#but literally every time the only companion i want is Nick

[honourablejester]

Nick Valentine, at the end of his personal quest, after an extremely emotional thank you: That is, if you’re still interested in travelling together. Wouldn’t blame ya if you wanted some time on your own after this.

Me, vibrating, viscerally wishing to scoop up the robot man, shake him like a maraca until the self-loathing falls out, and then hug him for approximately 400 years: Come here, you bloody idiot, I’m never leaving you alone ever again.

God, this robot man is a lot of work (this quest dragged us across the entire map, including into a three-way firefight in Quincy between the Brotherhood, Supermutants, and Gunners, and another three-way firefight in Natick between raiders, supermutants, and a random deathclaw), but I love him with all my heart.

Every time we play Fallout 4, I promise we’re going to take a different companion around (and we have, for short bursts, this time we got Piper to full approval), but I just … I really love Nick? It’s fun travelling with the others, but …

Nick, honey. I will always be interested in travelling with you. Over and above anyone else in this goddamn game. Every time. Possibly to the annoyance of everyone in range. Heh.

Love is a battered synth detective with an existential crisis and a mean line of one liners, who knew?

[sixpossumsinaclownsuit]

I would cut off every toe on my left foot if Bethesda could please just:

1) fix MacCready. I'm so serious his game mechanics and his character are so contradictory and buggy, please

2) let danse not be in power armor all the time. Please. It's so annoying, he's awesome but I don't want buzz lightyear stomping behind me all the time, I want to put him in cute little outfits like the rest of the companions

3) let danse move on from the BoS if you save him. Like he keeps bugging out about serving the brotherhood and getting upset about not following the brotherhood, danse honey we said brotherhood is BAD which is why you're still alive, let him move on PLEASE

4) for the love of god let me romance the crumbly detective, I spent so long on my first playthrough with nick following him around and pining for him I didn't even know romancing was an option in the game until after I beat it.

5) let me pat the dogs. The cows. The cats. If UBISOFT of all people can do it, then so should Bethesda

6) fix the game-halting bugs, glitches and crashes. Please. Stop adding cool new feats and stuff, like that's great, but literally fix the masterpiece there is. Better yet, STOP UPDATING IT AND JUST REMASTER THE GAME.

BLEASE.

feel free to reblog and add to the list with things yall would cut off appendages for Bethesda to fix. These are the only ones I can think of right now.

[heretherebedork]

Mew is the most manipulative person in their friend group because he covers up his manipulation as concern and as an experiment and the friends around him don't see what he's doing as manipulation because it doesn't look like what they do.

Boston calls Nick his favorite to get him to take a photo and grins after he fucks him and it's all obvious to him and he's not trying to get anything but more casual sex. He pushes at Top for sex and then hides because he knows how Mew would feel about that but he's still not exactly being subtle.

Mew hears that Top doesn't go out with people for more than two months at a time and already knows he's a fuckboy and so he decides to not just withhold sex but to withhold affection in general from him in order to gain an emotional hold on him and to force him to 'work harder' to get him.

Ray pays, and offers to continue paying, Sand to be his drinking companion, friend, driver, casual fuck, anything to keep his company within his control because everything else in his life is out of his control and all he knows how to do is use money and he wants something that he can hold onto.

Mew talks to Ray about his love for Top in a way that he does not express to anyone else. He specifically talks to Ray about Top making his heart tremble and about loving him in a way that he literally expresses to no one else. Not even in his talking directly to the camera moments does he express that same feeling. Only to Ray who is obviously in love with him.

Top's level of manipulation is currently up for debate for me because it depends on how much of what he says is true and how much of what he says is just because he wants to get into Mew's bed/pants/so on and so forth. But, even for the parts he is being manipulative about, he is acting in a way that fits with what we know about his character.

Mew offers and pulls back constantly and moves the goal posts at every chance even when he decides that he is getting what he wants because he is looking for something specific. Boston says that Top always breaks up in two months and Mew's response isn't worry or hesitation, it's interest. It's intent. It's 'what if I don't fuck him? how long will he stay then?'.

Anyway.

Mew has weaponized a lack of sex in the most beautiful way I've seen and I love it. This is my hill to die on with him even if I know it won't last but to see a virgin be allowed to use sex and sexuality and sensuality to control other people is amazing.

That's just two episodes so far but my real prediction is that Mew is going to destroy so many people and yet he will be the last one anyone suspects of doing it because he's set himself up so perfectly among his friends and it's gonna be great.

[dusty-pistol]

I see these glarin issues in Fallout 4 so much, and I wanna talk about it a little.

In the old Fallout games, we had characters who were canonically queer. Just one example is Arcade Gannon from Fallout New Vegas. You could only romance him if you played as a male character. He's canonically gay. There's other canonically queer characters and characters with canon sexualities, but he's the first to come to mind.

Yet in Fallout 4, you can romance whoever you want, and nobody has any canonical sexualties. Play as a woman or man, and you can still romance whatever (romance available characters) you want. Paladin Danse, Cait, Piper, MacCready, literally most of the companions you can find. Aside from Nick, Codsworth, Ada, and a few others who aren't available.

"If you can romance any of em, then wouldn't that make them Pansexual/Bisexual/etc automatically?" No. It makes them a feature for the player to feel more connected to the characters. They're tailor-made for YOU. To be whatever YOU want them to be. Takin away from any individuality they might've had. Which upsets me cuz I love the characters that do have individuality.

As a guy who gets emotionally attached to fictional characters, this kinda draws me away from the appeal to the characters.

It also ties into Fallout 4's main problem of caterin to the player's wants and fear of impactful decisions.

Piss off Preston and go join the raiders? He'll still follow your orders. Help the BOS at Mass Fusion? You can still go back to the Institute. Fallout 4 is so scared of havin the player's actions actually have meanin. You can literally join every faction at the exact same time, and you'll still have to wait until later in the storyline to make them mad enough to kick you out and declare you an enemy.

Meanwhile, in the old Fallout games, if you so much as wore one faction's armor and walk into another's territory, they'd shoot you on sight. I miss that about the old games. Not sayin I hate Fallout 4 or anythin. It's still a great game and I play it all the time in my free time. I just don't like these particular aspects about it.

Sorry for complainin, I just wanted to share my opinion. Thanks for readin if ya did!

[maccreadysbaby]

why do y’all love maccready so much, he’s so boring 😫

Are you actually asking? Do you actually want an answer? Ok fine here we go

Why MacCready is a Fan Favorite: A Rant

Familiarity; first time players are swamped by all of these companions who are, hate, or constantly talk about synths and the institute. Piper never freaking shuts up about it, Preston doesn’t stop bugging you about the militia he’s trying to rebuild, Cait is literally a raider, Danse is part of the bigot brigade, Hancock is a literal ghoul, Nick is a literal synth, Codsworth and Curie are robots, Deacon’s a spy, Strong is a Super Mutant, etc etc. MacCready is just a young guy who wants to do right by his son. He isn’t up the players butt about choosing one faction or another. He may be one of the only companions that doesn’t make idle comments about factions or hating the institute. (I know there are some, but not nearly as much as any other companion.) Long story short, he’s just a guy, just trying to help his son, and he doesn’t care what freaking faction you choose because he’s just trying to save his son. Yes, for affinity purposes, he dislikes the railroad and bos, but we all know he actually doesn’t care because that isn’t what he’s focused on. After the initial “Maccready disliked that” it’s hardly brought up ever again. We like him because he’s just a guy who doesn’t care about the Commonwealth’s problems and just wants to save his kid.

He’s reoccurring; another reason players like him is because they probably remember him from Fallout 3, where he was an orphan in the place called Little Lamplight. He is the only reoccurring companion and makes comments on things players might remember from Fallout 3, like “tunnel snakes rule!” And his past in Little Lamplight. What’s more fun than playing with a character you knew when they were twelve? It’s fun to see how his life has progressed instead of him just being another npc that you never see outside of Little Lamplight.

Relatability; MacCready is unashamedly scared, easily annoyed, constantly complains and has all the traits of a normal human being living in the wasteland. Our sole might be a semi-superhero, frolicking through the wasteland with a sledge hammer in the grognak costume smashing every enemy they see, but we all know we’d actually be terrified if we were there. His companion quest is full of emotion that we clearly see, as opposed to Hancock, who just tells us about the emotions he experienced before. He’s twenty-freaking-two and it’s painfully obvious. He doesn’t know what he’s doing, he’s worried about everything. He doesn’t give the player a gun like righteous authority or the deliverer, he gives them a little freaking toy soldier that his dead wife made for him because he’s sentimental and wants the player to know how much he appreciates them by giving them something with a heavy emotional attachment. Letting them know he trusts them. What’s not to like about that? About a guy being so utterly human in front of other humans?

Empathy; MacCready is really the only companion the sole survivor can empathize with, and vise versa, in terms of their children. They’re both trying to save them. It’s their life’s goal. They both know how it feels to fear for their safety and wonder if they’re even alive. Not a single one of the other companions can relate to sole like he can, thus, forming a bond through something other companions can’t: shared pain.

Emotions; MacCready gets exceedingly angry, more so than the other companions, if the player lowers his affinity too far. Because he’s already lost his wife, been betrayed, and now he’s watching another person he’s grown to care about change on him. It’s just another example of his achingly well written personality and in-depth emotional story.

Tid Bits; these can be quite objective, but I’m gonna include them anyhow. This is probably the bottom line for many players, if I’m being honest. MacCready may look like a rat, but he’s cute. His voice acting is on pointe. Even though he got some bad writing at the end where we never hear anything about Duncan again, his storyline is still gives the player a very rewarding feeling. He’s just adorable.

what’s not to love, anon?

[zirawrites]

How do you think the fallout 4 companions would react to having traveled with sole for a few months and sole only referring to them as "pal, buddy, bro etc." and then finally braking down and telling them they can't for the life of them remember their name, but they were just too embarrassed to ask again

Cait: “It’s literally one syllable, Sole!” Cait’s face flushed when Sole just shrugged. “I’m your only companion with such a short name.” Then Sole reminded her of Danse and Nick, and Cait swung a punch that Sole barely dodged.

Codsworth: “The effects of cryostasis must still be affecting your long-term memory.” Codsworth rattled chipperly and blinked in the endearing way he always did when he wanted to mimic smiling. “Not to worry, sir/mum! I’m Codsworth; your faithful Mr. Handy from General Atomic’s finest!” He literally couldn’t fathom Sole actually not remembering him.

Curie: “I do not mean to offend, but I think I rather you have kept that to yourself.” Curie shook her head in pity. “That is embarrassing, Sole. I hope you feel very awkward right now.” Even though Curie was only partly-teasing, she still insisted Sole take extra vitamins to keep up their mental fortitude.

Danse: “I call you soldier out of respect,” Danse said, his mouth stretched in a long frown. “You do it because you don’t know what else to call me. How long were you going to keep up the charade?” Sole admitted they hoped until another Brotherhood soldier said his name, but everyone just seemed to call him Paladin.

Deacon: “If it makes you feel better, Deacon isn’t actually my real name. I tell raw recruits my codename is to safeguard my identity, but really it’s because my real name is... embarrassing.” Deacon’s blush seemed genuine, and he scratched the back of his neck until Sole finally asked what his name was. “Funnily enough, I’m Sole, too!” He giggled like a kid until Sole gave him a playful shove.

Hancock: “I don’t remember my name half the time anyways.” Hancock seemed completely unbothered by this revelation. It was nearly impossible to offend him. “You can start calling me Hancock, or The Best Damn Mayor in the Commonwealth.” Then Hancock tried to pronounce the last nickname as an acronym, and both of them laughed it off.

MacCready: “You’re kidding.” MacCready searched Sole’s face for hints of a prank. When it was evident Sole was telling the truth, his ears burned red. “We’ve been traveling together for, like, months! You don’t even know the name of the merc you hired? Next time we’re in Sanctuary I’m having Curie look at your head.”

Preston: “Oh, um. I’m Preston.” Preston absolutely internalized this as being so forgettable that Sole couldn’t even remember the first human they came into contact with after leaving the vault. Ouch.

Piper: “Need me to come up with a color for myself? It seems to be the only rudimentary thing you can remember, Blue.” Piper then only referred to herself as Red, which only made Sole feel worse.

Nick: “Sole, you come by my office almost every day.” Nick rubbed his face in sheer defeat. “Did the sign out front never jog your memory?” Sole admitted they thought Nick was just a hopeless romantic, and Nick threw a wad of paper at their head.

X6-88: “It has a lot of numbers. I completely understand, sir/ma’am.” X6 wasn’t offended. In truth, he literally did not care.

[fusionnukacola]

How about sole bringing the companions to Nuka World and like what they enjoy doing the most there? I’m currently playing that dlc and I just wish you and your companion could go on rides together or for them to at least react to some of the things going on. Oh and also the raiders are probably not there anymore and the amusement park is safer now

Thank you for the request! I'm going into this with the assumption that all the rides are fixed.

Cait: Honestly, doesn't pay much attention to the rides. She's more focused on finding the crate of Nuka-Dark she just knows Sole keeps in the penthouse. However, she won't say no if you ask to go on some of the more exciting rides like the ArcJet G-Force. If romanced, comments on how sturdy the double bed looks in the penthouse, and makes a suggestive comment saying they should test it out for safety reasons.

Codsworth: Doesn't go on most of the rides because he can't, but he can sort of go on the Teacups, so that's around the only one he likes. All throughout the park he's talking to Sole about the time they came here with their partner and baby Shaun. Constantly comments on all the dust on the rides, saying it's a shame for them not to have been in use before. He's a fan of the ride there, saying it's nice seeing the views.

Curie: Absolutely loves the Teacups and the Ferris Wheel. Curie isn't much of a fan of the thriller rides, so she sticks to the safer ones. The second she sees them though, she wants to know exactly how they work. Not much of a fan of seeing all the grime the raiders that previously lived there accumulated.

Danse: Pretends he doesn't want to go on the various rides, claiming it's a matter of safety. However, he secretly wants to go on some of the rollercoasters. Sole has caught him on more than one occasion staring at the Nuka-Rockets, but every time they ask about it he says that he is simply observing it. If romanced, will eventually say yes, and Sole even gets a photo of the two of them.

Deacon: Goes on every. single. ride. This man will grab Sole's hand and sprint to lead them to rides. He doesn't go ride to ride, instead picking a random ride, even if it's miles away. Begs Sole to get the popcorn and hot dog makers working. If romanced, kisses Sole at the top of every ride.

Hancock: Immediately suggests having sex on every ride. Romanced or not. If not, probably is saying it as a joke. (Probably.) Goes on the high-speed rollercoasters the most, but also likes the easier ones, like the carousel. He says it's a "pallet cleanser."

MacCready: You ALREADY KNOW he's heading straight for Safari Center. When he meets Cito, he literally goes insane. Asks for an autograph. Cito doesn't know what that is. Loves the Angry Anaconda. He'll ask to ride it again and again. Tells Sole they should start selling tickets to it, that they could make a lot of caps.

Nick: Makes comments about the few times he and Jennifer came here. Mostly likes the ferris wheel, and says he's too old for the rollercoasters. If romanced, he'll give Sole a peck at the top of the ferris wheel, like a gentleman.

Piper: Documents at every turn. When she gets back to Diamond city, she immediately posts an article about it all. Almost every settler is in line for the amusement park after that. Likes the more half & half rides, nothing too slow or fast. Her favorite is the Cola-cars arena.

Preston: Explains how grateful he is to Sole for clearing out the raiders that occupied the park before anything. Initially a little scared of going on the rides for safety, but once Sole explains how they already rode the rides, he's convinced. Not before lightly scolding them for doing that, of course.

Strong: Can't really, well, fit on any of the rides because of how tall he is, but that's probably for the best. Doesn't like any of the rides.

X6-88: Does not go on a single ride. Says it's for safety, and because he "does NOT want to get any of that.. sticky Commonwealth grime on him." He doesn't like Nuka-Cola.

[harvesterofmusic]

Young Lust | Watermour

Recordings of 1972

Album: Obscured by clouds

📍Strawberry Studios, Château d'Hérouville

It was a day of recording like any other at The Strawberry Studios, Roger and David were in the instrument room and, while they waited for the other two members of the band, they began to strum their own electric instrument.

Shortly after Roger got up from the sofa where he was sitting next to David and took some written papers from the ground, sat down crossing his legs and read one of these very carefully.

R: Hey Dave...do you think I should change the lyrics of "Wot's...Uh the Deal"? See...here...

he pointed to the paragraph with his finger. David took the sheet, read the piece and smiled at his friend

D: And why on earth would you? Rog...this is perfect...as always...

Roger smiled hearing those words as he picked the text back.

R: Well, you also contributed to its writing and as much as I hate to admit it, it's also perfect thanks to you... but like every other song we write together..

The two looked at each other following Roger's last words, only to be interrupted by Nick's usual delicacy as he entered the studio, followed by a chic Rick who, as slow as he walked, would have competed with a turtle.

R: Finally! Where the fuck have the two of you been? You got lost? Yet this house is not very big...

Roger said nervously, but it was not clear if it was actually due to the delay of the two companions or the fact that they had interrupted such a strange moment for him and David

N: Come on, Rog, don't get upset as always... you know that it's hard to wake up in the morning, especially if you're just a few steps far from the center of Paris and you want to enjoy this mini vacation

R: Too bad this isn't a vacation but we are here to work Nick...we have little time left to finish this God damn album.

N: If only a movie with our song as soundtrack doesn't come out soon, we'll have more time on our hands...

W: Guys come on...the longer we stay here arguing with each other the less time we'll have to finish the album...so Nick go and sit on the drums, Rog take your bass and David...(looking for his gaze) are you there mate?

David nodded and got up from the sofa where a few moments before he was blissfully talking to Roger.

When everyone was in their seats the various recordings began.

Among the songs to be recorded that day were precisely "Wot's ... Uh the Deal" and "Stay" which was a ballad sung entirely by Rick.

The recording session came to an end for that day, which unfortunately was also one of the last they would spend in that villa.

Nick was the first to leave the room holding a cigarette with two fingers, following him as always was Rick who went to take a nap; in all this, however, Roger didn't notice anything, he was more busy devouring David with his eyes.

David noticed, but he didn’t want to ruin that moment one more time.

Roger was hit by a sudden flow of thoughts, reflections and above all doubts about what his beliefs were...why couldn’t he not think about David? Why couldn’t he stop staring at every little gesture he made?

At one point David came out of the soundproof room pulling back the long hair that often and willingly went on his eyes; needless to say that as soon as David moved, Roger’s gaping gaze finally changed position.

D: What were you staring at?

he asked, acting like a fool as he stood next to him and began to manipulate with the various knobs of the recorder.

R: Um...no nothing...

he said, rubbing his eyes with his fingers

R: Wait...is it just you and me?

he said looking around finding no one

D: Yes...the other two left like five minutes ago

Roger nodded, he didn’t know what to say nor what to do in that moment...the only thing he did was keeping watching David who noticed soon after.

D: Rog...tell me something...do you like me that much?

asked David as he began to stare at Roger

R: What do you mean?

D: I don’t know...I mean...you’ve been staring at me all day, literally eating me with your eyes almost...

Roger got up and started walking back and forth around the room while holding his hands in the back pockets of his flared jeans.

David couldn’t help but look at him, but at one point he couldn’t anymore and he got up too.

D: Are you finished or what? You will make the furrow if you continue like this

he smiled slightly and then pointed at the sofa

D: Sit there...it’s definitely better than standing up and going back and forth don’t you think?

R: What if I don’t want to?

he said a little too close to David, who did not even notice

D: Well in this case...

He threw him on the sofa by pushing him from his shoulders and started tickling him, not realizing that he had literally sat on his lap.

Roger began to laugh like a madman as usual trying to defend himself from the guitarist’s fast fingers, but with little result.

After a while, David stopped and began to stare at him

D: Do you see what happens if you turn against me? In the end you sat down like I told you.

Roger, who, as egocentric as he was, could not accept that he had been beaten, reversed the situation: he put David’s arms around his neck and in a decisive way he stood up with David still in his arms and made him lean against the wall

R: And now? l'd say that the situation has changed, don’t you think?

He said with a smile on his lips

D: You are a crazy maniac...I always told you

David remarked as he chuckled, dangerously clinging to the body of the tallest.

R: And what are you going to do? Do you want to lock me up in an asylum? Or maybe behind a wall?

he said with an apparent tone of challenge

D: Wouldn’t it be fun anymore...it would become all monotonous...do you think I want to be alone with those two?? Forget it.

R: Admit that it's because without me you wouldn't have he same success that we are having now

D: Mr. Modesty ladies and gentlemen...

after those words of David a deafening silence fell in the room, the two did not prefer any word while one looked at the other.

David, who was still surrounding the neck of the taller with his arms, decided to slowly approach, and flaunting, his hand to Roger’s face and when he saw that he was not moving away, he began to caress him.

Roger immediately embraced that caress smiling and then slightly squinting his eyes as a sign of relaxation.

D: Wow...I can't believe my eyes...

said David with a thread of voice breaking the silence

D: Roger Waters who lets himself be caressed...it's not something you see every day...

R: Aaahh stop it you jerk... what do you mean by that? Do I really give the impression of the coldestof the group?

David tilted his head slightly and then smiled at him

D: No one ever said that you are the coldest of the group...it just seemed strange to me that a solid man like you melts for so little...

Roger at those words came closer to his face and then went to take the hand with which he was caressing him

R: If it's from you, it will never be little...trust me. Nothing from you will ever be little; your look, your smile, your advice and now your caress will never be too little...got it?

David was surprised by those strong words, he was speechless for a moment, then slowly hinted a smile, moved his hand from Roger's face to his neck and pulled him towards him...first to match the their foreheads and then to cancel the distance with a passionate kiss.

This time it was Roger who was speechless, but he returned the kiss right away, making it deeper as time went by.

David did not hold back and indeed, he indulge in the kiss. After a few seconds the two parted to catch some air, Roger then started laughing again in his own way and in the meantime he leaned his head on David's shoulder, who in turn was laughing heartily.

Luckily the whole room was quite soundproofed so no one could hear them.

Q: Rog...Rog...Rog...

David almost shouted, trying to get the attention of the taller one.

Roger turned to him while he was still giggling, it was there that David kissed him again without warning, but this time Roger was ready and reciprocated immediately, placing his hands on the hips of the shorter one.

David, feeling that contact, turned slightly red in the face, but instead of pulling back he made their bodies adhere more closely.

D: Your...lips...taste of of tobacco...and Bourbon...

he said between kisses, which made Roger smile.

R: You taste like...beer...and tobacco...

he said copying David's actions and he started laughing, while his hand continued to caress his neck.

Roger started to bite the younger man's lips, and then got to nibble him everywhere, both on the cheeks and on the neck, especially on the Adam's apple.

Soft moans escaped David's mouth; he surely wasn't expecting this, but he knew he was enjoying all that.

Roger meanwhile slipped his hands under David's cobalt blue shirt. A shiver ran through David's whole body, the goosebumps formed on his skin didn't remain a secret for Roger that when he realized it he bit David's neck even harder.

D: Rog...you're hurting me...

R: I know baby...I gave you a hickey, a really big one...

David glared at him, even if he wasn't at all surprised by what happened, but he wanted to have fun and test the bassist's empathy.

D: Roger...now you explain to me how I should hide it from Rick and Nick? How did you come up with such a thing?!

he said looking intently into his blue eyes. Roger didn't expect such a reaction, he almost felt sorry for David, who was continuing to glare at him.

R: S-Sorry...I didn't mean to...

Hearing those words, David couldn't hold back any longer and so he burst into a loud laugh that made him double over.

R: How much of an asshole can you possibly be? Other than being a big jerk?

D: I may be a jerk...but I managed to make you say sorry...HAHAHA

Roger smiled, once again he had done it under his nose, but in this regard he had to take revenge in some way, he could not let him get away with it.

R: You're a little bastard...I won't let you do it again...got it?

he said gently taking his neck, then squeezed his cheeks and kissed him firmly.

R: If you continue like this...I'll have to visit you tonight...to give you the lesson you deserve. Now it's up to you to decide...one more misstep and tomorrow morning you won't be able to walk straight...

David placed his hands on Roger's pronounced pecs, then gave a mischievous smile.

D: I don't fear you Roger...I'm ready for anything, but according to what you just said I should provoke you again right?

Roger was slightly dumbfounded by his words, and his expression was no different.

David obviously noticed it and with a simple gesture cleared Roger's mind; he tickled him until both the taller and himself fell to the ground.

A: DAVID!! HAHAH!

he screamed as they fell, until he hit his back on the ground and saw David straddle him.

A: YOU SIGNED YOUR DEATH DAVID GILMOUR! GET READY! HAHAHAH

he said between laughs as he was trying to defend himself

David didn't give up and Roger was still laughing when the door suddenly burst open...

[prongsmydeer]

Ayesha Liveblogs Heartstopper S2

Alright, I have gathered my psychological strength, onto season 2!!

Charlie and Nick's little "hi"s are very sweet to me, they just always seem so happy to see each other

"Kissing at school is a terrible idea," said Nick, both accurate, and in direct contradiction to his actions in the hallway on sports day not so long ago

I understand that Nick is not happy with his rugby friends but it does put him in a rough position to be isolating himself from his long-time companions at a time when he's dealing with a lot of change

What up with Mr. Farouk, why did he yell "QUIET" at the top of his voice like anyone had really been saying anything audibly:

"No chatting, no phones, no annoying questions." Genuinely what is the point of a study hall like this!! Talking to people can help you revise!! The internet can help you revise! Why have desk partners or a study time at all if you're going to be so incredibly restrictive about what resources they use. Mr. Farouk we've just met but you seem like your pedagogy needs some work

The way neither Nick nor Charlie have any respect for authority LMAO. Both texting in class immediately after the teacher starts talking

"I want to rejoin the rugby team." The valiant return of Rugby Romance!!! It is very funny how Charlie's motivation for rugby is 1) Nick and 2) Sport, in that order

"But maybe being weird is how he expresses his romantic feelings." LMAO true

The panic in Tao's eyes upon his romantically-charged friendship touching his hair. A visual demonstration of 🚨WEE OO WEE OO WHAT'S GOING ON 🚨

"How did you know this is my favourite chocolate bar?" HAHAHAHAHA, Heartstopper joining the likes of every Thai show I've ever watched when it comes to sponsor integration. Perfect. Product placement is allowed if it amuses me:

"If we're out by the time we're on the Paris trip, we can kiss on the Eiffel tower." Nick is sooooo romantic. Also it's windy up there

Baffling to me that all these teens are allowed to have a sleepover, not only because of it a being mixed-gender event, but also because half of them are DATING EACH OTHER

Sidenote: I love that Nick does have a support system in these friends

Side sidenote: Whichever tumblr coder took away my indented bullet list ability. Meet me in the Denny's parking lot

Elle and Tao's almost kiss in the garden 🌻💛 This friend group IS incapable of platonic activities

Tao every time Nick says anything: U shut ur mouth, Rugby Boy

"You didn't like me because you're gay." "Well, I... I'm bisexual actually." YEAHHHHHHHHH Nick also fjfhfjhfjk Imogen

It makes me happy how warm and yellow the colouring of this ep is

"Nick is banned from sleepovers from now on." Hater energy, but fair hahahahaha this is what I expected

Quite honestly I am unable to see Tori as any age but 30 LOL. smth about her reminds me of Catherine Tate's Comic Relief skits:

"I can protect him," said Charlie, like he can run faster than homophobia. (I'm with you on the concern, Tori)

Is each season going to have a colour theme? Because this ep looks quite yellow too, where a lot of the last season was blue

Charlie abandoning his schoolwork stresses me out LOL BOY

Rough for Imogen to be dating Ben, he sucks

"It's not my fault he liked me before you." "I hate you because you literally assaulted him." Good for Nick for calling it what it is

"Sorry, am I not allowed to like girls as well as boys?" Ben said, bisexuality is not only for the sound of mind

Nick softlaunching his relationship with a picture of his dog and boyfriend:

Really bold of Elle to declare the art school friends as new friends for life after one (1) day of interaction but more power to her I guess. I love that she is making more friends, and specifically trans and non-binary friends because it really does change your life to meet people with shared identities 😭❤️

Fjkfkfjhf Tao representing my diasporic experience and replying in English while being spoken to in your mother tongue

"He's done some really bad stuff." "What? What'd he do?" "I can't tell you." I feel like you COULD say he assaulted someone without saying who but I respect Nick not wanting to even come close to outing someone

"I don't actually have that many friends." Colour me crazy, Imogen, but I kinda think that's cause you're never at your own school

This GCSE scene with Nick is exactly why I need psychological strength for this show, it's a visual representation of a panic attack

HAHAHAHHAHA the juxtaposition between Tao's mum, who loves Elle and wants her to live in their house, vs. Elle's mum, who refers to Tao as "that boy of yours"

"I just... I just wanted to meet the guy that, you know, turned my little brother gay." Get fucked David, and get out

David said: I am homophobic AND biphobic. I can do both

You know, I'll give my brother this credit, when he found a little gay picture of me he just handed it back and minded his business

Me @ Charlie's mum: Strict parents raise sneaky kids

"Charlie, this is not your fault," said Nick, even though Charlie would take fault for breathing if he could

Tao also representing the diasporic experience of being handed cut up fruit when you're sad

The Elle and Tao pic being Tao's phone background gjkkgjhgjhg

"Honestly, Elle could do better. And she probably doesn't even like me back, and this is probably going to destroy our friendship, it's going to destroy our friendship group, and it's going to leave me devastated for years to come. So, this is probably a really selfish and stupid thing to do, but I'm going to tell her. Help me." Wow, I did not anticipate this level of emotional honesty from Tao. Good for him!

"We're sorry about what happened at the cinema. We should've spoken up." Awwww Rugby Boys Redemption

"I know you and Charlie are really good mates." The immediate cutaway to them kissing is the funniest thing this show has ever done

Ah, well it was only a matter of time before one of the teachers so their many, many school kisses. I hope Coach Singh is cool about it

"Lots of lesbians in women's rugby. That's how I met my wife." YEAHHHHH Coach Singh! Sometimes stereotypes DO comfort me

I loooooove that Nick has a teacher on his side now. Good for him!!

"And, uh, maybe keep the kissing outside of team practice." [Nick sighs and leaves] He's absolutely gonna keep kissing at school, they're irrepressible

"It's fine. It's done." CHARLIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE why will you take responsibility for everything all the time except the one thing you need to take responsibility for, which is your history essay

Charlie submitting essential coursework five minutes before it's due. Honestly relatable

It wasn't until I heard "Je m'appelle Elle," that I remembered Elle's name is literally 'she' in French LMAO. I feel like that'd be a confusing name to have in France

"You're going to be so annoyed with me after [Paris]. " "Awww, but I love you because of how annoying you are." This is my love language

Wow, Tao, this new haircut and confidence is working for you:

As a sidenote: Cutting your hair when you believe someone else likes you is a bold move. Hair can change a lot kjghgjhgkjh

The way their friends rush them after they agree to go out!!! I love this friend group

Awww, it's fun that Isaac has a newfound relationship in James, even though I am like, 90% sure Isaac's going to be uninterested in romance as a whole

"Look after him, or you die." Tori's Pre-Party Shovel Talk

"Just think of us being out as a couple in Paris." 1) Do you think your teachers will still let you be roommates if they know you're dating and 2) Not terribly convincing when Nick looks like he's gonna be sick

Nick is truly popular against his own will LOL

"Are we ready to burn some shit?" It's INCREDIBLE how Harry, after multiple instances of Nick telling him he doesn't like him and literally getting into a fistfight, continues to throw his arm around him and act like they're pals. Nick is too kind to write him off completely at this juncture

"You're the one who said we'd always put our friendship first. You promised." "Well, I guess romance does ruin friendship." I do think Elle has been pretty unkind here. I know Tao is acting out-of-character, but he's doing it to impress Elle, and she's responded by inviting her friends, who Tao doesn't know, to the latter half of their date

Also like, what'd he do? Took her to a movie she loves and he doesn't, got a haircut, and went to a party? None of these are particularly out-of-line

"Maybe he was just nervous." "I'm fundamentally unlikeable." Oh Tao, dating do be that way sometimes

"Nick doesn't want to talk to you, Harry. Piss off." Very assertive of Charlie, good for him

Even though they're in England, it'd honestly never occurred to me that they'd be leaving for Paris on a bus

Counting Isaac and James, there's a lot of Romantic Situations on this Bus:

"What the hell was that?" said Tao, about Nick speaking French, like he doesn't know Cantonese

Skjhkjdhdjh Tao and Isaac immediately preventing Nick and Charlie from sharing a bed

SOMETHING is going to happen between Mr. Farouk and Mr. Ajayi, and while it'd be fun if it was something gay, I think it's going to be homophobic, bc this show just isn't THAT fun

HAHAHAHA Tao just slamming down the apple juice on Elle's table and running away

"I need a drink. An alcoholic drink." "We probably shouldn't drink alcohol." "I need a croissant then." WILL IT be gay? Please sirs

Isaac should also probably take the 'am I gay' internet quiz

"Oh, my dad's French." "Since when?" "Since.... his birth?" Nicolas Nelson u are so funny and cute

Does Charlie have a bit of disordered eating? We've seen him beg off having food a fair few times

HAHAHA the way Elle is like, "I don't want a man who takes me to movies I like, I want someone who jump scares me in museums!"

"It's like all he cares about is having a girlfriend." Probably true, Imogen

I do have to wonder how much anyone other than Nick knows about what happened with Ben LOL

Yikes for Charlie @ having to sit next to Ben. Also. Imogen HAS to see what the hell is up here, there's been SO MANY loaded glances

Update from like 1 minute later: Seen, spilled, and SPLIT UP:

"There's no need to call her a bitch," said Harry, suggesting he's okay with homophobic slurs but draws the line at derogatory language towards women

I love that Nick and Charlie mututally silently agree to go and comfort Imogen. They are her Teenage Guardian Angels

"Everything would be so much easier if I was into girls." Is that true, Imogen?

"You care about your friends so... loudly." A very good way to describe Tao

Tao after Nick compliments him a bunch: I have to leave immediately

Nick said: In the spirit of France, I've decided to try necking

HAHAHAHHAAH the "Oh fu—" cut off on Charlie learning he has a hickey

This is one situation in which it would be better for Charlie NOT to be out because the list of people who could've given him a hickey goes: Nick, Tao, Isaac or James, so I really don't see this being the best situation for anyone

"I don't give a rat's arse, rude boy. Grow up." Is a CRAZY response for a teacher to say to "I don't want to be with Neck Nelson."

"Charlie didn't give me a chance to figure myself out, and then you came along, and you stole him from me." 1) Can't steal a person 2) You assaulted him, Ben and 3) Figuring yourself out does not equal treating people like shit! See: Nick

I wonder how much it costs to film at the Eiffel Tower. Must be a common request

"Hey Nick. Is that hickey from you then?" "What if it was? Are you jealous?" YEAHHHHH NICK

"Did Harry just stick up for us?" "I think he did." "Weird." All Harry required was one (1) empathy lesson from Isaac to develop a conscience

"You do know it was me, right?" Nick is so proud of himself HA

Ohhhhh Tao's comment about accidentally outing Nick from last season makes a lot more sense in the context of him being overheard about Charlie

Little Charlie and Tao are soooo cute omg

Awwwww Charlie making a Charlie and Tao love lock for the bridge ❤️ Sweet boy

"People might think you gave me this hickey if you keep this up." It would be EXTREMELY funny if people assumed that Charlie had somehow gathered a gay boys' school polycule

Is the Louvre background greenscreened kjghkjghg I can't tell. The Mona Lisa shot almost certainly has something up

"You don't have to understand your feelings completely to know you like something." Hahahaha Nick being the subtle matchmaker of Elle and Tao this season is something I couldn't have predicted, but I adore

I am growing more and more sure several of the painting scenes are greenscreened haha. I guess renting out every room in the Louvre was out of the budget, very fair

"You said it was just a casual 'I love you.' You didn't mean it like that." "But you know I did. You know I do." Awww Tara

Tao and Elle, while their best friend Charlie is passed out on the floor of the Louvre:

"I don't do poses." "Yes, you do. Go on." I think Mr. Farouk and Mr. Ajayi should develop a little flirtationship. As a treat

"Charlie, I've noticed you, uh, don't really eat a lot. Generally." Me too, Nick

NOT CHARLIE TRYING TO APOLOGIZE FOR HAVING DISORDERED EATING. AIEEEEEEEEEEE

"Sometimes it feels like the only thing I can control in my life." God. godddd. Not to reveal too much of myself, but this is the only fucking time I've ever seen someone in a show with a similar relationship to food as me. Not out of body image issues, or out of personal neglect, but as like. A bad relationship with food and anxiety

"Wait, do you like that fact that I speak French?" Heehee

HAHAHAHAHA Charlie and Nick pointlessly running away from their field trip even though I'm sure Nick would be ALLOWED to meet up with his own dad. Very rebellious

Well, Stéphane, Nick's Deadbeat Dad, made a brief but impactful appearance

LOVE the double debrief at the hotel of the Tao-Elle kiss

"If you're thinking about giving me another hickey..." [High-pitched, lying] "I wasn't thinking about that."

"I get stressed about everything. You're not special." LOL CHARLIE

Another stressful moment caused by Nick and Charlie's Irrepressible PDA HAHAH:

"When you don't figure out you're gay until your late 20s, you tend to miss out on those beautiful gay teenage experiences." IT WAS THAT FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND IT WAS SOMETHING GAY!!!!!!!!! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MR. FAROUK ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I love that every named teacher in this school is gay. 10/10. I want to give the writers a leetle kees on the lips

"You flirting with me?" "Maybe." Mr. Ajayi!!! 👀❤️

I've not really talked about the Tara and Darcy subplot of Darcy being unable to say that she loves Tara or that her parents clearly don't know she's dating her but I am curious where it's leading

Isaac's No. 1 love is books, and I do love that for him

"To be honest, I sort of had a crush on him last year." We return to Charlie representing The Only Out Kid At School Whom All Other People Figuring Out That They're Some Type of Gay May Inevitably Direct Their Feelings

This is officially THE MOST romantically charged field trip I've ever seen in my life. Even Isaac's trying his hand (and his lips):

"We keep escaping parties to hang out with each other." "Are we going to do it every time?" "I hope so." Nick Nelson, you romantic boy

Ah, the teenage experience of drinking whatever someone pours you. I do not miss those days

"I know I've said some homophobic stuff in the past, but I feel like I know better now, and I'll never say anything like that again." Harry. I don't know if this is going to be enough of an apology to get you into the World's Gayest Birthday Party

LMAOOOOOOOOOOO CHARLIE SHUTTING THE DOOR IN HARRY'S FACE. GOOD FOR HIM!!!

"I know who it was. Me. We're dating." Awwwww Nick ❤️

Also, love love love how when everyone's like "U gay?" He consistently clarifies that he's bi

"I'm going to pretend I believe you have food poisoning." I take back everything I said about Mr. Farouk's pedagogy, he's a real one

Also why on EARTH would they not take Darcy to the bathroom to vom and rally first! Unrealistic, blocked. You would not tell a teacher unless she was DYING

Nick and Charlie's very forthright conversation about how they feel about sex. They're very good communicators! 💟

"I love you so much. I know it sounds like I don't mean it, because I'm drunk. But I really do mean it. I love you." Darcy said: The alcohol was communication juice, actually

Don't look at me but Tara kissing Darcy even though she was just sick is very romantic, I said what I said:

"You could just share my bed. No, stupid--" "Youssef. I don't think it's a stupid idea." I do think you should get rid of the Sick Sheets though, I wouldn't want 'em in my room

I repeat: THE MOST ROMANTICALLY-CHARGED FIELD TRIP EVER, IN THE HISTORY OF FRANCE:

I feel from the separate delayed glances the night together between Mr. Farouk and Mr. Ajayi did not go that well

Also!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

TAO'S MUM WANTING TO CELEBRATE WITH THEIR ENTIRE FAMILY THAT HE AND ELLE ARE TOGETHER!!! 💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘

The shadowy figures as u enter your house. We've all been there, Darcy

Love love love all of Darcy's friends helping to pay for the prom suit

Props to Isaac for deciding to make things clear with James

"You probably just haven't found the right person yet." Hoo boy

"Like, being in a world where romance and sex are prized above everything else when you don't feel those forms of attraction. Growing up feeling about something about you is different, but you don't have the words to describe what that is." 1) I love that Isaac is finally finding words for his experience and 2) It bugs me a leetle when people phrase this idea without including the word CISHETERONORMATIVE, because trans and queer romance and sex are CERTAINLY not prized above everything else. It's a necessary distinction. Anyway, good for Isaac!

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm bisexual." AYY Sahar

Elle's safe place being Charlie and Isaac and Tao 😭💘😭💘😭💘😭💘😭💘😭💘😭💘😭💘 My heart

"Please don't base your decisions on how I feel. All I care about is you being happy, and wherever you are, I'll still want to be with you." Oh, Tao, you've come so far

"I'm glad you realize what you did was wrong, but you don't get to ambush me into forgiving you." Charlie is SO good at finding words!! He could teach a class

"It's a very attractive sport to women," said Stephane, not knowing he was literally the only person at the table who didn't know his son was dating a guy

Nick said: This is a coming out AND a Deadbeat Dadtervention, get rekt Stéphane

"And I don't know why you're acting like you are ten years old, but your bulying just doesn't affect me anymore, because quite simply, I do not care. I like who I am. I like my life." Oh Nick, David needs to hear this. Also, not to question your speech but you sound like your heart is actively breaking, so I think you do care

"You have not grown up into the man I had hoped you'd be, David." WOW. Even Stéphane knows you're wrong, David. That's gotta hurt!

Mrs. Spring, probably: Wow, so your boyfriend comes from a broken home!

"It was nice to meet your... boyfriend. I don't really understand these things, but he seems like a very nice young man." "He is." Alright, Stéphane, you get $0.000000001 knocked off your Deadbeat Dad Debt

"Talk about my brother like that again, and I'll end you." GET HIM, TORI

"I think Nick just came out on instagram." "Aw, good for him." Very nice, all I did to come out on instagram was put bi hearts in my bio

I thought it was nice that Isaac put his book down to engage with helping with prom, but alas, he is holding it still HA

This show loves a happy/sad juxtaposition, so we must pair Nick and Charlie's semi-successful family dinner with Darcy running away from home

"You should invite him tonight." Gay teachers alliance unite!!!

"And he still carries it all with him. Even though it's over. It still causes him a lot of pain. I don't know, do you think that's true?" "Yeah, yeah, I do. I think when something really bad happens, it can affect you for a really long time." Two teenage boys' first endeavour in finding words to discuss trauma

Nick's face when he learns Charlie hasn't told Tao about the bullying trauma. He knows that means he's told NO ONE

I like Elle's dad, he's fun. I really appreciate that none of the main group's parents except Darcy's appear to be mean

"We've missed you mate." "Yeah. I've missed you too." RUGBY BOYS REUNION 💗

I also haven't really talked about Sahar, bisexual prom guitarist with a frenemieship with Imogen, but I do like her a lot as well

The extra in the green dress staring intently at Tao and Elle is killing me. What a scene-stealer

"I want to go to Lambert." "I know." Shut the fuck up, Elle and Tao are sooooo cute:

[Nervously] "Well... I was going to suggest dinner and drinks next time?" [Softly] "Next time?" NATHAN ❤️ YOUSSEF FOREVER

Omg. Imogen's little musical note animations on Sahar's guitar!! Is her statement about being into girls going to come to fruition!!!

Heartstopper said: There will be NO relationships that do not involve queer or trans people. Not on my watch!!!!!!!

Nick having six of his closest friends over for a prom night chill is extremely relatable. Heartstopper really does touch upon a lot of memories for me LOL

Darcy's mum not even giving a shit her daughter spent the night in a public park. Boooooooooooo

"I hide who I am when I'm at home." Darcy 😭😭😭😭😭

I hope and feel that Darcy has a home in her friends ❤️I believe they all have a home in each other

"You never told me about... the bullying." Nick said: I'm going to drastically change the tone of this evening, Charlie

Ahhhhh, I knew Charlie's admission was coming based on the season's warning, but oof

Nick about to tell Charlie that he loves him, like we can't sense it with every fibre of his being

(Aside: I do think both Charlie and Nick should probably be seeing a therapist, or at the very least a (safe) school counsellor. They're carrying a lot)

Charlie about to text it as well!! I wish for nothing but a kinder world and brighter days ahead for these boys:

[pikawarrior]

Welcome back to reaper talks bitches, i just finished my first playthrough of Shadows Over Loathing and have already started on my second and

Oh.

My.

Gods.

I fucking love this game. I mean its made by the people who made of my favorite games ever, West of Loathing so yeah im gonna enjoy it.

But this, this is new, this limits me in sooo many different ways but also opens up the game in ways i couldnt have imagined

[Alot of spoiler filled ramblings of a mad man slightly broken by a weird time/dimension loop that are only vaguely understandable under the cut]

Okay first off, not picking you class right at the very very start is great weirdly enough, atleast for me.

It gave me time to see the world through the basic unfiltered lens of someone who has an idea whats to come cuz of me playing the previous game but also no clue as the game hasnt given me any story yet.

Literally, it starts off with you having a copy of LOOK magazine on your face. You also get to really choose your look or well hair situation mainly, you're a stick person hair and accessories are all you got and its early game soooo

But anygays, it doesnt give you story till thr bus ride and even then you dont know your class or if there will even be classes!

I choose pigskinner or whatever my head is running at a million miles per hour rn cuz this hyperfixation is really new and free so double the speed of thoughts

And yeah i could have tried something new especially since 2 out of my 3 wol saves were that game's pigskinner class (cow puncher(?)) But come on, i like my familiar class also i suck as magic/effect heavy builds outside of my spamming of stuff like bleed or on fire

But anygays, the uncursing stuff is super fun tho pretty confusing. Thankfully you cant mess them up to my knowledge, they really test you puzzle skilss and you remembering that most things in this game are interactable (very very important)

Also omg i love any chance to piss a narrator and there are some great ones, the main ones that i can remember rn is the one about you working at all these different places and even being employee of the month despite you either being super young or not born at that time. And the one about you digging wet globs of hair out of sinks, mainly at frat houses. Gross i know, but i fucking dug through every single spittoon in wol, nothing can stop me anymore

The narrator def regrets following this dumbass (me) around but they cant leave so HA

But back to the uncursing, the sickle curse was actually super scary. Like that scarecrow was after ME, not the person i was currently in the body of, no he was after ME, my character also nick come on buddy you dont take loans/favors from The Shadows, thats like rule #265, your ass deserved a lawnmowing.

Also wtf i got sent the lawnmower i made with a note that said "see you in 66 years" or something like that. Like HELLO???? WHICH BITCH GOT MY ADDRESS AND WHO WANTS A PIECE OF ME AND MY LAWNMOWER

Seriously the sickle curse was hands down the scariest part of a game ive played in years and ive somewhat play resident evil 7

Also gods i love the to do list, don't get me wrong i loved asking my companions for reminders but this is super convenient and go for when my companion cant you know, accompany me somewhere

Plus being able see everything together and whats a main quest vs a side quest helps. And making my own notes in game helps since i still havent gotta a notebook for my gaming notes yet

Also the whole thing with the mob was great, 10/10 i love being chaotic and getting paid the big bucks for it. Seriously its worth it and theres even some more pacifist options in those quest lines to. Im very much a nice person to my core despite my nature darkness and chaos, so being able to handle things nicely or well with limited blood shed is nice. Also helps with you, like me, tend to avoid battles you dont gotta fight. Its also a nice puzzle sometimes cuz i cant just shove like 9 different thing down my throat and kick ass. Its one potion and one food at a time.

The combat is definitely different but more in a "its harder to be able to wipe everyone out in seconds" then a "heres a whole new system to learn good luck"

In wol its stupidly easy atleast for me to become a lesser god and wipe out half the map basically even during early game. Tho thats mainly cuz of my past experience and cuz i was raised really good and weirdly so my skills work with this-

But in sol the fights are actually pretty tough, i found myself really rationing my items out even in late game but also heavily relying on them and effects

Which btw go fucking on items and stuff that cause effects like bleed and on fire, trust me its actually kinda necessary

Also the last(?) fight (and the optional golem fight) are like stupidly hard even with all tbr help (finale(?)) While the golem is apparently a push over yet also god number two idk im working on it, apparently they didnt play test it and honestly it kinda shows (neutral)

ALSP WTF IS THAT BITCH AT THE FUNAL LIKE HOKY HELL DO NOT BE AFIARD MY ASS THAT A BIBLICALLY ACCURATE ANGEL WITHOUT WINGS RIGHT THERE AND ITS ABOUT TO SEND ME TO HELL PERSONALLY

Also i fucking lost, i can go back but i decided to learn from my mistakes by starting fresh instead of fixing them after they've already been made

AND im gonna help more people, im gonna save those two kids from that monster that haunts their family, im gonna help rufus find my past/other self from the first game, IM GONNA HELP EVERYONE I CAN ESPECIALLY THE ONES I FAILED BEFORE

Reaps now signing off to work on MEP parts see yall in like another 6 months

[joeyjoeylee]

I loved BSOTL! I think about Gretchen saying "Super Best Tiger" on the daily and giggle to myself. My cat side eyes me.

I wanted to know if you had plans to write more Brio or write anything in general?

Anon, you've made me Grinch Smile thinking of Gretchen and her never-ending exasperation with her Boss slash Little Brother-Cousin she will always partially see as a 5-year-old trailing after her annoying her 🤣 🤣  Putting answer under a cut b/c I may word vomit:

I've written a bunch and it's funny you mention Gretchen, b/c I just checked and I'm up over 5K words into her POV companion to the series. (4K into Annie's, 3K into Courtney's, etc.)

I had also started imagining a canon-jumpoff AU where everything is the same except for Beth/Rio meeting a couple years down the road instead when she is shiny newly-minted Super Go-getter City Councilwoman Trying to Do "Local Business Outreach" For the Community (and her public profile/own benefit natch) and he is Local [Crime] Business Owner wanting to work this situation [her, the connections, her, more money, her] to his benefit now that Nick is in jail and Rio no longer has that previous protection on the City Council. I wrote one chapter there and it is 2K words of basically Beth/Rio's first meeting, staring fixedly and obsessively at each other across his desk trying to figure each other out (this means "manipulate each other") while Mick stands silently behind Rio totally ignored by both, desperately thinking, please. stop this immediately. I can already see this is the worst idea ever. please. I'm so tired already. please.

My actual finishing/posting problems with all this are both micro and macro tho:

Experiencing plotting issues with the other POV structures that I can't quite figure out how to fix. Should they all go together, chronologically, weaving back and forth from like Gretchen to Annie to Gardner, etc. (which means something could be revealed in like, the Annie one covering the summer between 1L/2L that would be picked up in a Gretchen one later) or each one standalone covering the entire time period of watching the Brio trainwreck? How realistic are some of scenes given they would only have information they had personally witnessed or been told about by two unreliable narrators? Too much detail and backstory into the own POVs making them too OC (original character AND out-of-character) and not enough focus on Brio? Making each a standalone "arc" (I know I'm not using the right words here as I'm not enough of a creative writer to articulate it) with beginning, tension, resolution, to stand in their own rights given how long they are or just break them into vignettes?

Lingering never-leaving thought that I need to break off from my one "story" and do something new, so I pick up the outside POVs, then tell myself "stop! be more creative!" and drop them again.

The other POV thing has been done so much better by much better authors. I'm thinking of femalegothic's On the Outside Looking In and mego42's listening through the air shaft (and tooshyforthis’s AITA for wanting to stop paying my wife’s ‘business partner’ and yelling at her? Dean POV literally the most original hysterically perfect format that I’ve ever seen with these two eyes and I think about it at least weekly and laugh) all the time and the others I've read over the years and not sure it's even worth it to try to make a pale copy of those.

Pandemic/quarantine being "over" means I'm back in my thousands of people public office full-time which is a nonstop chaotic energy drag on this lifelong Introvert such that I come home every night and just want to mindlessly scroll Reddit/Tumblr and look at pretty pictures and read brilliant other writers, not actually ROUSING myself to concentrate and contribute anything myself (my default state tbh). During quarantine, I could block off hours at a time to try to immerse myself into writing uninterrupted and now I just don't have that. I wish I could be like other people who can furiously write during like, the 5 interminable minutes before the latest Zoom call starts, but I really can't. I need it to be uninterrupted blocks of time with no other distractions or it ain't happening.

Continual (inexplicable) internal pressure that if I start something, I must finish it such that I don't really want to post a WIP and have it hanging over my head unfinished. It's funny, I was scrolling back through my late summer 2020 Tumblr the other day trying to find something and saw that I had estimated early on that I would post BSOTL a chapter every two weeks. That is HI-larious in hindsight given the gap between the later chapters. But I had the spirit back then and thought I could get it done quickly. Now with the series no longer active and the fandom much quieter such that I'm not being reminded of this hyperfixation at all times, I'd fear I'd let things lag even more, and ya girl would be eaten alive by the "unfinished" aspect of the whole shebang such that it's better not to post at all.

Feeling that the fandom has "moved on" so to speak, which obviously is totally understandable given the passage of time, but makes me think I should "move on" as well into some new obsession and focus energy there (have not found this yet, open to all suggestions as to what to fixate on now instead!)

This is more than you wanted to know, Anon, so I am sorry as per usual. If I do get anything polished up enough tho, I will either post promptly I promise or ask you for a burner email and just send it to you so I can feel like I accomplished something lol.

Thanks again for the note, I'm really glad something I wrote gives you a regular giggle - makes me happy!

[veryflirtytransportalate]

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"Wow. This is going to be a great story! Just wait till you see this in print. You won't regret this, Blue." - Piper

Oh, Piper. Always there. Always chilling. Always ready for whatever. I cannot stand how she is about me stealing stuff, but other than that we get along great. She runs a newspaper with her little sister, although she's been following me because she wants to publish my story. In exchange, she takes some pics for me to post here. We all win.

She and Dogmeat get along really well. I'm actually kind of confused about Dogmeat on the whole. He's... I met him on the road one day out of the blue, and ever since, he's been following me. I'm not saying we met, got to know each other, I literally looked at him and went, "Hey," and he just made himself my dog. I don't feed him. I pet him, stab him with Stim when he needs it, but I don't know where he gets water from. I've never seen him poop. He can take a .303 round like a champ, too. He is also a vicious murderer who attacks anyone I get into a scrap with. That's true friend material right there and also, maybe, a, robot, I'm suddenly realizing. That's cool, actually, robo-dog. Why do Stimpa-eh they work on Nick too, funk it, like anything else makes any sense here.

Honestly, I get why people are falling over themselves to be with me (see: my legs, my torso, my face), but I'm sometimes weirded out by how into me they can get? And it does not take a long time. Preston made me dad of his local cub scouts after knowing me for fifteen minutes. All I'd done up to that point was get high, kill like two dozen dudes in a suit of armor (I think one of them turned into a dragonman but I was pretty up there), and insult his old lady friend right to her face. Hell, Strong Mad can't stand me, and he still spends all day riding my Red Rocket. ...okay hold on, I just meant he hangs out where I told him to, okay, me and Strong Mad aren't... we... well... let me go to the Red Rocket, and take a good hard look at him, and get back to you. There... may be potential there.

(Outfit credits, my thoughts, and a few more shots below the cut.)

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Cait is here too! I use Koozebane's Loving Cait mod (opens in new tab) to change her general vibe some. Piper's hat is Niero's CROSS_MojaveManhunter mod (opens in new tab).

Fallout 4 companions, dude. I've only ever gotten as far as Virgil's cave so I haven't met most of them, but like... bro, they are in rough shape.

Cait's storyline I think lays it out the best, which is to say, is one of the worst: it combines a desire to tell a deeply empathetic story of sorrow and trauma and regret and redemption, but that desire is so mishandled and poorly considered that it feels more like an insult to people who have lived experiences similar to her's - if you've ever been told 'you're so brave' by someone and suddenly felt a not terribly intense form of insulted, that's the exact emotional response I think this combination elicits. Her description of the physiological and mental effects of her intoxicated lifestyle feels like only a rough impression of what long-term functional intoxication feels like in the body, she doesn't follow the rules of addiction the player does, her story has to actively ignore the magical addiction cures around every corner*, but then plops a science-magic chair McGuffin into play with the same 'it's an instant cure' handwaving that the rest of the game already does as a deus ex machina to a story that could have been about the redemptive power of self-forgiveness, and there's not even time to mention that the story of the Vault you find the chair in implies that a group of addicts would turn kill mode over a single stash of drugs so fast that they'd storm in and murder an entire therapy group in their chairs, implying a discovery to murder timeline of less than an hour, and the fact that someone signed off on the only Irish character in all of Fallout just to have her be defined by violence and addiction and red hair and an accent feels funking nasty. Irish people in post apocalyptic Boston? Super fun. Thematic. Represents the reality of Boston and would have been an excellent addition! But Cait... the elements of her story could have been something really powerful to explore in a second person narrative, but instead, the writing placed on top of her damages the cohesiveness of the world in every place it touches.

We're all on the same page here**, and literally all of the characters are like this, although most other companions don't have narratives nearly so long or with nearly such personal themes (thank goodness). Nick is a hardboiled detective who smokes cigarettes. He does not have lungs. He also has memories of his previous life? I never do his quest. Piper is a scrappy reporter lady. She is upbeat and supportive and cares about her sister. The end. Codsworth is a robot who is a butler. Mr. Handycock is a ghoul dressed like a red coat, and, in his free time, something like a character. McGravy is a merc and a lazy Fallout 3 callback. Strong Mad is just Fawkes again but worse, which is ridiculous when we could have had Fawkes be the lazy call back, or another lazy call back, I guess. Danse is the words "semper fi" injection molded into a human shape (with a hot face). Preston is... actually a fun combo of dorky dude in a bad situation with good intentions, Preston gets... ugh, as much of a pass as I'll give anyone, even though he holds the terrible distinction of radiant quest giver. You never wanna be the radiant quest giver, okay, even Mike Rowe wouldn't do that dirty job. Lucky for him I kind of like the radiant quests, but that's only because the un-radiant quests usually have writing in them, and I have a hard limit on the amount of Fallout 4 writing I can stomach (I can't remember if I've ever through mods or whatever gotten to the Institute but I remember the cutscene with Father where you meet him and I Just... oh wow... if... if I was in a class, and someone presented that scene as a project, I'd be so embarrassed for them).

I downloaded a few mod companions (the super mutant lady, an Enclave general, and someone else, I forget), but they don't quite fit in with the general mood I'm trying to tweak Fallout 4 into: this Cowboy Bebop-esque colorful and bombastic adventure world with weird tech and sexy badasses.

I'm going to keep trying to Collect 'Um All! but... I don't have high hopes.

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*Addictol, which I carry on me at all times, doctors, who are in every town we stop at, a special tea from the chemistry station, or a funking omelet can cure addiction and if you don't believe me well than (opens in new tab) - your move, funko.

**Oh my gosh I just Googled "why is cait irish fallout 4" and the top answer suggested by Google was "The reason Cait has a (terrible, stereotypical) 'Irish' accent is because Bethesda didn't stop to think about how little sense it would make." YES, JUST RIP THEM APART. Oh, internet, you weird commercialized corpse of a thing - thank you so much, that made my day.

[chaostheoryy]

Random Fallout 4 headcanons for my fave companions because I’ve been replaying the game despite the rapidly accelerating deterioration of my Playstation 4

Some of these headcanons contain suggestive content. There is also a mention of su*cide attempts so tread carefully but know that neither the sexual content or su*cidal issues are described in detail.

Nick Valentine (he/him)

He’s a massive flirt. Pre-war!Nick was very much the smooth talker and would flirt with just about anybody for any reason. What Nick doesn’t realize is that nowadays his flirting with Sole is most definitely not just fun and games but rather a genuine desire to connect and impress the ol’ vault dweller.

Of all the aspects of his figure, he’s most insecure about his eyes. Their piercing glow only seems to serve as a reminder of his inhuman physicality.

As a synth, he obviously doesn’t have blood or hormones so typical sexual attraction and physical reactions don’t occur. However, he loves giving Sole attention. Pleasuring them and watching them unravel is a gift that keeps on giving.

Man’s best friend is Nick’s best friend too. He’s a dog guy. Dogmeat is easily his favorite co-companion. Any chance to spend time with Sole’s four-legged friend is time well-spent.

Even though it literally cannot kill him, he really wants to quit smoking. Pre-war!Nick’s addiction is the only thing he really can’t stand about the guy whose identity he’s borrowed from. With Sole’s help, maybe he can rewire the brain and kick the habit.

There isn’t a single person in the Commonwealth more open-minded and inclusive as Nick. Regardless of race, gender identity or sexuality, he respects and seeks to aid every single person that comes to him for help. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s a synth with a dead man’s memories that makes it easier to empathize or the fact that he just loves people. Either way, he’s the most reliable guy in Diamond City.

Nick hates power armor. He doesn’t have any qualms with Sole wearing it since the stuff does wonders to keep them alive. However, he just can’t stand wearing it himself. It’s too clunky and too heavy, and it just makes him feel more inhuman than he already is.

Hancock (he/they)

He’s the gayest ghoul in the Commonwealth. Well, more like the queerest. Hancock is the poster child for pansexuality. Doesn’t matter what your gender identity is, if he thinks you’re hot, he’s down to clown.

Eternal life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There have been some very low lows in his ghoul-ish life that have brought him to breaking points. There’s been more than one suicide attempt, but he just can’t seem to die. Fortunately, the desire to help the folks of Goodneighbor and keep Sole safe has given him a new purpose and love for life.

No one throws a rager like Hancock. This guy knows how to party like it’s 2069. Mixing drinks, picking killer music, and sparking wildly fascinating conversations are just some of the skills on his Life-of-the-Party resume.

Freak of nature? No. Freak in bed? Hell yeah. Hancock is down for anything and everything. Whether it’s a kink you like or a desire to try something new, he’s gonna give you a run for your money. And lemme tell ya, he’s good at what he does.

Though he loves Sole with his whole heart and wants to horde them like treasure, he is very much open to polyamorous relationships. If Sole finds themself connecting with another companion, he has no problem exploring possibilities with this new party member. And hey, who is he to complain if it means the sex life gets some new flavor?

MacCready (he/him)

He’s the sharpest shooter this side of the Mississippi. After all his experience in the Capital Wasteland and his time spent with the Gunners, his rifle handling is basically unmatched. Give him a target and he will not miss, I guarantee it.

Now there’s a nut that’s awfully tough to crack. MacCready may seem like a jerk who doesn’t share his feelings, but it’s all just a means to protect himself. Can’t get your heart broken if you don’t let anybody in. However, the more time he spends with Sole, the more that wall around his heart chips away. And once you make it inside, it is impossible for him to push you out.

No one loves harder than this guy. A single dad who has risked it all for his son, MacCready is the kind of guy to go all in on a genuine connection. If he cares about you, he will go to the ends of the Earth—quite literally if he has to—to make sure you stay alive. Sole is lucky enough to be the person that receives that insane devotion.

This. boy. is a bottooooooommmm~ No, but for real. When it comes to intimacy, MacCready is putty in Sole’s hands. He’s spent far too many years having to keep that tough mercenary reputation in tact, so much so that he’s been touch-starved and desperate for romance. Call him handsome or pet his hair and he will melt like candle wax.

The internalized homophobia is strong with this one. He’s a bisexual king, he just takes far too long to realize it. The pressure to fit into the stereotype of loving dad with beautiful wife made him bury some less heterosexual thinking early in life. Fortunately for him, exposure to more queer folk in Goodneighbor and surrounding Commonwealth settlements has made it easier for him to accept that he may not be as straight as he thought he was.

Deacon (they/he/she)

Deacon is a genderfluid icon. Though he typically chooses more masculine personas (and I’m defaulting to he for this just because of the game canon), he has no reservations about taking on the identity of a woman or non-binary/agender individual. As a result, Deacon’s a-okay with people referring to him by any pronoun.

Though he’s got game and can flirt for days, he’s asexual and aromantic. Life’s too chaotic to settle down, especially when said life involves changing identities every couple of years and disappearing underground for days at a time to help the Railroad. A significant other just isn’t something Deacon’s looking for at this point.

Sole is his hero. As much as he plays off confidence and doesn’t hesitate to stick his neck out for the vault dweller when they first come by HQ, he is absolutely starstruck by Sole’s reputation. He’s been watching this Commonwealth legend for so long, meeting them face-to-face basically gives him whiplash.

Though he changes his story left and right to make it difficult to maintain an aura of mystery and secrecy surrounding his character, I strongly believe the bit about him being a synth is true. He’s one of the OG’s, one of the Institute’s first Gen 3′s and a technological marvel. After breaking free from the Institute’s control, he made it his life goal to ensure others can find the same freedom.

He’s the glue that holds the Railroad together. When a groups one and only job is to risk their lives to save synths in a world that hates them, it’s easy to get weighed down by responsibility and hopelessness. Deacon, however, always seems to be the perfect distraction. Whether he cracks a joke or annoys somebody with gentle bullying, he can easily take folks’ minds off of the negativity.

[wastelandlovingscenarios]

I want this to be a short request but how would crushing!companions react to sole who holds their hand whenever they get scared and it slowly turns into a habit for them to always hold onto his hand?

omg this is literally so cute, bye. 🥺💗 i hope you enjoy, anon.

to keep it short, i’ll just write their reactions to when sole holds their hand and i will put ‘companions react to sole holding their hand as a habit’ in a separate post! <3

-

Danse:

it’s nothing new in his life— he’s experienced his fair share of people holding onto him during stressful and terrifying situations, so it’s something he’s used to. however, sole is an exception in this case. it’s been quite a while since he’s caught feelings for his companion, so it’s different in certain situations with them.

when they first get startled and hold his hand, he tenses up, his mind going completely blank as they wrap their fingers around his palm. though millions of people have done the same action to him in the past, this one feels different and he swears it makes him feel emotions he’s never truly felt before. before he can question what their intentions were, he noticed how they drew closer to him, eyes frantically scanning their surroundings and he realizes that there may have been an uncomfortable presence around.

so danse slowly takes a breath and squeezes their hand in return, looking down at them with red cheeks and a nervous expression. “you’re safe, don’t worry. if there appears to be any threat within our vacinity, i will neutralize it as best as i can.” when they look at him with a relieved smile, he feels his heart swell with emotions he’s never felt in his lifetime. he doesn’t dare to let go until sole feels safe enough to do so and even when they do, he fights the urge to take their hand in his once more.

instead, he impatiently waits for the next time he has the chance to hold their hand in his again, already excited though he refuses to admit it.

Deacon:

deacons not a very affection man nor has he received any affection from any other individual besides his late other half. To say this situation was terrifying for him was an understatement. he’s probably already dreading the fact that he has an unavoidable crush for his companion, not wanting to deal with that type of stress no longer.

the first time his crush rushes to hold his hand out of fear of their surroundings, he immediately pulls away out of habit and stares at them with a lump in his throat, words scrambled and refusing to leave his mouth for a moment. “i-, uh-“

with a mortified expression, sole waves it off with a flush on their face and an embarrassed tone, “shit i’m sorry. it’s just a habit, please don’t mind me.” they slowly distance themselves away from him and deacon quickly gets his act together, inwardly panicking that he may have hurt their feelings unintentionally. “no, it’s fine. i just- uh.” they tilt their head with a confused expression and instead of explaining himself, he lets out a soft apology and awkwardly goes on his way to save him the embarrassment. when he thinks about it later, he feels a pang of guilt hit him and realizes he may have been too harsh, so he tries to make an exception.

next time around, when sole does accidentally jump to grab his hand, it takes him a moment to calm himself down but does gather the courage to return the gesture. he would notice the surprised expression on soles face, and even though he’s internally losing it, he musters up the same shit eating smile he always has and cracks a joke; “charmer, i know it’s hard to stay away from me, but you could at least try.” when sole doesn’t respond and sends him a confused expression, he gives them a small smile and tugs their hand, “that’s okay though, i don’t mind. good ol’ deeks will scare the monsters away.”

when sole lets out a small chuckle, he feels himself grow agitated and immediately whips around to hide the blush on his face as he drags sole along with him. “we better get going if we wanna get outta this scary place. yknow, before you jump out of your shoes.”

Maccready:

he’s very to himself in most situations and values his personal space just as much as most people do in the commonwealth. he believes in a personal bubble and really enforces that idea, respecting his own personal space as well as others. however in this case, mac is probably just as scared as sole is, though he may be a lot better at hiding it.

when sole does grab his hand, he doesn’t give attention to it at first due to him being scared as well but when he does notice them showing signs of fear, he tries to reassure them, even though he’s flustered at the sudden contact. with a deep breath, he sucks in his negative emotions and decides to step up to bring comfort to them.

“hey, you okay?” when sole doesn’t respond, he just pulls them closer and squeezes their hand gently to grab their attention. when they do look at him, he smiles awkwardly, a inevitable blush dusting his cheeks. “earth to sole?”

when they explain their habit of doing so, he tries to lighten the mood by telling stories about his life in the capital wasteland and how he felt during his time at little lamplight, letting them know that he had similar fears and still continues to have them despite him experiencing the wasteland for years.

soon enough, their hands naturally find home in each other as they both continue exchanging similar experiences they’ve had, laughter filling the silence that sole feared just moments back.

Hancock:

hancocks a very touchy man and people do show him quite a lot of affection, so just like danse, he’s used to the constant attention others show him, only this time, the perspective is a little different. he enjoys it far more than other companions and doesn’t mind when they rush to hold his hand, though it catches him off guard.

for a moment, he processes the events occurring but once he does, he lets out a soft smile and a chuckles under his breath. he wants to let out a flirtatious comment or two, but fights the urge and instead, soothes their fear instead of embarrassing them.

“don’t worry, sunshine. you know i wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.” he’d rub his thumb against their knuckles and smiles when he sees the tenseness in their body melt away. “in fact..”

when he lets go of their hand, he sees the panic grow on their face and lets out a small chuckle. with a swift movement, he gently throws his arm over their shoulder and pulls them closer, rubbing their arm reassuringly.

“.. this might be a little more comforting. no matter what happens, i’ll always be ready to protect you this way. don’t you agree?” when they chuckle and nod at his suggestion, he pulls them closer to his body, whispering loud enough for them to hear.

“ ‘m always here for you, sunshine. you don’t ever have to be scared, especially with me around. don’t ever feel like you have to hide it from me.” sole lets out a small hum before leaning into his touch, trusting every word that left his mouth.

Nick Valentine:

nick is very understanding with a situation like this and doesn’t mind it one bit. though he does get a bit flustered, he tries to play out the scenario in a way where they won’t feel embarrassed about the events occurring. he’s aware that everyone has their fair share of fears, no matter how tough you play out to be.

“things can get pretty scary around here, i know.” when he smiles down at them, they feel a sense of ease and relax into his touch instead of having the urge to pull away. “waking up 200 years later in a completely different life will do that to you.”

sole would sigh and hold his hand tighter, their voice barely a whisper as their cheeks flush with embarrassment. “i wonder how you do it sometimes.”

nick lets out a small laugh at their reaction. “it wasn’t always like this, sweetheart. i was just as scared as you, maybe even worse.” sole looks at him with curiosity as he continues on, “theres always something new everyday but soon you’ll learn how to adapt to it.”

“you think so?”

“i know so.” his words are full of reassurance and comfort, allowing sole to let go of any negative feelings that filled their chest.

“good thing i have the best companion in the wasteland to guide me around this hellhole.” sole puts it out as a joke, but knows a part of it was the truth that she was wholeheartedly grateful for.

he proceeded to rub his thumb on their knuckles, feeling a sense of happiness in their comment, “i’ll do my best to meet your expectations, partner.”

Preston:

poor boy. he’d be a blushing mess if sole were to ever do something as simple as this. if they were to dart to grab his hand, even out of fear, he’d stutter in confusion, obviously flustered at the idea of them latching onto him. “w-what are you d-doing?”

his body would immediately freeze upon contact, stopping in his tracks despite the possibility of getting attacked at any given moment. when he catches the terror in their expression, he’s reminded that the general has their weak points too. so instead of questioning their actions any further, he tries to reassure them despite his pounding heart.

“did you wanna turn around? we can always find another route. we could even send a team of minutemen to do this for us.” when sole shakes their hand and swallows the lump in their throat, preston lets out a soft sigh and smiles at them softly.

“just leaving the suggestion out there, general. say the word and we’ll turn right back around.” sole would shake their head, their stubbornness peeking through the look of fear twisting on their face. “it’s fine. i can’t be selfish and let it get to me.”

preston would feel his heart swell at their sacrifice and the determination that they held, despite the odds going against them. gently, he squeezed their hand and looked down at them, seeing the curious expression on their face. “if that’s the case, just know i’m confident that nothing will tear you down. i have your back every step of the way,” he pauses for a moment, rubbing the nape of his neck nervously with a dorky smile, “even if it mean- uh -holding my hand. i’d be more than happy to.”

after a few moments of silence, sole processed his words and smiled at him in response, returning the squeeze. “thank you, preston.”

Sturges:

sturges is aware he isn’t the strongest man in the commonwealth nor does he have the ability to protect sole in most situations. however, if he had a choice, he would do the best he could and he knows that sole is aware of his intentions. yet, when they yelp with fear and lunge to him, taking his hand in theirs, he realizes that maybe he isn’t as weak as he sought out to be.

“you holding up ‘lright, sweetheart?” when they notice their actions, their expression slowly twists into a terrified one and they attempt to retrieve their hand as quickly as they can. sturges doesn’t stop them from doing so and instead just laughs heartily and offers his hand to them despite their reaction.

“i’m fine with it, yknow. i wasn’t complainin’ or anything, just wanted to check if you’re okay.” sole hesitates for a moment, eyes flickering from his hand to his face before replying. “are you sure it’s okay? it just gave me a little scare, you don’t have to-“

before they could continue, he moves closer, taking their hand in his with a light blush on his cheeks and a reassuring smile plastered on his face. “it’s the least i can do for you.” his actions are more than enough to reassure sole and they nod, accepting his offer. “thank you, sturges.”

Gage:

he doesn’t like crushes— gage is so used to the habit of a one night stand and constant hook ups that he absolutely forgets how loving someone feels like. as sole grips his hand in fear, he chokes up for a good second and immediately gets himself together, retreating his hand and glaring at them.

“the fuck you think you’re doing?” despite his tough demeanor, his voice becomes slightly shaky and a small tinge of pink dusts his cheek. this doesn’t go unnoticed at first, but sole knows they’re too distracted to point it out.

they would apologize with an embarrassed expression and he’d avert his eyes elsewhere before continuing on; “yer the damn overboss, some stupid shit like this shouldn’t scare you. you gotta be tougher than that if yer gonna survive in this world.”

he doesn’t realize the words that leave his mouth until his eyes fall on sole, who’s clearly embarrassed and overwhelmed with the situation and immediately feels a tinge of guilt. with a quiet groan, he slows down and averts his eyes elsewhere, waiting for them to pick up the pace. when sole lets out a confused hum, he forces the words to leave his mouth.

“hurry up and get in front of me, why don’t ya’? yer acting like i’d let the overboss get hurt on my watch.”

they would pause for a moment at his words but feel a sense of reassurance knowing that gage had their back, despite his attitude towards them. “okay.” sole would smile at him softly and he’d scoff, fighting the blush threatening to creep up on his face. this stupid love bullshit was doing nothing but holding him back.

“yeah, yeah. lets get a move on before i leave ya out here to get eaten.”

[quite-likely-valentine]

I now present this: Imagine if you could tell the companions you love them once you have maxed their affinity.

I don't just mean companions you've romanced, I mean for ALL companions, platonic or otherwise. Just put it in the Talk menu, but you can only use it every so often for consistency sake.

But literally, please, imagine everyone's reactions. It would be so wholesome and sometimes funny because you KNOW a lot of them would be flustered to death.

---- ----

Nick:

If a second gen synth could blush, he would. Instead, he beams at you after a moment of surprise passes. You see the leather-like skin around his eyes crinkle up as he chuckles and touches your arm with his good hand. "You're a good kid, and a hell of a friend. I..." he trails off but smiles again, meeting your eyes, "Feeling's mutual, partner."

---- ----

Codsworth:

General Atomics didn't install tear-ducts on their Mister Handy model, but if they had, Codsworth would be a blubbering, sobbing mess. He still gets extremely choked up. "Oh, Sir/Mum, you have no idea how much it means to hear you say that! I always saw you, the misses/the hubby, and young Shaun as my family, and I... I know I'm just a robot butler made to serve, but I really do think that I feel the same for you..!"

---- ----

Deacon:

Deacon is NOT good at emotions, so when you say those three loaded words to him, you can practically see his mind do a Windows reboot. He gets VERY flustered. "Oh, I uh—well, I mean, of course you do! Who wouldn't love this face? I mean, I had it especially made for that reason! Uh..." He scratches his head and looks away awkwardly. "...you're pretty great yourself, [insert Railroad codename]. Your sentiment is shared!" Fingerguns.

---- ----

Strong:

I could make a "Strong Disliked That" joke, but I won't, even though he probably would. He's more confused than anything! "Human what? Strong don't understand. You good leader! Make Strong proud."

---- ----

X6-88:

He... has absolutely no idea how to respond. So he sort of acts like he misheard you, but he definitely heard and even if he doesn't want to admit it, something about that makes his chest feel warm. "You are a respectable leader, Sir/Ma'am. There is no one I would rather defend. It pleases me that you welcome my company."

---- ----

Dogmeat:

Dogmeat doesn't really understand you, but he seems to get the idea! You get a happy bark from him as he attempts to jump up and lick your face. He clearly feels the same!

---- ----

Hancock:

If he's romanced, you'll get a happy smile from him as he wraps an arm around your shoulders. "Don't I know it... I love you too, Sunshine."

If just platonic, however, he'll be taken aback for a moment. Such blunt affection among friends is far too uncommon in the Commonwealth. However, his expression soon shifts to a crooked grin, but it has a softness to it that reveals how genuine it truly is. "I wouldn't expect any less, but it sure as hell does feel good to hear you say it, pal. Feeling's mutual."

---- ----

Piper:

If romanced, Piper will give you a sly smile and interlace her fingers with your own. "How could you not?" She says cheekily, but plants a kiss on your lips and says back, "I love you, too, Blue."

If platonic, on the other hand, she'll be surprised and flustered, but not displeased by any means. She'll stutter for a second, then manage to choke out, "Thaaaat's very straight forward of you, Blue. I... can't say I don't appreciate that, though." She smiles, genuinely. "Love ya too, Blue."

---- ----

MacCready:

When romanced, this boy's smile could light up the commonwealth. He just hugs you. "I love you, too. So much."

If platonic, he's a bit less physically affectionate, but you can see that he clearly feels the same. He goes from mildly surprised, to a somewhat unsure smile as he takes his hat off and scratches the back of his head. "So soft," he chuckles, almost quietly. "You're soft, Boss," he repeats in a normal voice and looks up at you, "But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I care about you just the same, my friend."

---- ----

Cait:

Even if she's romanced, you can tell those words have a heavy impact on her. Still, she grins at you over the sincerity in her eyes. "Course ya do, silly!" She kisses you. "I love you too, Darlin'. I mean it."

If platonic, she's a bit more bashful, but she hides it well by chuckling as soon as the surprise wears off and crossing her arms. "Well of course ya do!" She grins. "Such a softie, aren'tcha? I feel the exact same, though, that's for sure. I'm glad'ta have ya as my friend!"

---- ----

Danse:

No matter how much you've tried to convince Danse that you care for him, those words seem to hit him as if it's the first time he's ever heard them. When romanced, he just looks at you so fondly, so softly. He pulls you into an embrace. "I love you, too," is all he can manage, but you can tell that he means it.

When platonic, he's a bit less choked up, but you can still see the impact. He clears his throat, looks away and scratches the back of his head. "I still don't know why you choose to trust me after... you know. But..." He looks back at you and smiles softly. "...but I appreciate your trust, and I care for you, too. A lot."

---- ----

Curie:

When romanced, Curie immediately wraps her arms around you with such joy. She says, "You have taught me what love is, and I feel it so strongly for you, as well. Thank you, my love!"

When platonic, she looks incredibly touched as well, and holds her hands over her heart. "You have been such a good friend, and you have allowed me to experience many wonderful things. It makes my chest feel so warm to know you value my company, Monsieur/Madame. I value your company greatly, as well!"

[goodneighborxfallout]

Reaction: Having sex with the companions

Cait

At first, Cait would be an absolute animal in bed. No shame, no holding back, just raw, animalistic sex, and the more worn out you were after the deed, the more satisfied she was. Almost like she had something to prove. And she realized quite soon that that was indeed the case. Not that you had put expectations on her, but she had a reputation and though she trusted you enough to be open to you and even let you help with her drug problem, there were times when she - subconsciously - would slip back into her old defense mechanisms. Depending on how close you two were the first time you had sex, it might take quite some time or not at all for Cait to open up to you about all of this and tell you that she’d be down to take things slower if you want to do that. Wanting to make her feel loved, you of course take her up on that offer and the first time you two took things slow in bed was for the both of you probably the best sex you ever had. Though she wouldn’t likely want to admit that, and keep these moments of slow love making for special occasions. 

Curie

Curie would be pretty much down for anything as her curiosity almost always got the best of her. That same curiosity would make things awkward sometimes though as she’d ask very non sexy questions during the deed or explain the more biological processes that went on in your bodies while you were just trying to make her feel good… Overall, sex with Curie would include a lot of experimenting and getting to know each other’s bodies from head to toe.

Danse

Danse would be quite new to the concept. Him being a man of protocol, not personal relationships, made the whole thing quite nervewrecking for him. But soon he would lose himself in how good it felt, how good you felt. He’d love to be close to you, holding you or burying his face in your neck, but always making sure to be gentle with you throughout the whole experience. If the events of blind betrayal had already taken place, it would take Danse a lot longer to get to this stage. No matter how much you reassured him that you loved him no matter what, there’d always be this little voice in the back of his head reminding him that you deserved so much better than someone… something like him. He wouldn’t say no to you if you wanted sex, in fact he’s probably do everything you wanted him to, because being as flawed as he was, the least he could do was obey your every wish and command. Sex would revolve completely around you, with Danse almost forgetting to enjoy himself whilst busy making you feel good. If your relationship kept going strong however and you kept reassuring him of how much you loved him he would eventually try to push his insecurity and doubt away and Danse would start behaving like I described in the beginning of this reaction.

Deacon

Deacon isn’t the kind of guy to mindlessly have sex with people ever since Barbara died. The few times he had were always mere days before a facial reconstruction surgery, so he’d never have to actually “face” the people he’d share a bed with. So it can be safe to assume that if you’ve reached the point in your relationship where Deacon is willing to have sex with you, he already trusts you 100%. Deacon will be rather careful the first few times you two have sex. He’d want to make you feel good, as it had been a while since he has cared about the pleasure of the person he shared a bed with, never mind his own pleasure. So the first few times would be all about you. Only after you’d both discover each other’s turn ons, kinks and/or sensitive spots would Deacon try some light teasing. If you’d react positively to it, the teasing would get worse over time, until eventually pushing your boundaries would become almost routine during sex. He didn’t mind you doing the same to him, though if he could choose, he’d definitely prefer to be in control. 

Hancock

With Hancock it’s neither trust nor experience that’s the problem. He has enough experience to last him a lifetime (or two), and if you say you love him, he wholeheartedly believes you. What was holding him back however was his low self esteem. Sure you said you loved him, but you’d never seen him naked before. Did you know what a ghoul’s body looked like? Probably not and whatever you were imagining, it probably wouldn’t be nearly as pretty. He’d ask you a few times whether you were 100% sure you wanted this and if you insisted that you were, he’d end up fulfilling your wish. If he noticed that you weren’t grossed out by his body he’d become more confident and sex would become a much more frequent occurrence. Hancock would be open for trying literally anything you wanted, but he’d never push his own kinks onto you (sure he’d talk dirty to you and tease you occasionally, but he would never ask if he can blindfold or tie you up for example, though he’d never refuse it if you suggested it). 

MacCready

Sex with MacCready would be unpredictable. He’s open to trying a lot of things, he has no preferable position or location, and on top of that, he’s still really young so his need for sex would pop up in the most random of situations. If you’d have a particularly weird or uncommon kink, he’d might take some convincing before he’d be down to try it, and most of the time he’d take most pleasure just doing things vanilla. 

Nick

Doesn’t take you seriously at all. He thinks you’re either joking or completely out of your mind the first few times you tell him you’re down to have sex with him. He doesn’t think your humor is great, but he’ll just brush off whatever you said without going in on that. It’ll go so far that you actually get upset with him about his dismissive demeanor that you just straight up ask him: “What is so wrong with me that you don’t want to have sex with me?” This is the moment Nick actually realizes that you’ve been serious all along and he wouldn’t believe what he just heard you say. “Wait a minute, do you honestly think you’re the problem? Have you seen me? All this skin and metal is just going to make this unpleasant for you.” You’d remind him that if you’d have a problem with any of that you would have never gotten together with him in the first place and for the first time in a quite a long time, Nick felt incredibly stupid for not figuring that out himself. Though still not convinced that you’d actually enjoy it, the sex would be slow and careful and it wouldn’t happen all that often. 

Piper

Piper is not one for one night stands and random flings. If you two were to have sex, you’d already be in a relationship. That’s really the only requirement for her. Once you two are together and she trusts you, the sex could be as slow and soft or wild and crazy as you’d both see fit. She’d be down for it. Weird kinks? “Um, okay, hadn’t seen that one coming, Blue, but hey don’t knock it before you try it I guess.” New position? “Let’s hope I’m flexible enough for this…”. Different location? Okay, here she might draw the line. Public sex would really depend on the location, the more risk of getting caught the less likely Piper would give the ok sign. After all, sex was still a private thing and she didn’t want anyone walking in on you two. 

Preston

Sex with Preston would be pretty vanilla. This boy isn’t into anything weird or extreme, and not much into dom/sub play either. Things would rarely get wild inside the bedroom as he’d see sex more of an act of showing how much he loves and cares for you. (Sorry this one bad, I really don’t like Preston rip.)

X6-88

The concept of relationships is foreign to him and before you openly ask him to have sex with you, he’d never even thought about it. He’d say yes very casually, because he doesn’t understand that sex for couples can be a very special moment. Even if you tell him that it is something couples do when they love each other, he wouldn’t put much mind to it. You love him, he loves you, great, let’s have sex then. Though he’d definitely understand way better why people like having sex so much after actually doing it, he might never grasp the emotional bond that can form when two people who love each other have sex. 

Bonus! Maxson

As elder, Maxson is used to showing dominance, ordering people around and demanding respect. At first, he’d take these things with him into the bedroom, because sex puts you in an vulnerable position and he was not vulnerable. No matter how much he trusted you, there was this irrational little voice in the back of his head that stopped him from letting down his walls. At least, that was what he was like at first. It would take him some time, maybe even a very long time, maybe it would actually take so long that you’d have to be the one suggesting it instead, but he’d finally be down to trying to take things slow. Keep in mind, this would only happen if he trusts you 100% and knows for certain that you haven’t breathed a word to anyone about how Maxson is in your relationship. He’d end up enjoying taking things slow a lot, but one night really changed everything. This one night was the one when you decided to take control. It was the first time in a very long time that Maxson let someone else do the work, where he could just lie back and enjoy being submissive, and enjoy it he did. But boy had you done something now. Maxson would always come to you after having a particularly stressful day and let you take control, to the point where him being dominant in bed would almost be a rare treat.

Oh boy why did I choose to start off with this? Haha

Also I only added Maxson because almost every blog sees him as a dom and I’m just not sure if I agree. But apart from this reaction, he’ll only be included if someone specifically asks for it.