Trapani «brief analysis»﹚

✍🏻 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ! English is not my native language, so any kind of grammatical or narrative errors are my fault, and I will try to improve for future English content of MAFIA.

Hello! I hope you are doing very well today! Today we meet in my publication to talk about something I had saved since 2023 (it took me just a little while haha), And it is a topic that is really brief to analyze, it is not important for the game, but it is important to analyze to know a little about the great taste of people for this character, With his charisma and presence, he captivated more than one of us, and for a portion of the MAFIA audience, he is considered one of the best characters in the 2020 video game, Sam Trapani.

We will do a brief analysis of this small point that is part of Sam's personality, his great appeal to the public. We will talk and I will comment (from my point of view, and a brief analysis of some of its characteristics), what makes Sam so attractive to the eye and the senses, and I am not just saying it: This is also said in the game MAFIA: DEFINITIVE EDITION, Characters like Sarah have mentioned that Sam is called “Ladykiller” due to his great popularity among women.

But what are the things that make Sam attractive? Let's look at some things I've taken into account, researching people's general tastes, some personal things of mine, It would even be great if people who want to give their opinion would leave it respectfully in the comments!

📌. LOYALTY: Sam stands out for his great loyalty. A member of the Salieri family, he demonstrates a deep commitment to his loved ones and colleagues. His loyalty leads him to take significant risks for the benefit of his team, prioritising the safety and well-being of others over his own. This ethical trait makes a difference in his chaotic environment, where loyalty is one of the few values that remain strong.

And although at the end of the game this loyalty is highly disturbed by his fear of assuming the consequences of his actions (or the actions of Tommy or Paulie, And that fear led him to make hasty decisions that led to his death), Beside the game, except for the final parts, we can't complain about his camaraderie and loyalty towards Tommy, we can't even complain about his loyalty to himself and what he thinks is right.

We as people feel highly confident in the loyalty that a person can give us, because that demonstrates their commitment, whether it is a friendship or romantic relationship. Even simpler relationships like work relationships. So this characteristic of Sam, even though it is flawed, is what initially attracts us to him.

📌. PRAGMATIC: Despite being loyal, Sam exhibits a remarkable pragmatism. In an environment where decisions are made quickly and often violently, Sam opts for a realistic and disillusioned approach to criminal life. He is willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family and maintain his position. This combination of loyalty and pragmatism makes him an intriguing character, as his ability to think logically can clash with moments of emotion or affection.

This can be seen reflected in certain decisions, although sometimes he may have stumbles in his pragmatism as a character, for example: when he asked Tommy not to kill Michelle, But they will spare her life, leaving her to live, because they are under orders to kill her directly for spreading things, He was clearly affected by the idea of her being killed, so against orders he chose to leave her, far far away.

But in other moments, like his choice to kill Paulie and try to do the same with Tommy, he already showed a little more of that pragmatism, but not in such a stoic way and not in such an emotional way, He did it out of fear, as we already emphasized in the previous point. He cared not only about maintaining his position in the family, but obviously about his own life.

He knows perfectly well how the life he is in works, he even seems to respect it much more than Tommy or Paulie did, who eventually turned disloyal.

Something that always attracts us to a person's pragmatism is their emotional intelligence, their way of analyzing and being able to do certain things, Certain things that can directly affect it or affect ourselves, that emotional intelligence will always help us because it can get us out of many problems, A person with these characteristics provides us not only emotional comfort, but can also do so physically (depending on the situation).

📌. PROTECTIVE: Sam's protection of Tommy and others close to him is evident, acting as a father figure while guiding him through the world of crime. This duality between his protective instincts and his involvement in criminal activity gives his character depth, allowing the player to connect with him despite his controversial actions.

The way Sam mentored Tommy and tried to toughen him up to be ready to deal with the world he was getting into is something that is seen in the game, They advise him, sometimes they act for him. Why? To keep him on the right path in the life they are living, so that he doesn't suffer the consequences of the actions they commit, He cares about Tommy, and Sam also did the same with Paulie, these two having a much closer relationship, In Paulie's moments of alcoholism, Sam tried to help him. And if he couldn't, he tried to get someone else to do it, but always keeping an eye on his friend, And another point that may not seem so explicit but we know it's there, Michelle. . .

We do not know for sure how the relationship between these two was, from what I have seen it has had many interpretations, but to ensure their safety, For this very reason Sam asks Tommy to spare Michelle's life and let her know that he has to go far away, to protect her life!

The point of a protective person is ALWAYS going to delight us as human beings, someone who supports us, who lets us know with actions or words that we are important, And a touch of adrenaline for the situation with Sam, is that he is a person who is exposed to constant danger, and that he can also be dangerous, So that adrenaline rush is something that can attract us to him, because we know he's not just words, he's also actions!

📌. CHARISMA: Sam has a charisma that appeals to other characters and to the player. His way of speaking and acting generates empathy, which makes the audience feel connected to him, His charisma is one of his strong points, we love how he speaks, how he expresses himself, how he presents himself to everyone.

Something that appeals to us as gamers (and women in the game. 🌚), It's not just Sam's physical side, but also his great charisma, he knows how to joke at the right moments, he knows how to be serious in the right situations, The attraction he generates with his use of words, and the way he says them and when he does so, is powerful.

I personally love how he expresses himself, even the tone of his voice is just right for the words he says I don't know how to explain it haha (We must praise the voice dubbing in this case), Not for nothing does He have the extraordinary nickname of “Ladykiller” among women, I am absolutely sure that if he came and tried to convince us with a few right words, he would convince us of anything!

📌. PHYSICAL ATTRACTION: In physical terms, Sam is depicted as a robust man, embodying his toughness and strength. His appearance is complemented by an attitude of confidence and assurance, these things are traditionally considered attractive in protagonists or characters in these types of stories, we often see characters with these types of attributes and are naturally drawn to them in some way, Sam has the great advantage of having an attractive, engaging, but not sweet or vulnerable charisma and physical appearance.

If we take Tommy (the main character) as an example, he also attracts us because of some physical characteristics similar to Sam, They can be, for example, height, build, way of carrying oneself, BUT, In Tommy's own physical appearance, especially in his facial features, we can see a touch more of sweetness, vulnerability and even humanity, These characteristics are reflected in their physique and way of speaking or acting.

Instead, Sam's imposing, expensive, and confident appearance is reflected in his physical appearance and his way of carrying himself, We already talked about his way of speaking, expressing himself, it went very well hand in hand with his physical appearance, more correct, untouchable, intimidating, His physical appearance has definitely also been one of the important factors in making him so popular among women.

He has a lot of physical advantages haha.

📌. INTERNAL CONFLICTS: Sam does not fit the mould of a typical villain; he displays inner conflicts and vulnerabilities that make him seem more human. Throughout his life of crime, he deals with traumas, insecurities and painful experiences that cause him to reflect on his actions. This combination of being part of the crime and feeling regret for what he does creates a complex and moving story that establishes an emotional connection with the player.

We have already talked a little about how his emotions and decisions have had repercussions throughout the plot. Not only for him, but for Tommy or Paulie, Part of this internal conflict is the fear of the wrath of his own actions, the weight that would fall on him if he is not loyal to what he promised to be, which is to Don Salieri, Although he has often done things that benefit him and his friends but without breaking the codes by which they are governed, Certain vulnerabilities that the player shows make us feel empathy for him in some cases, maybe not in all cases and not for all people.

We sometimes find the vulnerability that a person shows attractive, not because we want to feel superior to them, but because it demonstrates the conflicts they keep to themselves, And how that person deals with those conflicts. Sometimes that gives us a small opportunity to allow ourselves to reach out to that person and comfort them, just as they comfort us, depending on the situation.

So to see someone like that having internal emotional conflicts or things that they have yet to resolve, shows us that they are really human, they are afraid of making mistakes, They are afraid of reliving certain situations that have marked them, They are not soulless shells, and Sam was not a soulless shell at all.

Well! After this journey talking a little about Sam, I would like to be able to read some opinions from others, as I repeat this is solely based on my opinion, and a little research regarding the character, If anyone has any creative differences or disagreements, please comment! 🤍

A next part I would like to analyze Tommy, maybe Vito, trying to do it from the most popular characters to be able to understand why we love them so much, why they have become so important, What is it about them that we love!

credits for : @iamcxlleigh

Gaming is very influential.

Subconsciously, when you play video games, you grow a connection with the characters. You empathize and sympathize with them. You’re playing these games for hours and hours, so naturally, you do grow very attached to them even though it’s escapism and fiction. It’s an immersion into these characters and their storylines with timelines that span over many years and generations.

Consistently seeing only certain characters as heroes and saving the world subconsciously does wire our brains to see protagonistic qualities in only those who represent those heroes and saviors of the human race.