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“This is terrific artwork Squire. You captured the likeness of both Elder Maxson and the deathclaw perfectly.”

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What do you think would be the companions’ favorite desserts?

Cait - Chocolate chip cookies.

Curie - Canonically as a Gen3 synth, snack cakes. Headcanonically, Apple crumble. (You'd think it would be some fussy French patisserie but nope. Plain old simple American apple pie filling with some sort of crust or topping.)

Danse - Canonically as a Gen3 synth, snack cakes. Headcanonically, macarons.

Deacon - (Caramel) Flan. But he tells people his favorite is some horrifying gelatin 70s-dinner-party-esque concoction that gets a little more disturbing with each retelling, or fruitcake.

Hancock - When he's high, every dessert is his favorite thing. (Except rose. He had a rose-flavored dessert once while high and he thought he was eating a floral soap and got really freaked out.) On the rare occasion he's not, he prefers things with more bitterness -- really dark chocolate, boozy desserts with a kick, that kind of thing.

Macready - Anything with cherries. Black Forest Cake, Cherry Pie, those chocolate cherry candies...

Nick - Not really a sweets guy or a food guy for that matter. He does have smell receptors and he likes the smell of burnt sugar (so things like creme brulee.) Human Nick liked butterscotch.

Piper - She likes dessert period as long as it doesn't have fruit in it. (Apples get a pass, barely.) Favorite is churros.

Preston - Baklava. Really any dessert that's pistachio-based or involves nuts, he's a fan.

X6 - Canonically as a Gen3 synth, snack cakes. Headcanonically.... also snack cakes.

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How would the companions react to seeing another companion being mean/harsh to Sole?

I'm not sure how to answer this one since there's so many variations, and the way each of the companions would be mean/harsh to Sole (which each of the companions in turn would react to) is very different

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Make sure to leave your hedge clippers out for the Dethemberween Thnikkaman tonight!

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Have you guys thought about what you want for Christmas?

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the concept of the admirers of knights giving them tokens or "favors" to show their love before a tournament or battle has me so fucked up today. like it's such a small gesture but it speaks volumes. i cannot be there in body next to you in the dust and blood and pain to share your victory or defeat, your suffering or your celebration, because honor and duty and social convention requires that i be elsewhere, so wear me over your heart so that my own might go with you. i cannot keep you safe but if you wear my love perhaps the world and its people will be kinder to one it knows has another waiting for it to rejoin them. nobody else might even know who the ribbon tied to your arm or flower tucked in your breastplate belongs to unless they saw us exchange it, but you and i know. and they will know that we exist. they will know that our love exists.

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Hi! This is my first time requesting a react! How would the companions react to Sole telling them they have ADHD? You don’t have to write this, it’s completely up to you. Thank you! Love your headcanons btw!❤️❤️❤️

I don't want to do this kind of ask on a regular basis, since I'm not *super* comfortable writing asks/headcanons about mental illness or "Sole reveals they are/have ____" identity type asks, but I happen to have ADHD myself and I can imagine my Sole having it too (maybe?) so I can roll with it. Cait - Dismissive and Confused because she's pretty sure that Sole is just describing how everybody's brain works. (Oh honey...) Codsworth - He already knows. That's actually a big part of why Mr. and Mrs. Sole got him in the first place, to help keep track of the little things that slip through the cracks when you have ADHD (like remembering to take your medication, remembering to phone in a request for a refill on your medication, meeting and appointment reminders, etc.) Curie - Intrigued. Asks lots of questions about it. Unfortunately Sole is not a scientist so they have no idea what Curie is talking about with regard to neurotransmitters or receptors. Strictly prohibited from doing any active research on Sole (i.e. experiments or attempted treatments) but that has not stopped her from taking copious notes and trying to do hands-off observational studies. Danse - Doesn't really get it. If he knows Sole well he's more understanding because he KNOWS they aren't lazy (he's seen them work themselves to the bone when they get in focus mode). Post-Blind Betrayal he's even more understanding because he realizes that some of what he takes for granted about how his cognitive processes work might be the result of being a synth, so he shouldn't expect Sole's brain to work in the same way as one created in a controlled environment. Unfortunately, pre-BB, if he doesn't know Sole well, he might be a little dismissive.

Deacon - Honestly just embarrassed he didn't put it together himself. As soon as they say it a lot of things click into place. He totally accepts it and adds it to his mental map of all the variables and factors at play in the people he interacts with. Hancock - Totally gets it. Once he knows, he makes a point to set aside some of the stimulants in his chem stash (and from incoming shipments or new batches in Goodneighbor) in case Sole decides to try medicating it with something close to what they used before the war. (They don’t, but it’s the thought that counts.) Macready - Doesn't make a big deal of it, but he asks some follow up questions that sound like recognition. (Some of the things Sole described remind him of kids he grew up with.) Nick - Old Nick was a simple cop, he left the psychology stuff to expert witnesses and profilers. But after Sole describes it, he starts to see some of the patterns in people he used to work with -- the cops who couldn't sit still behind a desk... the ones who made mistakes on their paperwork or had a habit of losing evidence... the one whose desk was always a mess but had these outbursts of brilliance when they had a hunch... some of the folks he put behind bars, the ones he felt a twinge of pity for because they seemed to be doing their best at the mercy of terrible impulse control or crippling disorganization. Piper - Is floored to learn that there's a name for That. She figured it was just some quirk or defect of hers -- talking at inappropriate times, not having good impulse control, a complete inability to handle self-imposed deadlines, a lifetime of alternating between procrastination and frantic late night bursts of writing & research where she churned out her best work... Needless to say, she's RELIEVED to learn that she's not crazy or bad at her job. Preston - Admits straight up that he's not a doctor and he's not trained to 'get' all that stuff, but he appreciates Sole telling him. He does his best to accommodate Sole after that in the way he gives them Minutemen jobs -- reminding them at times when they're not distracted with other things, putting them in writing, prioritizing with clear deadlines. Strong - The nuances of human psychology are lost on him. X6-88 - Doesn't get it. Cannot wrap his head around why anyone might find things like task management or memory difficult. Any time it comes up he asks frustrating questions, most of them starting with "why don't you just..."

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Fallout 4 mod where everything is the same but everyone has cartoonish, Kennedy-esque Boston accents

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/35821963

Fic happened.

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Question, how many request do ya got???

Uh.... currently none in the pipeline. why

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Not a request! Just wanna say that I can tell your reaction writings will slap. Your headcanon writings are just *chef’s kiss*

Awww thank you <3

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What do you think would be the Fo4 companions favorite holiday songs?

Cait - The Coventry Carol. She won’t listen to it around the other companions because it makes her sad, but she loves it.

Codsworth - The Boar’s Head Carol. And the accompanying tale of its origins. He’s also fond of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

Curie - Carol of the Bells. She likes singing along with all the different parts. (She’s not *good* but she’s very enthusiastic and it’s very cute.)

Danse - O Holy Night. Something about it just hits him right in the chest.

Deacon - Dead tie between this weird minor key polka cover of Jingle Bells and… Silent Night. (Just…regular, acoustic guitar Silent Night. Daphne can’t tell if he’s kidding. He’s not.)

Hancock - Santa Baby 😏

Macready - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. With all the “like a lightbulb” interjections. (He WAS the mayor of an all-kid collective, remember?)

Nick - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Originally at face value: he was literally alone while everyone in Diamond City celebrated. But over the years he accumulates friends and it becomes a little reminder that he’s not alone — first eating power noodles with Ellie, then Piper joins in, then he starts getting invited to Daphne’s celebrations.

Piper - Sleigh Ride. She has a surprisingly nice alto voice and she likes to sing along.

Preston - Winter Wonderland 😊

Strong - Doesn’t really get music, but his ears perk up whenever he hears songs mention “human flesh”

X6-88 - We Three Kings. He likes the myrrh verse.

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Anon asks are now enabled, and I’ve posted a list of ask rules here!

Feel free to send in (SFW) companion reaction & headcanon requests!

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First off, what are your rules for requesting? Second of all, I understand if you don't want to allow people to use anon as sometimes there is hate, but people tend to feel more comfortable requesting if they are allowed to be anonymous. Currently, your asks don't allow for that.

That was unintentional! I fixed the anon thing so you should be able to ask on anon now! Rules for Asks... 1) SFW asks only. It doesn't have to be absolutely squeaky clean, but keep it PG-13.

2) No SA, drug addiction, or (non-canon) major character death themed asks.

3) If the ask is specifically about [Character] and their relationship with Sole, I'm going to answer with respect to my Sole Daphne and her relationships. (Her only mutual romantic relationship is with Danse. Maxson has one-sided feelings for her, and I will consider answering asks or prompts about that. Everyone else is platonic.) She is also aligned with the Railroad and Minutemen, and sort of (?) works with the Brotherhood. 3a) I will answer *general* asks about the other companions and how they behave in romantic situations, but no specifics. (So I'll do "How does Deacon behave when he realizes he has feelings for someone?" I won't do "How does Deacon behave when he realizes he's in love with Ronnie Shaw?”) 4) No big AU asks -- i.e. vampire!Character, kid!Sole, synth!Sole, "werewolves are real" universe, universe where Nate is actually alive, etc. Characters and Factions I Will Answer About My Sole, Daphne Ryan Any main game companions (though I don’t know X6-86 that well) Sole’s immediate family (Father, synth!Shaun, dead husband) Railroad & its NPCs Minutemen & its NPCs Brotherhood & its NPCs

Characters & Factions I Will Not Do Raiders (including Gage or any other Nuka-World character or faction) Institute (other than Father and synth!Shaun) Atom Cats Characters & Factions from other Fallout games Far Harbor DLC characters & factions Automaton DLC characters & factions Vault 88 DLC characters & factions

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My OC, Daphne Ryan, and the search for the/a Holy Grail

As I mentioned in my Religion Headcanons post, my OC Sole Survivor -- Daphne Ryan -- is a practicing Catholic.

This raises some issues in the Wasteland. The whole thing also makes her doubt if maybe she was wrong the whole time; because surely if it was real, this wouldn’t have been allowed to happen. And, most upsetting to her, she doesn’t have access to the Sacraments, because as far as she knows all the other Catholics are dead.

UNTIL... she comes across a Catholic church where the light over the confessional is lit. She goes in hesitantly, fully expecting it to be a trap. Then she hears someone on the other side of the screen, obviously expecting her to say something. She begins, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned...” And then she realizes how crazy it is, and how tired she’s been, and how relieved and shocked she is that at least one thing from her life before is still here, and starts crying. “It's been...it’s been 200 years since my last confession.” The confession proceeds. Afterwards, she introduces herself to the priest, outside the confessional... and realizes that he’s a ghoul. His name is Fr. Roy Fisher. He’s been around since before the war like her. The church he occupies is a little ways outside of Goodneighbor and Hancock has an understanding with the surrounding Raiders that the building is under his protection. (Hancock isn’t a believer himself, but he appreciates that there’s religious folk out there who are willing to minister to the ghouls in their flock. “A Fisher of Ghouls,” is the term he used.) To her enormous relief, there are still a smattering of others around -- both laypeople and religious. He mentions that though they are few and far between, there is a small network of priests in correspondence along the eastern seaboard. (He mentions one in Rivet City.) She asks about Communion. It turns out there’s some logistical issues. The priest explains that in order to validly celebrate the Eucharist, he needs to have wheat bread and grape wine. And, according to long-standing tradition, the wine cannot be “corrupted.” It also can’t be cooked or have additives (like treatments) in it. So since all the grape wine they’ve been able to get their hands on has been irradiated badly enough that it will sicken any non-ghoul humans who drink it (which would seem to be ‘corrupted’ by any reasonable measure), it can’t be used. Long story short, she has the crazy idea to try to find some place that has grape wine unaffected by radiation. She ends up doing so with the help of some Brotherhood resources including Danse (because there aren’t a lot of wineries in the area and the closest viable one is impractical to reach except by Vertibird). She actually ends up finding unirradiated seeds as well, and ends up arranging a special growing area shielded from the radiation specifically for the purpose of making religious wine, both for her own parish and for trading with other faith  communities who might have need of it. In the end, she gets to receive Communion. So it’s not a search for *the grail cup* specifically, it’s a search for rare valid material in the wasteland that can go in a cup and be consecrated.

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Additional NPCs (mostly ones that feature in my stories) and my Sole:

Sturges - His mama was a Christian who was big into the Charismatic thing. He might be amenable to a little home church / Bible study thing if he finds others who are interested. Father - Atheist bordering on anti-theist. Not only does not believe in a deity, anything supernatural, or any higher power or moral calling, he’s scornful of the very idea as a childish fantasy. (Big Dawkins energy.) Glory - Vacillates between being really into radical abolitionist Christian thought and being absolutely furious at any god that would allow the oppression of synths or any of the other stuff that’s happened.  Tinker Tom - Don’t ask about his supernatural beliefs. Seriously, don’t. It honestly might be for the best that he’s squirreled away at HQ because if he lived anywhere else he might join and/or start a cult. (And not as a joke like Deacon has.)  Maxson - Like Danse, the BOS is basically his religion. What that means in practice is a little different. While Danse has some vague conception of a deity or a person being the higher power, Maxson thinks of it more as an impersonal force or destiny -- somewhat like Deism. A lot of those ideas of destiny are wrapped up in his own position as THE Elder Maxson, descendent of Roger Maxson, his soul forged from eternal steel etc. He has no patience for those who would explicitly deify him, but being immersed in all those expectations has still shaped his belief system and made him feel very acutely a sense that he was Meant for certain things. Daphne Ryan (my Sole) - Daphne is a practicing Catholic. This is what got me thinking about the companions and NPCs’ takes on religion in the first place, because her religion ends up being somewhat important in her story (and in the King Arthur legend parallels!), in ways that I will detail in her own post.

FO4 Companions - Religion Headcanons

Cait — Irish, so has some vestiges of cultural Catholicism. But her parents weren’t religious, she doesn’t really have any exposure to religious thought, and it’s not something she’s considered much or thinks is a priority. (Also doesn’t have much patience for all the rules.) Superstitious AF though.

Curie — A humanist atheist; given that her whole raison d’être is *empirical* research and understanding, she doesn’t take much interest in things she cannot observe or study scientifically. She does take an interest in other people’s religious practices though. Partly through the lens of accumulating knowledge about humanity, partly because she’s intrigued by this uniquely human impulse she doesn’t understand.

Danse - The BOS is his religion. What that means in practice is not something he would necessarily recognize AS a religion, but an idiosyncratic blend of Brotherhood beliefs about the causes of man’s downfall, their duty to secure technology, a sense of the Brotherhood being chosen elect set apart from the wastelanders, some cult of personality around Maxson (though not worshiping him), reviling ghouls mutants and synths as inherently evil, and some vestiges of cultural Christianity of the hellfire and brimstone flavor. He scrutinizes his beliefs and questions of religion & morality more closely post BB, and organized religion is definitely appealing to him as a source of meaning and structure in the void left by the Brotherhood.

Deacon - He has a different answer every time someone asks him. What’s weird is that he actually seems really knowledgeable about the belief systems he claims to adhere to. So far Sole has heard him claim to be (and explain in surprisingly accurate detail): Sufi, Pentecostal Christian, Zoroastrian, Jain, Tengrist, Quaker, and Waldensian. Privately, he does believe in some sort of higher power, and in particular he wants to believe in some kind of redemption, but he can’t get past feeling like he doesn’t deserve it. (Barbara was religious, and he likes to think that she ended up in the heaven she believed in.)

Hancock - Not big on organized religion, prefers “disorganized religion”; prefers his spirituality to be free-wheeling. That said, he’s big on freedom of expression (including religion) and he goes out of his way to protect religious practices and communities in and around Goodneighbor. (Just as long as they don’t try to proselytize too aggressively or impose their beliefs on others, he’s cool with them.)

Macready - Some vague cultural Christianity, but he “doesn’t believe in all that crap.”

Nick - The old Nick was Jewish but didn’t give much thought to it in terms of practice or belief. It mainly shows up as an occasional sprinkling of Yiddish.

Piper - Jewish, tries to practice as she can but isn’t especially strict or orthodox. (The whole kosher thing got kind of hairy after everything got irradiated and mutated. In circles of surviving rabbis there has been much heated debate about the finer points of how they should adapt in the spirit of the laws, but Piper is pretty far removed from that.) She really embraces the parts of her religion that emphasize questioning and debate, as well as the concept of tikkun olam.

Preston - Culturally Christian, but less of the hellfire and brimstone flavor Danse got. Preston was steeped much more in the ‘love thy neighbor’ stuff. Doesn’t practice but retains some level of reverence and respect for religious places and others’ practices.

Strong - Nope. (Though if he somehow happened to overhear any Christians mentioning the Body or Blood of Christ he may start inquiring as to whether there is any Milk involved.)

X6-88 - No.

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Feel free to send in (SFW) companion reaction & headcanon requests!